Tree and Snow Beneath a Winter Sky

It snowed on Wednesday, just a few inches: the really pretty kind of snow that comes down fluffy and light, and sticks to the trees and turns everything into a fantasyland of winter delights.

We haven't had a lot of snow this winter. While I don't miss the shoveling, in some ways it hasn't seemed like winter without the snow. When it started on Wednesday morning, we all stood around the windows at work and looked out at it, marveling at the snow, like children.

Thursday morning, my drive to work was just beautiful. I had an early meeting or I would have lollygagged with my camera longer. Is there anything so irresistible as the morning after a snow? EVERYthing looks photo-worthy. But all I had time for was a couple of quick snaps.

The clouds were starting to clear out, and the sun was trying to rise behind them (you can sort of see it trying there at the bottom of the clouds to the left of the tree). A few seconds after I took this shot, the sun - that ball of fire - dropped down out of the clouds and suddenly the light was blinding - all around me glory, glory, glory.

I got a few shots of that, too, but somehow none of them matched the appeal (for me) of this single shot of the barren tree under a moody winter sky, the moment before the sun dropped and bathed us all in glory.