Stark

Bare branches at dusk, starkly silhouetted against a cold yet beautifully colored winter sky

I ventured out on one of the coldest days of the season to date with entirely different intentions, namely to capture a picture of the Big Duck in it's Holiday dress. I passed my turn-off and ended up turning around at a this dead-end street overlooking Flanders Bay. I was enchanted by the evening sky and picked this tree to provide a focal point. Goes to show you that you never know what to expect. The Big Duck pictures didn't come out at all, but this one's fast become one of my favorite landscape pictures of all of 2011!

Drab'n Dreary

Old, gray and lonesome vessel on a Brightwaters canal

I have decided that there's only one way to fight this horrible winter weather we've been having along with the unemployment blues and that is by "shooting back"! So I put on an extra warm pair of socks, grabbed my camera bag and headed out the door. I thought the sight of this gray boat on gray water under gray skies next to this bright red stop sign summed up the mood just perfectly. STOP with this weather already... This by the way is not done via "selective coloring" our world really looks this drab these days. Oh well - according to Phil the Groundhog, spring isn't too far away. Let's hope he's right!

Frozen

Ice and ice floats cover the Moriches Bay Inlet by West Hampton

We've had a truly cold winter so far and even after a couple of warming days, the south shore bays between the Atlantic Ocean and the barrier islands are almost completely covered by ice. The water level rises and falls with the tide, leaving behind these pretty cool looking huge icy chunks. Contrary to the fact that they will float, even the smaller ones are incredibly heavy. I could not find one that I was actually able to lift.

Powdered

Branches looking cotton candy pretty after snow fell all night

Yesterday morning I awoke to the classical views of a winter wonderland. Snow had fallen all night long, and it was the right kind of snow, the one that sticks. By mid morning the sun had melted most of the snow on roofs and trees so I hurried out before it all disappeared. The best spots still remaining were unfortunately the ones in the shade, so this image didn't turn out as sparkly as it could have, had I gotten myself out of the door a little earlier.

Dusted

Wintry looking canal leading into the Great South Bay

Today was the first day that really felt like winter and it even snowed. Well, it was more of a dusting but by late morning about 1 1/2 inches had accumulated. In this photograph, taken in the afternoon, most of it had already melted away, but a wintry look prevailed. This is a "beef stew for dinner" kind of day!