Winter Blue

Today has been one of the rare perfect winter days, with a clear sky of a blue not seen in summer; with red undertones, it is more a warm ultramarine than a cooler cobalt. Looking up at birch trees against the sky, I saw the trees take on an almost yellowish tinge against the strong deep blue, startling in its intensity. The light played with the sculpted surfaces of ice, which showed a range of bright warm tones in front of their blue backdrop and seemed to float and dance in the air.

Blue also streaked across the snow in broad and fine shadows, making clear the artist's claim that cast shadows are cool in color. The snow sparkled as the light glanced across crystals looking like delicate shavings of ice; the pinpoints of light shone in shadow and in light. Today was a day for which photography is inadequate, at least for me, though I certainly tried to capture it. Perhaps inadequate words and inadequate images together will give you a sense of the day.