Project Athena - Day 210 (Winter)

Hey Moms, It's Snowing Again

Snow-flakes

“Out of the bosom of the air,
Out of the cloud-folds of her garments shaken,
Over the woodlands brown and bare,
Over the harvest-fields forsaken,
Silent, and soft, and slow
Descends the snow.

Even as our cloudy fancies take
Suddenly shape in some divine expression,
Even as the troubled heart doth make
In the white countenance confession,
The troubled sky reveals
The grief it feels.

This is the poem of the air,
Slowly in silent syllables recorded;
This is the secret of despair,
Long in its cloudy bosom hoarded,
Now whispered and revealed
To wood and field.”
— Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Zeke Goes Poetic on Snowflakes

Nikon D3200 • Nikon 55-200mm lens • 55mm • F/16 • 1/125s • ISO 400

Project Athena - Day 209 (Winter)

Blue Icicle Towers

This summer, I visited the Chihuly glass art exhibit at the Denver Botanic Gardens on several occasions and this spectacular piece that greeted visitors at the entrance was truly one of my favorites. 650 glass “icicles” dazzled the sky, both day and night.

I chose to share this as a winter photo, even though it was taken in August, because I love the cool winter colors and the glossy, smooth surfaces juxtapose to needle sharp spikes. It represents the winter season perfectly. Enjoy.

Chihuly Blue Icicle Tower

Nikon D3200 • Nikon 18-55mm lens • 30mm • F/4.5 • 1/60s • ISO 640

 

Project Athena - Day 208 (Winter)

Winter Sculpture

Yesterday, I went to the Loveland Museum to view the final day of an Ansel Adams exhibit. The photos on display were silver gelatin prints of the Yosemite landscape and the individuals who accompanied Adams on a 1938 pack trip to this magnificent national park. What made it so fascinating was that Ansel printed and arranged his photos into three handcrafted albums and gifted them to his comrades, Georgia O'Keeffe, David McAlpin, and Godfrey and Helen Rockefeller. This exhibit was the photo album given to McAlpin and it included some of Adam's well known landscape images as well as an intimate view into this historical group of artists and friends.

I shared this story because I am truly inspired by both Adams and O'Keeffe and whenever I see their work in the world, I realize that I am a kindred spirit, soaking in the beauty of nature and then trying to disseminate, through art, the effect that this beauty has on my heart and soul.

Winter Sculpture

Nikon D3200 • Nikon 55-200mm lens • 116mm • F/5 • 1/1000s • ISO 400

Project Athena - Day 207 (Winter)

Colorado Winter Fun!

As Morgan goes flying down the hill on her sled, I am reminded of the times in my youth when playing in the snow was as fun as playing in the heat of the summer. I ask myself, "When exactly did I stop playing in the snow?" The body memory answers my question loud and clear as I clinch my butt cheeks. It was the day I flew down a steep mountain hill in Rist Canyon on an over sized inner-tube and hit a bump so hard, I was catapulted about five feet into the air. The air time was great but when I landed, my tail bone was left dangling from its other vertebra friends. That was a defining moment.

I have a sled.....and a helmet. Just need some rear end protection. Maybe it's time to let those old cell memories heal cause the kid in me wants to try again.

Happy New Year Everyone. May we all let our inner kid play this year!

Winter Sledding Fun!

Nikon D3200 • Nikon 55-200mm lens • 100mm • F/18 • 1/320s • ISO 200