Macro Monday

After the recent snowfall, we had a very cold night.  I wandered around the yard the next morning examining all the beautiful ice crystals.

Ice crystals on the buds of the peach tree

Snow and crystals on pine bough

Snowed in

Well, not really. We did get about 3 inches of snow in our part of town, then it switched to freezing rain/sleet which has compacted the snow and made a crunchy, slushy, icy mess. A few people are driving around, the mailwoman delivered as usual, but most are staying in (as we are). A couple of the neighbors with 4-wheelers have been enjoying themselves.... shredding up a bit.
We've had slow steady freezing drizzle/sleet (it seems like) all day. It is picking up right now, switching back to snow as of 1:30pm.



Our back patio at 4:30pm, Fri. and 12noon, Sat.









































Ahhhh..... refreshing!!

Laurel Falls (again)

On Tuesday we headed over to the National Park for a little snow hiking. Along the way we passed a herd of turkeys all fluffed up against the cold. Temp was about 15F degrees with wind chill around 10F.

We decided to hike out to Laurel Falls (again) because the sub-freezing temps were sure to have created some interesting ice formations. We'd last been out about a month ago to see the high water volume after heavy rains.
The Falls trail was fairly busy, being one of the most hiked trails in the park and a short 2.6-mile roundtrip paved outing. But with the cold it wasn't as crowded as usual.

Ice flow, created just like cave formations... except waaaay quicker.









Below the Falls the river was freezing over.









Here are a couple comparison shots, taken at the overspill below the Falls, one after heavy rain and one in snow/ice:

















And now a comparison of Laurel Falls itself, heavy rain vs. snow/ice:












As usual we hiked on past the Falls and the crowd thinned out, but not completely. There were other groups headed toward the old fire tower... more traffic on the trail likely due to roads being closed around the park and thereby limiting hikers' trail choices. We turned back before reaching the trail junction as we got too cold, about 2.6 miles out.

Hearts All Around - Part 4

It's finally here, Valentine's Day! Drab and dreary outside today, but the online world is all lovey and hearty and warm. Perfect time to share the rest of my Valentine Series.
First up is a divinely beautiful specimen I spotted while we were hiking the Meigs Mountain Trail in the Smokies. This curled bit of wild grapevine was unbelievable!



Next, a formation found in the melting ice on our driveway. This one I've highlighted so you can see it better. You can probably spot other shapes in there, it's like a Rorschach ink blot. Don't get all pervy!

I'll post the fifth and final installment of the Valentine Series later today. I'm saving my favorite heart finds for last!