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Saturday, February 20, 2010

A Beautiful Day

When I got to the nature park I was surprised to see only one other car there. On such a beautiful day as this there is usually a crowded parking lot, which almost spoils it for me, but I can handle it just fine. As I entered the trail I looked to my right to see a woman coming out of the forest. She was the owner of that one lone car, and she was on her way out of the park. I would be all alone!

I had to turn away from the sun to get most of my pictures because of the extreme angle in the sky it sits at this time of year. Towards the sun are only dark pictures, and away from the sun are the most spectacular scenes of the year. This one above was taken from just around the bend from the parking lot.

This next one was taken at the far back of the park. I was standing on the viewing platform of Carpenter Lake. The dam is behind me and exists as an extension of this platform. It's sectioned off by a huge fence so nobody can get to it. The lake was my goal for today, so I left the dam forgotten.

You can see that despite the warmer above freezing weather we've been having the last few days the lake is still very frozen. The layer of snow is not as thick, but the ice is solid. Even though the trees are bare of any green this time of year, one beauty is replaced by another. This blue sky is very difficult to duplicate with my camera at this place in the summer. The light is just too intense then. Now it's perfect.

This last one is back towards the front of the park. I used this one simply because I like the colors. The tree line is a warm golden brown from the slanted sunlight, and the sky is a brilliant blue. The clouds only serve to enhance the beauty of the rest of the scene.

I left out many other photos, including very many forest shots. I simply wanted to show you these open skies today. This is almost as open as it gets for me, certainly at this park. There is one other park where the sky looks bigger. Maybe a similar day will take me to that place. I hope it will come soon.

I'll be back tomorrow with something completely different!
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13 comments:

  1. SquirrelQueenFebruary 20, 2010 at 4:04 AM

    Gorgeous shots of the blue skies and white clouds, I could look at the sky all day and never be bored. My favorite is the first photo, it is stunning.

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  2. rainfield61February 20, 2010 at 4:17 AM

    A blue sky always makes our world beautiful.

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  3. AnnFebruary 20, 2010 at 6:46 AM

    Beautiful shots. This time of year when everything looks on the gray side it's so refreshing to see a blue sky. It always cheers me up.

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  4. MargFebruary 20, 2010 at 10:06 AM

    It is funny how in the winter, when the leaves are gone, how much we appreciate a blue sky. And yes, the blue sky is so wonderful to see. The sun is out here today too and it has warmed up a little bit. Have a great day.

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  5. Joanne OlivieriFebruary 20, 2010 at 11:31 AM

    Ratty, they show that Spring is around the corner. These are fabulous shots and how wonderful to be in your park alone. I long for the day I can do that here. Weekdays are pretty quiet but there are always people. Awesome post

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  6. allotments4youFebruary 20, 2010 at 3:11 PM

    What a beautiful day Ratty....now all we need are some leaves on the trees and some warmth in that beautiful sun...then I'll be happy!!!

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  7. SharkbytesFebruary 20, 2010 at 4:31 PM

    Oh yes! These are the days that keep us going back to the woods forever. Yummy!

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  8. The Retired OneFebruary 20, 2010 at 5:59 PM

    I love the gorgeous royal blue of a sky like this in a winter scene of white snow....looks awesome,Ratty!

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  9. betchaiFebruary 20, 2010 at 9:20 PM

    now, this is what I love, blue blue sky and snow :) now, I can relate so much :)

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  10. EddieFebruary 21, 2010 at 12:36 AM

    Wow. What a vivid sky! Scenes like these make winter a little easier to endure. Thanks.

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  11. SparkleFebruary 21, 2010 at 1:39 AM

    Ohhh, these are gorgeous! I love the clouds in the sky, the colors, the contrasts. And you got to experience this without any crowds - lucky you! And lucky us that you brought back photos to share.

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  12. Jason ShawFebruary 21, 2010 at 5:10 AM

    So very arty, so very pretty, so very nice, thanks for sharing.

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  13. NickyFebruary 21, 2010 at 9:52 AM

    Ok, I hate winter, but those are stunning enough to change my mind :-)

    Thanks for stopping by my blog!

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