February 11 - Ice on James River

An ice storm that made its way through our area today left branches and trees laden with nearly an inch of ice. It's pretty as long as your power is on, and then it's not so pretty. So far, it's pretty!

It was sprinkling while I took these shots, so I didn't have a lot of time to shoot.


Mary has the only bit of color in an otherwise drab environment.

January 31 - More Ice Pictures

Here are a few more pictures I developed from the recent ice storm.

This picture is kind of interesting. Notice how the icicle forms a "hook". Initially, the icicle was vertical and gradually curved as the branch got lower. Eventually the weight became too great and the branch broke, which is why the majority of the icicle is horizontal. Only a little more ice formed right at the tip. We saw a lot of hook-shaped icicles during this storm.


An ice-covered cedar tree framed by ice-covered branches.


And a little bit of barbed wire covered in ice.

January 27 - Busiek State Forest

I made two trips to Busiek State Forest this morning - once when it was still too dark to see and another when it had grown lighter.

Ice is always fascinating to me, especially at a small scale. I enjoy the textures and the promise of green in this first picture even in what othwerwise would have been a dismal Ozarks day.



This second picture is abstract ice structure that is just starting to melt. These pictures represent only a small portion of Busiek State Forest - each convers an area about the size of a dime!

January 16 - Ice Storm

It was a cruel ice storm that ran through the area last weekend (which still has its grip on my house as well as many others). However, it was not without its beauty. Here's a few pictures from just North of Springfield where the ice was a little heavier (and damage greater).