Seasons in the Sun

When I went searching for winter beauty shots Saturday, I immediately headed for the wildlife refuge near my house. I’m guaranteed to find some great nature subjects there, plus it’s a very soothing place to be. It’s quiet. There’s rarely any traffic, and I can stumble around the edges of the refuge without getting shot for trespassing on private property. People are very funny about having their property photographed, and there are a lot of gun owners around these parts. I spend a lot of time in ditches on public right of ways.

The refuge was beautiful in its winter dusting of snow. The sun shined brightly on the sparkles of crystal, and the snow had gone untouched except for the occasional deer tracks. My boots left the only mark of man, and I tried to step lightly. It seemed wrong to disturb the snow there. It was just a beautiful place to be, despite the frigid temperatures. I felt very close to God, and not just because I was praying for warmth.

I always find something new there to capture with the camera, but I especially like to revisit certain spots to catch a plant or patch of water in the different seasons. I enjoy seeing how things change from season to season. See?

The boat on the pond in the spectacular fall sun.
And again in the winter, covered in snow.

The fluttering leaves on the trees around the pond in October.
And the papery bare branches in January.

There’s more. Like that patch of standing water. Fall.
Winter.

The fences that surrounds it. Fall.
Winter.

I could do this all day. Fall goldenrod.
Winter goldenrod.

And my favorite. My beloved sunflowers. I have three seasons of these. Summer.
Fall.
And winter.

Cool. I must admit, this whole process has given me a better appreciation for winter. I'm not ready to say I like winter. I'm just tolerating it a whole lot better than I did last year because I'm pausing to examine it closely. I’d like to have photos of a few of my favorite "refuge" subjects in all four seasons, so I can display them in some way in my house. I need two more seasons. I can’t wait for spring. But I've gotta get some better boots.