Last Sunday, when I went out to photograph the fresh snow that fell on Saturday and through the night, they had not plowed out the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters drive, so I did not get in for any images there. By yesterday, the Rachel Carson trails were packed down by cross-country skiers, snowshoers, and just plain hikers in snow boots, to the point where I could have walked them in my furry winter Crocs and come back dry.

This is one of my favorite views at Rachel Carson, looking down on the junction of Branch Brook and the Merriland River to form the Little River for the final run to the sea. I have pictures taken here in every season and in many different lights. It is always beautiful.

Here I like the crystalline character of the light. I like the reflections of the trees in the open water of the river. The Merriland is tidal here, and regular infusions of salt water keep the ice fragile enough so that it breaks on every tide. I like the band of low clouds over the sea, the leading lines of the stream, and the natural framing of the landscape. Chill, but beautiful.

This is an In-camera HDR, taken at about 56mm equivalent field of view with the help of my lightweight Fat Gecko tripod. Recorded exif: f7.1 @ 1/500th @ ISO 80. Processed in Lightroom for intensity, clarity, and sharpness using my HyperReal preset.

And for the Sunday Thought: It is my hope, that when you look at the photograph above, it carries some of the wonder, and some of the joy…some of the delight that I experience in a day like like yesterday. I hope that it just a little window into my sense of awe before the Creator. Taking it and sharing it is both an act of worship, and the necessary-to-life-itself exercise of the Creative Spirit that lives in my by faith. It is not a perfect picture. If I look closely I can see all kinds of short-comings where I have pushed up against the limits of what the technology I have chosen to work with can do. I hope that those short-falls are buried deep enough so that they do not detract from the experience. Which is, of course, my hope for my self, and for my life…that there is enough of the glory of Creation in my face and in my going so that I am a reason for delight (even when not quite a thing of beauty 🙂

Happy Sunday!