Frosty Mornings

The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green thing that stands in the way. Some see nature all ridicule and deformity . . . and some scarce see nature at all. But to the eyes of the man of imagination, nature is imagination itself. ~ William Blake

About a week ago, I took my camera with me during my morning walk with my shepherd/chow, Sedona. I rarely leave my house without my camera. I know that it would be my luck to see something spectacular and not have a means to capture it. Sedona and I walk one of two routes every morning. They parallel each other, but end up in the same place; in the woodline behind my neighborhood.

I am never disappointed on these walks. Things may appear to be the same from day to day, but they're not. Over the course of the past few weeks, I have watched the leaves on the trees go from green to yellow, and then to a deep orange. Now they are changing again to brown. And as they change to brown, they curl inward upon themselves until they finally let go of the twig that held them for more than 4 months and fall to the dirt path. The path used to only be spotted with these fallen leaves. Now it is carpeted. Soon they will make a crunching sound when I walk on them.

Frosty mornings are the norm now, despite the fact that the sun is still capable of warming the days to above freezing. And there is nothing so beautiful as a crystal coated leaf. They glisten in the morning light and look almost edible... sugared. But what made the morning even more spectacular, was my audience as I concentrated on photographing these "candy" leaves.

She came up out of the runoff ditch, only 30 feet from me. Her calf followed. Sedona was quiet, with her ears turned forward and a low gruff rumbling in her chest. The cow looked at me and I looked back. We all stood frozen. And then her calf glanced over and, upon seeing us, quickly moved to mama. Their muzzles touched. Assurance, perhaps?

I was trembling during the encounter, but my apprehension didn't stop me from instinctively bringing my camera up to my eye. She stood still for a few minutes more before turning away from me. And slowly she made her way down the path, with her calf matching her steps. What a beautiful way to start my day.

Moose Kisses


Morning Frost