winter
The lake is hanging on to winter, its ice covered in patches of snow here and there. Local waterfowl wait, looking like they’re trying to convince the ice to hurry up and melt so they can get back to their usual routines.
A simple scene, almost a cliché — orchids in the window, afternoon light hitting just right, a backyard blurred in the background. Nothing groundbreaking, just a nice play of colors and shapes.
But sometimes, that’s enough.
We settled in Newtown Township in 1996, right on the edge of Newtown Borough - a small town of about 2,000 people. Back then, our backyard overlooked farmland, with open fields stretching in all directions.
Fast forward to the 2020s, and the landscape has completely transformed. The farms that once surrounded us have disappeared, replaced by single-family homes, condominiums, and shopping centers. Though the area still retains its suburban charm with plenty of green spaces and parks, the only farm that remains nearby is Shady Brook Farm.
Shady Brook Farm, in particular, has seen rapid development around it. With condominiums and commercial buildings now encroaching on its borders, its future feels uncertain. Sadly, these might be its final years. A landscape once timeless, now fading into memory.
I drive by its fields daily, taking in the ever-changing scenery - vast open spaces, an unobstructed sky filled with dramatic or cheerful clouds, and the shifting colors of the seasons. This winter has been unusually warm, with little snow. Here’s a glimpse of how it looks nowadays - starting with bare fields,
then a light dusting of snow as the snowfall begins to accumulate,
and finally, a snow-covered field
Lake Luxembourg is my go-to spot for practicing shinrin-yoku - or forest bathing. This Japanese relaxation practice is all about slowing down, being calm among the trees, and soaking in the beauty of nature. It’s as simple as using your senses to observe the little details around you.
When I’m there, I sit or walk quietly with a camera, staying mindful of my surroundings. The trick is to leave daily worries behind and focus on the moment—like watching forest creatures go about their day.
Nature’s colors and sounds are incredibly soothing. While some people find green and blue the most relaxing, my favorite palette leans toward muted yellows, earthy browns and reds. On my last visit, the scene was perfect: withered grass glades, bare trees, and a frozen lake under the soft light of a cloudy winter sky.
There wasn’t any snow, and the place was completely deserted - except for a lone gray heron. These birds are usually pretty shy, but the frozen lake and quiet surroundings seemed to make it feel at ease, standing out in the open.
It was a peaceful moment, just me and the heron, soaking up the tranquility of the season.
For a couple of days, our surroundings were covered with snow. One day was very sunny, another was foggy. On the foggy day, as I made my way to Lake Luxembourg, I stumbled upon an amazing sight - a double spiral of wheel tracks in the snow, bare tree trunks, and a field dissolving in the fog. I was in a hurry to get to the lake and didn't bother to stop. I wandered around the lake, but the spiral wouldn't let me go. I stopped near it on the way back and captured this scene. It turned out to be the best shot in the series, although the others didn't disappoint either.
Whirling in the Winter Wonderland
Generally, when I select candidate images for printing, I 'season' them for weeks or even months, observing whether my feelings about the images have changed. This time, I was so confident in its quality that I printed, framed, and displayed 'Whirling in the Winter Wonderland' without delay.
Whirling in the Winter Wonderland
Here is a small selection of images from the series.
Sunny day at the lake
Foggy day at the lake
Time to fly
Time to chill
Leave me alone
On the hunt for a lunch companion
Two of us (to say nothing of the dog) spent this day at the beach gazing at strollers and surfers.
Lake Luxembourg. The first day of the year.
No comments :(
This February day was unusually warm and rainy but ice still covered our Lake Luxembourg. The ice cooled the air near the lake surface and the rain that was falling through the cold air formed a visually stunning fog. The view of the lake and trees veiled by the fog was so beautiful that despite the rain I could not force myself to leave the scene. All in all, keeping the camera in one hand and an umbrella in the other I took over 300 shots. Definitely more than I can consume. So here is just a minor part of them. The rest eventually will go to the unused images heaven during the next hard drive cleaning. Well, it’s life.
Farewell self-portrait with the lake in the background.
The Canada Goose is an amazing bird in many ways. It is a bird of high moral standards. They have a support system with siblings and respect parents. A Canada goose mates for life with only one goose, if there is no mate, there is no sex. It may be not the most abundant bird species here in the Bucks County but definitely the most commonly-seen one as they are non-migratory birds - huge flocks of them cross the sky
or feed in fields
in any season.
They look as joyous and enthusiastic in the field covered with the first snow as in a warm summer day
Looking at them I frequently wondered what kind of the evolutionary process instigated the move from migratory behavior of a regular goose to the non-migratory one. As I found out to my surprise, this move had nothing to do with an evolution - the switch from migratory to non-migratory behavior was totally man-made and it happened in the lifespan of one generation: 'By the early 1960’s, the excessive hunting brought the population of Canada geese to near extinction. To counter this near extinction, the US Fish and Wildlife Service and many State wildlife agencies began a program of re-population of wild Canada geese. They did this by taking the eggs from the nests of the surviving resident Canada geese and artificially incubated these eggs. As a consequence, these geese were not taught the migration patterns and their descendants do not have the biological need to migrate.'
These geese have benefited from the agricultural practices that leave waste grain behind for winter foraging, thereby giving us great winter photo opportunities.
Jersey Shore, the ocean, kids, dogs, surfers, seagulls - the best way to start the new year right.
Read MoreOne has to be crazy to do any kind of photography nowadays. The latest estimates of photos taken annually in the United States range between one and ten trillion.
On the other hand
'Everything has been said before. But since nobody listens we have to keep going back and beginning all over again.'
This remark was true in 1892 and it is still true.
So here am I beginning all over again.
lightness of being
lake
winter
On the bright side - we haven't had an earthquake lately.
Our garden table is strategically located in a secluded corner and is a perfect meteorological snow board.
blizzard 2016
quiet night
24 inches of pure joy
Just a regular day at the park. Still no snow, beautiful muted autumnal colors.
beauty in simplicity
withered beauty
beauty in the sky
dam beautiful
beauty and a lady
