winter light...

the first few days of 2011 have been quite cold and frosty, although this has also meant bright sunshine, which helps brighten the spirits. this morning though is overcast again, and there is a snowfall warning for today. no flakes yet, but that would be the fourth snowfall of this winter already. most of you might think that is just the usual, but some winters we get no snow at all, so i think la nina is definitely doing her part. i was up at the ski hill yesterday in the gorgeous sun, where they have about 5 metres of snow, so much in fact that they have been trucking it off the mountain to clear parking spaces, etc. they claim to have the deepest base in the world right now; whether or not that's true, i can vouch that there's a lot.



while i wish i'd brought my camera up to the mountain with me, as the views were stunning, i'll have to appease you instead with some shots i took on sunday down at the estuary. the light was so beautiful, and i took shot after shot.



i love that light of late afternoon. the blues of the ocean and sky and mountains, contrasting with the yellow and brown grasses and trees, is entrancing.



i originally drove down near the estuary to try and get some shots of the dozens (sometimes hundreds) of trumpeter swans and assorted geese that have been settling into the wintering fields over the last few weeks. unfortunately today when i stopped, they were not very close to the road, so my shots were not as impressive as i hoped. when i went over down by the water, i was thrilled when some swans flew overhead on their way out into the bay.



mount arrowsmith is a bit of a drive south of us, but it's snowy peaks were clear above the waters of gartley bay. the cold, clear days have been good for mountain viewing - up on the ski hill we had great views of some of the high peaks of strathcona provincial park in the interior of the island, including the golden hinde, which is the highest peak on the island. driving back home, we also saw mount baker (way down in washington state) highlighted in the setting sun.



through the trees here you can see mount washington, the local ski resort. the ducks definitely fill up the waters of the estuary at this time of year.



hope you're having a good week so far, and staying warm wherever you are!