52 Project, Week 9: Ice/Snow/Frost

One of my favorite things about living in Minnesota is the winter season. I prefer the cold air over hot any day of the week. I love wearing boots, instead of flip-flops, I prefer sweaters over camisoles, I love cuddling under warm blankets with those I love. In winter, you won’t find insects, although there might be a ladybug hiding in a warm corner. The best thing about winter though is the beauty that transforms the landscape.

Ice, snow, and frost are so different from one another. They all share the fact that they are created from frozen water, but visually, they are unique. Unlike many of these photography challenges, ice, snow, and frost are limited to a single season and the mercy of the weather. Unfortunately, we had a very late start to the winter season, unusually warm temperatures all season long and an early spring. Trying to capture the images for this challenge were hit or miss.

Frost

Frost is a fascinating creation to behold. It dances and skates across the surface of anything it touches as though fairies were playing in the night. It decorates grass, branches, windows, and anything left outside with a sparkly white layer of crystallized glitter. Seeing a frost covered world, lit by the morning sun is a rare treat, better than a frosted cookie or cake. It is a breathtaking sight to behold. Frost is short lived and hard to capture, but I have great fun trying.

Snow

I love snow. I love how it falls, soft as feathers, beautiful and white, dancing through the air. I love its fluffy blankets spread across the ground and piled upon every surface. I love how it glitters in the sunlight as though diamonds were crushed and sprinkled upon the surface. It brightens the night with a soft, ethereal glow. Snow transforms the entire world into a new place, almost unimaginable from its warm state.

Ice

My children’s favorite activity this winter was ice skating The weather was so warm that we had a very short ice skating season, but we still managed to get out a couple of times. Although I wasn’t photographing them specifically for this photography challenge, I thought it would be fun to share a video of them learning to ice skate.

What is your favorite thing about ice, snow or frost? Do you love getting out there and enjoying winter activities with your family?

Previous Week: 52 Project, Week 8: Winter Trees
Next Week: 52 Project, Week 10: Mother/Daughter
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52 Project, Week 2: Cold

I love winter. I even love the cold. I would happily take a cold winter day over a humid hot summer day. Once it started snowing, I knew I had to run out with my little Princess for this week’s photography project.

Princess is my little shadow. She loves doing everything with me, sleeping, cuddling, cooking, cleaning, playing. No matter what it is, she’s content to be right by me. Honestly, I could say this about any of my kids. They love to pile around me like little puppies.

I bet you’re wondering WHY I love the cold. Maybe it’s because I’ve lived in Minnesota my whole life. I can’t tolerate heat very well. My ideal, happy temp range is 15 degrees Fahrenheit to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. I can be comfortable in the 70’s, but the 80’s are uncomfortable. The 90’s are intolerable. You might find me hiding in my igloo, er, house with the air conditioning on full blast.

Did you know that Minnesota is one of the coldest states in America? On average, year-round, Alaska beats us for the coldest temperature. We beat Alaska for the coldest winter season though! Last week Thrillist put out an article where we won the number one most miserable winter. Yet, even if it’s -35, kids still go to school and life functions like normal.

For us, if the weather rises above zero, that’s reason enough to take off a layer or two or leave your jacket open. Once it reaches the 20’s we don’t see the need to wear a warm jacket, a good sweater or a light spring jacket will do. In the 30’s, you’ll find people walking around in shorts and t-shirts. I’m not exaggerating. Although I do make my children bundle up, even though they fight me to strip down like everyone else. We are polar bears and arctic foxes. Our blood is thick and the cold is where we feel happiest.

Not everyone feels this way. You’ll still find a couple of people who would rather be in a warmer state. For me though, Minnesota is my home and I couldn’t be happier anywhere else.

For Cat’s cold challenge, we headed down to the river, looking for inspiration. We found a beautiful field that looked perfect. Cat and I had a lot of fun amongst the soft grasses. I snapped a couple of cute images of her while she was capturing her shots.

How do you feel about the cold? Are you a fan of snow or do you prefer the heat?