frost

I love the transition between the seasons. We are in this weird, in-between time right now, as fall is ending and winter is beginning. Or at least trying to begin. Every morning I wake up and look out the window, and the landscape is transformed by a crystal layer of frost. And every morning I say to myself "I've got to get out there and take a picture of that." And by the time I am showered and the baby is fed and we are both dressed, the sun has come up and the frost is completely gone. But this morning, I put on boots and a coat before I was showered and ran outside with my camera to try and take a picture before it disappeared. I'm learning that Nature, while beautiful, is very hard to photograph. Every since I've been trying to take better pictures, I've been realizing how hard this is to do. Cameras are nothing like eyes. I wish I could implant a camera in my eye (someday I'm sure, but I bet they figure out how to put cell phones in our heads first). Admittedly, I don't have the greatest camera. Don't get me wrong, its a nice little point and shoot, but certainly not a professional piece of equipment, and it has its limitations. Anyhow, its a poor musician that blames the instrument, right? But these picture just don't do it justice. It was GORGEOUS out there. Each little blade of grass was completely covered with a little jacket of frost.  And of course a camera can never capture the smell. Frost has a smell, you know what I mean, right? That wet leaves smell, but something more, something... sharper. And then there is the sound. The way that everything is sort of muted and dulled, but at the same time you can hear the grass crunch when you walk on it.  And it makes ugly things beautiful. These are the rusty old springs on our trampoline, and look how beautiful they are with their prickly little frost growths. 

It amazed me how the reeds in the valley looked almost calligraphic. 

But its so ephemeral. By the time I was heading back up to the house, the sun had peaked around the side of the house, and it was all melting away and returning to its normal green grassy-ness. Maybe there are somethings that you are not meant to be able to 'capture'? But at least in trying to I got the chance to go outside and enjoy it. That is itself is enough for me today.

Comments

[Marcia Van Drunen]

yep. thanks for sharing.
[we don't have the frost yet. or fields, for that matter.]

[finger thumb]

Yeah, fields are nice and all, but I'm learning that there is a LOT of maintenance. I don't know if I could handle my own fields. Right now I am just happy to enjoy other peoples. Can't knock the proximity though.