Perfect

Let me tell you about the perfect winter day.

It is crisp and cold

but also bright and sunny with a gorgeous blue sky.

Snow has fallen and lies on each individual branch like fluffy cotton.

Today I enjoyed one of these days.

I waited a bit too long to go out and take pictures

and some of the snow had begun to soften and fall from the branches.

Too bad.

It was a winter wonderland straight out of a movie as we drove to church this morning.

Absolutely stunning.

I find it hard to capture in photos.

Landscape photography is not my forte.

Plus I'm such a fan of the close-up, that I tend to take a bunch of close-ups 

and discover later (like when I go to blog about it) that I missed the big picture.

But here are a few I took as I went out walking this afternoon.

Then the wind blows and the air is filled with snow...

cold pinpricks on my face.

It is magical and somehow sad at the same time.

I love how the combination of branches and snow and wind

make everything look like some sort of modern art installation.

As it falls from the trees, it lands in little puffs

and leaves the landscape all pockmarked.

I find myself tromping into the woods without thinking much about the depth of the snow

and I always come home wet and cold.

It is worth it.