Author Archives: RyanMcGurl

Oceanana Fishing Pier

Last week, on a beautiful 60 degree day, I took Odin to the beach. I think it may have been his first time at the ocean, because he came from Nevada. He didn’t seem to care about the waves one way or another, but he was very interested in the seagulls. We’ve had him for about 6 weeks now, and overall he is a very sweet dog, who settled into the pack amazingly well. Even if he does like to put everything in his mouth.  I don’t often come to this part of the beach, probably because the state park is so close, but this time I wanted to take photos of one of the fishing piers. I could not have asked for a better day. The light was beautiful, the golden hour, just before sunset. And it was warm, about 60 degrees.

Even after 10 years in the south, it still amazes me to see the beach empty when we get a 60 degree day in January. When I lived outside of Boston I would have seen more people walking the beach if the temperature was only 25. It was nice not to have to wait for people to get out of my pictures though, and it was easy to find parking.

 

SNOW!! part 2

More snowy pics! I love my pictures from this weeks snow so much! And I took them all in my own yard. I often fall into the trap of feeling like I need to travel to far away locations to take great pictures, but sometimes I just need a new perspective on my everyday surroundings.

How does a light dusting of snow and ice transform bare branches into something magical?
  Until the last few weeks, the weather has been unusually warm, so these rose bushes still had buds on them.    Our pond actually froze over! I’ve never seen it so cold for so long here. Our pond has been covered with a thin layer of ice for the last week. It all looks so pretty covered with snow.Ice crystals and frost on the water’s surface.  Its supposed to be warming up today, which means my snow will be melting. A break from this cold will be nice, but I’ll miss it. I’ve loved taking walks in the snowy woods this week.

SNOW!!!

I get ridiculously excited about snow. At least I do now that I don’t have to shovel it. Or worry about the train being delayed and making me late. Here in Coastal North Carolina we don’t get snow very often, and this is the first time I’ve seen actual accumulation in the four and a half years we’ve lived here. Usually its less than an inch, and it melts quickly. In this storm we got about 3 inches, and it has started to melt, but its mostly stayed around for several days. Its been really nice taking the dogs for walks in the snowy woods, a change of scenery without leaving my property. And of course working from home means I don’t have to travel around on the dangerous roads. Of course, I did stock up on beer and cookies before the storm hit. That left me free to roam around the yard in my pajamas at 7:00 am to take pictures because I was afraid it would all melt.

I was hoping for some ice. We got some a few years ago, and it was really pretty. We didn’t get much ice this time, but there was enough to create these beautiful crystal covered branches.
This is a yaupon holly, a native plant that was used to make a caffeinated tea. There are several of them growing wild around our property. I love the bright red berries in the brown winter landscape, and I frequently bring branches into the house for decoration, but I think they look extra pretty with this light dusting of snow.How is your winter going? Do you love or hate snow?