Nature's Ice Sculpture

After a week off swimming, I returned to practice

Saturday morning. The weather, of course, was cold and

given the sometimes erratic bus schedules,

I did not want to risk frostbite waiting for one at night.

After practice, I went over to Eskenazi Health

to catch the bus for home. There I could go inside

the lobby to enjoy the beautiful artwork,

or go outside to enjoy the water features.

Here, the falls created from stacked blocks 

of limestone created sculptures of their own.

From lovely ruffled edges around the cattails, to

lacy drapes over the flowing water,

the stone and the cold weather

bend the water into vignettes 

of ever-changing beauty.

Icy Baubles

In the late afternoon shadows of Eskenazi Health, 

the water made lacy baubles on the rocks 

of the water feature. It piled in beads, making crystal 

necklaces around the flowing water.

Icy Reeds

While most of the snow and ice from this area's recent 

skirmish with the Polar Vortex has melted, 

the splashed water from the water feature at Eskenazi Health 

has frozen on the reeds.

Feathery Ice

I walked to the store late this morning,

 the bright sun moving in on the frosted lawns

and pavement. Here, the ice feathers around

the corner of repaired asphalt,

bringing a bit of brief beauty to the grayed

surface of the parking lot. 

More Pretty

Walking towards the entrance to the Natatorium 

late Tuesday afternoon, a crystal glimmer caught my eye.

I turned to see twigs covered in icy bangles.

The warm air, vented from inside the pool,

 had condensed on the ground cover, 

enveloping the twigs and remaining leaves 

in sequin gowns. Little sweaters, really, to protect 

them from the chilly air.

Tiny Icy Shrine

As I walked to the store late Thursday morning, 

I found an icy clump in the gutter.

Overnight rain had created a tiny shrine to winter,

encasing a leaf in crystalline forms.

Icy Foliage

Tuesday evening I happened see a tree, 

one that bore icy foliage.

It was nestled next to the Natatorium

where the melting snow from an overhead

walkway dripped on the tree's branches,

creating a crystal frond that complimented 

the curves of green twigs. 

Stars in the Detritus

Storms last night brought us another sunny day. 

The trees' bare branches reached upward,

towards puffy clouds scudding across a bright blue sky. 

Melting snow packs on the streets and sidewalks 

revealed the blackened leaves from fall. 

I tried to get a shot of gleaming of drops of water, 

but only got the starry points of sunlight -

one, two, three, four, dancing above the leaves.

Icy Pterodactyl

Another storm swept through the area this evening, 

coating everything with a mixture of snow, 

sleet, and ice. The ice frozen on a neighborhood 

shrub looks like some weird version of a pterodactyl. 

Rising from the snow to soar in the winter sky,

the long-gone dinosaur might also be the mythical 

phoenix, this time reborn from winter 

to bring us spring.

Textured Tuesday: Icy Grass

The time spent outdoors on Monday, my eyes felt as though 

they'd retreated into their sockets. I walked quickly as I could through 

the cold air, darting from one warm spot to another.

My camera was in my pocket, and remained there because

my focus had turned inward, away from the cold,

to search for a spot out of the wind to wait for the bus,

a corner in the coffee shop where I could read in peace,

and remain warm. The best place I found Monday evening

was in the swimming pool, with a hot shower afterward.

I left my books in my bag during that time.

Lacy Crystals

It's silly, but I can't help myself.

I walked down to the convenience store to buy a half gallon of milk.

Most of the ice that had formed during Friday's storm had melted.

All that was left existed in the shadows of the bushes that

sheltered it from the sun. In fact, the ice was the shadow, taking on 

the shape of the dormant shrubs that hovered over the

delicate crystals of icy lace.

Speedway, 7 A.M.

The recent change in local bus schedules means that I have to take 

a different bus to work. No longer can I, in effect, just step outside my front door 

to get the bus downtown. The new bus stop is about a half mile away,

which is not a problem. In fact, it gives me the opportunity to see another 

part of my neighborhood when it is beginning to wake up for work.

I was standing at the corner of  the park when I took this picture.

Just as the sun was rising above the roof lines, a car was approaching,

and a neighbor had turned on their porch light to get the newspaper.

A late winter storm is moving through central Indiana, 

leaving behind an icy glaze of freezing rain, sleet, and snow. 

I expect to see a sparkly world tomorrow morning.

Navel Gazing: Icy Confusion

As an ambulance drove by my home this evening, 

I noticed its lights reflected off an icy glaze developing 

on the rain puddles. The temperatures were in the fifties yesterday,

and one could see clouds, blue-black with moisture, approaching

from the southwest. It began raining during the late

afternoon and kept up for twenty-four hours. I walked to the

store, took some pictures, noting that the forsythia bush near

my door had developed some buds. Poor thing, I thought.

Along with the rain, the temperatures began to drop, 

so the buds are for naught. How many times can a plant

do this before it does not bloom at all? 

The City Daily Photo portal chose to not have a Theme Day 

for January, opting instead to host a day of exploration 

into how our work has changed since we began blogging.

Me? I'm still trying to figure out how to get my camera 

to focus on my subject rather than its background.

No change, I'm afraid. I'm trying to become braver about

including human subjects in my photography.

Again, only marginal improvement.

I began this blog in order to get into the habit

discipline of sticking words together

in some coherent fashion. Perhaps my editing

has improved, my vocabulary more varied.

Maybe my images are a bit more refined because

I am looking more for the art in every day things

than I am seeking just to record them. I dunno.

Click on the link above to view the CDP participants.