Ice on one of our small Apple trees in the yard.

We had a few inches of wet snow overnight on Saturday into Sunday. After dawn it warmed just enough so the last of it fell as rain, but not warm enough to melt the existing snow…and it stayed just above freezing all day. By Monday morning, the snow was still there, and had a solid coating of ice. There was just enough snow to try my new snowshoes in the yard, and as I did I was captured by the ice on the Apple tree: strange, delicate sculptings, standing almost free of the branches. I had to go back in for my camera (shedding snowshoes and reattaching them on the way back to the tree.)

As I post this morning, I realize that what I am seeing here is the shell of ice that was on top of the snow that built up on the branches. Wind and sun have removed the snow layer, but the ice was too hard and now it floats apparently free in space. It looks, to me, like something from a gallery of modern sculpture…something both intentional and free…something crafted to capture and express the flow of the universe. And I have no trouble believing that it is. 🙂

And of course I offer it here, nicely framed, as just such an expression. With all credit to the original artist.

Sony HX400V in camera HDR/macro. Processed in Lightroom on my Surface Pro 3 tablet.