Impressions of a snowy day

New Year's Day was the day of the first "real" snowfall in Western New York.  The weather was incredibly mild during December, and at some points almost balmy.  However, the Old Man Winter prevailed, and January 1st was covered in a lovely blanket of white snow.

If you know me, you know I love snow.  If you know me and didn't know I love snow, now you do!

I love snow.

So on that wintry New Year's Day, I strapped on my (brand new!!!) snowshoes and went exploring.  And as I explored, I naturally found a zillion things beautiful and breathtaking.  And when I find things that are beautiful and breathtaking, I try to photograph them.

I do not own a very fancy phone.  It is a random and old LG smartphone, with a camera that is only a camera.  All the same, I am amazed what pictures I can force out of it, albeit a little grainy and dark and colorless.  Once I lighten them a little and add a touch of contrast...voila!  A half-decent picture!

(Sometimes.  I am unable to take "nice" indoor pictures, and the lighting has to be Just Right for any outdoor picture I attempt to take.  And surprisingly enough, closeups turn out the best; the pictures I take of landscapes are pretty mediocre.  Someday, I'll buy a better phone.)

In any case, the snowshoeing was magical.  But really, it was magical.  The snow was fresh and powdery, the wind was brisk, and most of the world remained cozy behind doors.

I had a long and lonely walk, making friends with the woods and taking up adventures over the fields.

Of course, I went too far, and I had a long, long trudge back to my car.  I ended up in woods that I did not know, and by that time, I wanted very badly to complete the loop and cozy-up by a fire.  I rounded around the woods a little longer, skirting a frozen pond, and then found myself staring over a wide, white field.

At that point, I finally knew where I was, and figured that the fastest thing I could do would be to cut diagonally across the field, veering from the path which remained along the perimeter.  The wind was creating little snow vortexes on the flat, open ground, and I noticed the drifts that the wind cut out of the fresh powder.

I threw up my hood, and instantly, I was in Mission Mode.

Of course, I never did find Luke.

The sad part is that I felted my Scottish souvenir mittens a wee bit.  Apparently, I was really gripping my poles while hiking along.  I'm not sure if you can tell, but the darker, blurry section near the top of the mitten is felted.  Oops.

And thus far, so has been my winter!  I hope you are also finding joy this winter.

A Happy New Year to you all :)