An Image of Winter

Obviously, no photos of my own for this post.  So instead, I offer this; snowflake science image from  here.

I am just loving this winter stuff!  (Okay, the novelty hasn't worn off yet - the last time we saw snow was 2008.  And - big plus - we don't have to drive to work in it!)  But Thursday night they were calling for snow.  I needed a photo for something I'm writing about "Living Aboard in Winter" (more on that project later), so I decided this would be a perfect time.  I visualized the photo in my mind's eye: a thin dusting of snow on a dock cleat.  And I knew exactly where - a few slips down from us is a boat cleated off with bright blue line that would make a perfect image.  So I charged the camera batteries and laid out my warm jacket, and went to sleep.

In the morning, after a first cup of coffee but before anyone was out to disturb the fresh powder, I bundled up and went ashore ... only to discover that too much snow had fallen!  My dock cleat was just an indistinguishable mound of white.  Not that I would have believed there was such a thing as too much snow in any other context. I love the way the white blanket transforms the world, but today, I was on a mission.  I also knew that I could stage the photo using a box of kosher salt as "snow" although I hadn't expected to need to do that yet.  I wandered around the marina looking for likely dock cleats, to no avail.  Cold and hungry, I came back aboard empty handed, or rather, empty memory-carded.  

...Only to find a facebook page filled with snow photos from other boating friends.  Helen posted icicles on her dock railing; Cathy posted a snowbound lighthouse; Jody posted snowflakes and ice crystals on her isinglass.  And I had, well, nothing.  I had been so intent on looking for the exact image I wanted, that I failed to see all the other possibilities around me.

But no fear, it's supposed to snow again tonight.  This time, I'll be ready.