A Dose of February
Maybe I should have titled this “An Overdose of February”. While I’m posting this in March, this blog definitely does not have a normal March vibe. This has been one of the coldest winters we’ve had in years, even the energy company is sending notices that “this year is 25% colder than usual, so please don’t be mad about your bill!”
Fair enough. I feel it every time I ski, or hike, or take my gloves off to snap a shot.
We’ll start in Whiteshell provincial park on a gloomy snowy day. Even -20C can’t freeze a river:
Not a lot of light to work with, but the shapes were appealing, and hopefully balance out.
On a similar day but back at home, I took a walk along the Assiniboine river near my house. I just liked this contrast of shapes and texture and weight, like seeing an elephant next to a kitten:
Certainly the sewer pipe smelled like an elephant… 😁 Then, when I turned around, this texture arrangement jumped out at me:
For context it was a tree trunk with the bark peeled back, probably scoured by ice in some past Spring flood, with a layer of clinging snow pasted on the side from a recent melt-and-freeze weather event.
A week later we caught a sunny break, after a fresh snow, and at Bird’s Hill park near the beaver pond, more snow shapes:
I have no idea what’s under there. Hobo in a fedora? Gandalf crossing the Misty Mountains? 🧙♂️
Then, further down the pond, somewhat opposite in feeling:
One of the difficulties of this kind of work is making sure while you’re exploring the possibilities, you don’t accidentally trample over something that will end up in your shot later. Not just around the subject, but the background as well. You really have to slow down and think about exactly what it is you want from the shot you have in mind, but also any future shots that might be available that you haven’t even seen yet. It’s a lesson only learned the hard way, and I can’t count how many “argh!” moments I’ve had when one of my deep bungling boot prints ends up ruining a perfectly good shot. It’s good practice for my flighty brain, but it’s also slower, colder work, and demands layering up.
Moving on, back in my Serenity blog post I have a panorama of frozen Lake Winnipeg from Grand Beach, looking across 30km to Gimli, where a tiny building was relentlessly puffing out steam. This time I was on the Gimli side, and determined to find the building. Well I found the building, pulled over to take a picture, and didn’t realize that what looked like a nice flat sloping shoulder was really just a deep ditch completely filled with snow. I knew it was wrong almost immediately, but after trying to back out and creep forward, I just slid deeper and deeper. After cursing up a blue streak, I got out the shovel and tried to dig my way out, when a kindly soul saw my predicament and offered to pull me out. Thankfully I was prepared with a tow strap, and it took about a minute. What a relief!
I moved down the road to a safe spot and took my shot:
It turns out that is the “Diageo Whisky Plant”, where they pump out bottles of Crown Royal whiskey. A worthy purpose for sure… 😉
Gimli is half way to Hecla Island, so I kept driving. Ice fishing is a big deal all along the lake, and at Gull Harbour in Hecla they turn it into quite a production. At the end of the road is a multi-story tower with a great view, and way out on the lake I caught this scene:
The kid is running with a fishing pole, having left the comfort of the “SnoBear” track vehicles. I had to use the telephoto, since, for context, the scene looked like this at a more normal viewing angle:
Back to my more usual fare, along the lake shore I found this backlit scene. I can’t decide which of these I prefer:
If I had to pick it would probably be the second one. I think the first is the better arrangement, it’s simpler and more direct. But the second tells a better story about the lives lived here, how even the smallest obstacles shape paths. Oooooo, that’s so deep 😀
On the way back from Hecla the sun was entering golden hour. I’m not sure what these huts are for, they were only present on a few farms along one stretch of the highway. Possibly they are for bees. In any case, looking north east with the sun almost behind really sets off those reds:
Finally, about half an hour later and a little further down the road, wispy clouds moved in from the south west taking the harshest edge off the sunlight, and giving the sky some welcome texture:
It’s my new favourite shot which is why it’s the title 🙂
And so passed February. It’s now March, with temperatures more normal for January, and we’re all eyeing the massive amount of snow accumulated over the winter. Just about everybody is hoping it stays cooler and melts slow, because if it doesn’t, we could have a major flood. We’ll see how it’s going next month.
Cheers and take care!
