Dark and Dreary Winter?
Here is the 2024-25 winter report. So far. It has been a dark and dreary winter. Or has it?
It feels like the winter that never really was. It started slowly and late, and the December and January snows at low levels melted or rained off. There was, and still is, abundant snow at high elevations, but it came belatedly, and the ground close to sea level is nearly bare. Isolated patches of snow seem forlorn, adorned with dried grass stems and twigs. The leaves aren't out yet and the spruce trees, which can be dark and gloomy at the best of times, seem dispirited, especially when it is dripping.
There were some sparkling days to nourish the spirit, as the last post illustrated, but they retreated. They seemed the exception, and the effect of their emotional vaccination soon dissipated. Most of the time it has been fairly dark, without much ground snow to provide ambient illumination. Skiing has not been ideal, especially down low. Ski racing has been very challenging given surface and atmospheric conditions.
Early on there were some signs this was how the winter might go, when the brightest light and color were provided by cut flowers indoors, while it rained or stormed outside.
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There have been moments of pleasure. And on reflection, maybe it has been better than it seemed at the time. A colorful sunrise, vibrant and saturated, may not last long but it offered hope and pleasure. A trail walk near a frozen creek offered image possibilities. The sheep along Seward Highway move up and down on some unknown schedule, and even when they are barely white dots high up an unseasonably barren hillside they bring pleasure. Sometimes they came down close to the highway to provide a surprise visual treat. And now and then clear skies coincided with a full moon.
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Given these moments, has it really been darker and more dreary than usual?
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After a lifetime of mainly expressing myself with words, my postings here will mainly rely on images. They will speak for themselves to some extent, but I'll usually add a few comments of explanation. I've taken photographs for decades, since the 1950's, inspired in part by my father's photographic skill. Four years of photo assignments and quality darkroom time eventually gave way to decades of casual and family picture-taking. I re-immersed myself when I left film and turned to digital.