We already have a good layer of snow on the ground – enough to last us most of the winter, I imagine. And today it’s snowing some more. We had a nice walk in the white stuff while Ken got out his classic skis to make some trails around our hill. It’s a nearly black and white world around here.
Lately I’ve been working on some new photo encaustics and have been pretty happy with the results. What are photo encaustics? They are a combination of printed photos, beeswax, texture and pigments – a mixed-media alternative photo process. It’s a very tactile process compared to the many hours that I spend behind the computer processing digital files. I quite enjoy it. I have been using wood substrates – mostly lumber scraps and some cradled boards too. It’s time consuming and fraught with all sorts of potential results and they are not always good. I have melted and scraped much wax off of my boards. And melted and brushed some more. The end results are often unexpected but always interesting. You can see some of these hanging at the Winthrop Gallery.
Yesterday was a lovely day to visit Falls Creek Falls. It is a short drive from Winthrop and I love to see it in any season. Never mind that the temperature was probably hovering around ten or that the sun had already descended beyond the mountains. The falls were incredibly beautiful and partially frozen and we could drive to the trail. So far there is not enough snow to close the road although there is enough that you might want four wheel drive.
Each section of the falls presented its own little vignette of ice and water. It was hard to decide where to point my camera next and when to stop. Part of the time, my feet in their warm pack boots, were partially submerged in the edge of the creek. My tripod had ice up to the top of the first section when I was done! Cold hands brought me to a finish before I was ready to be done.
Here is another view of the falls in winter when we had to ski to the trailhead.
Early last week I sat down to eat breakfast and noticed that I had a guest. Just outside the window was a Northern Pygmy-owl perched on the deck railing. So close I could almost touch the bird. These owls are very small – less than seven inches long with a wing span of twelve inches and weighing 2.5 ounces! They have false ‘eyes’ on the back of their head in order to confuse potential predators. They nest in tree cavities in conifer or deciduous forests in the mountains and move to lower elevation when the snow falls. They eat small rodents and songbirds as well as insects. This bird was watching my feeders where there were at least three types of finches to choose from – House Finch, American Goldfinch, Pine Siskins.
My breakfast got cold as I watched and photographed the owl. It didn’t mind when I moved around inside the house, trying to find a place where the windows weren’t too dirty. My camera was more interested in focusing on the dirty windows rather than the owl! Finally Sky noticed the owl and walked towards it with evident curiosity. At first the owl didn’t seem bothered by her but then she barked and the owl flew to a new perch.
This was the third time I’ve been to Lookout Mountain this year. And each time some clouds obscured the views allowing only peek-a-book scenes of the mountains all around. Each time I started in a different place too – the first time in Smith Canyon, making it a longer hike, the second time at the trailhead and this week – more than a mile down the road from the trailhead due to a road closure to protect mule deer. It’s always up, up, up though.
We started with sunny skies but fog had formed in the valleys below us and as we went uphill, so did the fog, sometimes completely obscuring any view and other times revealing bits and pieces of it. When we got near the ridge top, the trees were covered with ice crystals and the temperature was rising slowly. As the air warmed, many of the crystals loosened their grips on the needles and branches and began to tinkle to the ground making a magical sound. They would fall in waves and then stop. We were careful not to stop under any heavily laden trees.
Fall is certainly past its peak and winter is beginning to take over the landscape. However lots of color reminds us of the season just past.
Here is how it looked in May.
My Everyday Photos 