How sweet the day... and night

Skiing across the lake, I left the sun set behind me and watched the full moon drift up through the horizon haze. Today the end of the day equaled a beginning to a bright night, perhaps the brightest of 2010 with a clear sky, a blanket of snow to reflect light, and the moon appearing larger than usual as it reaches its nearest point to the earth. (Moon reference here.)

Winter revived

Winter has been reinstated. After two weeks of unseasonably warm weather and even a touch of rain, the snow came back, followed by the typical January cold temperatures. This past Sunday, I wandered around Shagawa Lake and the temporary community of ice fishing houses. Not many diehards were out. I thought it was because of the weather. Silly me. A friend later reminded me that the likely scenario was that most were at home, staying cozy and, more importantly, preparing to take in the Vikings football playoff game. For me - a perfect day to be out and about in the Winter quietude!

Nature forms

Sculpted by nature and tapped and chiseled by man... the path of the river, the shape of the rocks, the patterns of snow and ice crystals. (See previous post.)

The days...

... are getting longer. Though not really detectable on overcast days, the lengthening daylight is quite evident on sunny days. Yay!

Last weekend I hiked to Kawishiwi Falls and down the river a bit. Countless times I've noticed how the windows of this building light up at the end of the day. On that day, nature and the manmade elements came together for this image: the electric lights lighting up the windows, the sun dipping into the trees, the river water controlled by the dam upstream and dressed up with nature's delicate adornment.