anatomy of a sunset

judging by the amount of people — and lack of parking spaces — at the local grocery store, you'd think armageddon was upon us. just to clear things up: the four horsemen of the apocalypse are not riding through the air on their great steeds; the seven seals are not being opened…it's just snow. would it really kill everyone to have to eat PB&Js for a couple of days? i think the thing that bothers me the most is that, as a direct result of weather forecasts predicting 10" of snow and a 1/4" layer of ice that could possibly lead to power outages, people's shopping carts were overflowing with food they wanted, not food they needed. if the power grid decides to take a nap, how exactly are you going to cook that microwaveable pizza? human nature is as perplexing as it is frustrating.

i am, of course, referring to the winter storm that is sweeping across our great nation, from the deserts of the southwest to the eastern seaboard. heavy snowfall, sleet and ice…the works. beautiful.

but for those of you who prefer your winters on the warm side, here are some photos of the progression of a sunset to offset all of that white outside your window, from a cozy yellow-orange glow to a radiant pink & purple. (note: these are not pictures of the sky ripping open on judgement day, fire and brimstone raining down upon our fallen race…it's just a sunset.)

enjoy.

have an ice day

[i realize this post is about two weeks late, but better late than never, i guess…]


the snow was awesome…


…but the cocoon of ice that encapsulated all of the branches of our towering trees was even better. when the sun broke through the thick, broiling blanket of clouds, there was a point at which the treetops looked as though they were littered with a million tiny, glittering diamonds.

of course, i failed to capture that spectacle, what with me on the ground and possessing the distinct disadvantage of not being 40 ft. tall. so i had to shoot everything at 500mm from what felt like a worm's-eye view, leaving the glistening ice on the other side of the branches (i.e., the top) while the view through the lens revealed a less appealing scene (i.e., the not-frozen, non-glistening underside of the branches).


i was blessed to have a northern flicker alight for a bit on one of the frozen treetops, giving me a nice shot of the eye-catching gold underneath his wings.


silver and gold…what a perfect combination for this special time of the year.