Saturday, January 1, 2011

Happy New Year ~ Scenes From Montana

Dan and I went for a drive yesterday just to get out and see some of the beauty that the snow and frozen temps have brought our way.  Although it was only about 6 degrees, the sun was shinning bright and warm and kept the "bite" of the cold at bay. We went out for a late breakfast then drove the back road to Idaho. I feel fortunate to live in such a beautiful area of Montana. It helps me to forget how cold it gets here!!
Hey!........Where'd THAT one come from?
 This is one of the Marinas on Pend Oreille Lake,  in Hope, Idaho. That's Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort in the background on the right. When the lake freezes up, the Eagles start to move in.
Our National Bird ~ The Bald Eagle 
We saw 6 of these beauties altogether
Did you know that an Eagle can see their prey a mile away? This one sure kept an eye on me!
 But, I guess I just wasn't much of a threat!




This telephone line is about 2 feet from dragging the ground. The snow stuck, then froze into place. It must be 6 inches wide, on a wire 1/4 inch wide.


 The next 4 pics are my attempt to photograph the moisture in the air that is frozen by the cold. What you see is the crystals formed from the moisture. If you've never seen this....it's really beautiful. It has to be really cold....like 2 degrees, or in this case 4. Every place you see the sun shining, you'll see these tiny little sparkles falling down from the sky. It looks like little diamonds falling from heaven!



Isn't Mother Nature Beautiful?
And this little guy, or girl, is a Snowshoe Rabbit that I caught eating out of the bird seed dish on the back porch. Come spring, he'll be brown, tan, and white spotted. But in wintertime they turn pure white. This is the first time we've caught one on the porch. He had to go up 4 steps and across about 30 feet of porch, passed the back door and two windows, to get to the bowl. I think the frozen ground has him looking for easier food. I am happy to oblige him.



******

From My Blog, To Yours,
From My Heart, To Yours,
May the New Year Bring Only
Good Things, Good Health
And Good Friends to Share Them With.

Happy New Year Everyone!

******



12 comments:

  1. Ugh! I think my comment went into Neverland! so I'll try again!

    This was an absolutely beautiful post! The snows, cows, fence. Just wonderful. The eagles - breathtaking! The one shot of the lone eagle sitting in the V of the 2 trees is just magnificent! Then the snow crystals! Magic! Perfect for the New Year hopes! And wrapping it all up with a sweet little (daring) bunny, is just wonderful!

    (I'd hate to be a customer on that telephone line!)

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  2. Got it Texwis! Sorry if you had trouble. Thanks for you generous complements! It always gives me a lot of satisfaction when someone enjoys the pics.
    Yes, I wouldn't want to be customer service either!

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  3. Awesome pictures! A wonderful New Year gift, thank you so much! I have never noticed the sparklies in the air, cool! Love the Eagle, good shots on him! It looks like you had a great trip!

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  4. Loved the pictures. Thank God that we have not had the snow from last year. The storm that went up the east coast missed us by 20 - 30 miles! Though we have had a real cold snap, the temps didn't get lower than the low 20s. Almost time to start the tomatoes and peppers so I think we are in the clear. I hope the grouse in Montana come back with vengence this spring. Enjoy the holidays and the winter landscape.

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  5. Awesome pics Karen and Happy New Year to you :). That rabbit knows a good thing when it sees it.

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  6. Karen, this is one of the most beautiful posts I’ve seen. The photos of the lake and the eagle were beautiful but those diamonds --amazing. I think I’ve seen it but really didn’t know what it was and I’ve never seen so many of them and how did you get these shots? They are fabulous. Happy New Year--love that little bunny too :)

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  7. Thanks Sharon, I love sharing my pics.

    Art, I'd be careful if I were you...winter isn't over yet and you might temp fate to dump a couple of feet on Maryland! I'm pretty sure we'll get more before it's over with.

    Joe, Have you been talking to my husband?? (lol)

    Amy, Thanks, glad you enjoyed the pics. The frozen moisture crystals you see in these pics are nothing compared to the show they can put on when they sky is totally clear, cold and crisp. It is amazing. I took about a dozen shots to get a few good ones. Hard to get the sparkles in focus.

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  8. These are lovely pictures - thank you so much for sharing!

    Happy New Year to you, your Gordon's and everyone else in your world :)

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  9. Thank You Blessed! And a Happy New Year to you and your family as well. Thanks for stopping by! (:

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  10. Terrific Photos! Thanks for sharing.

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  11. Great photos Karen! Beautiful crystals.
    We are at 15 degrees this morning, crisp and clear!

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  12. Michael...Your welcome!I love photography and love to share it.

    Thanks Tim, and Hi There!! Happy New Year to you and Carol. Good to hear from you.

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