FROST, ICE AND SNOW

WHEN I BEGAN PHOTOGRAPHING I would not have expected "frozen" to be one of the larger galleries on my website, especially since snowstorms seldom produce images in this area that I would wish to keep. Usually the wind clears the snow off the tree branches before I can get to them. However, I have shortened the gallery considerably by moving images that were related to other galleries (frosted blueberries for example to the blueberry gallery).

Nevertheless, prior to the influence of climate change, ice storms were not unusual and I love what happens after an ice storm as you can see that from a number of the images. A part of the reason for so many ice storm images is that in 1995 we had a most unusual ice storm. Normally after the freezing rain has stopped the sun comes out and quickly melts the ice. However, after this particular storm it remained cloudy for three days and for three days I photographed everywhere I thought something interesting might happen. Fortunately, in the middle of the third day I remembered the view from the Fairhaven Cliffs just west of Walden Pond. It is most unusual in this area to be able to see 50 to 100 miles or so with nothing man-made to spoil the view and so I photographed until I thought I had exhausted all possibilities.

Then I looked at the ground around me and saw the remnants of the storm which had an unusual character all their own. When I thought it was time to head home the sun was finally showing and I realized I would witness a sunset over an ice storm with a view of dozens of miles. I never expected to see such a wonder and so, of course I photographed as rapidly as I could until there was no more light. Although I have put these images into the Walden gallery there are still enough for this one.