Saturday, January 3, 2009

Stark Beauty

The new photo at the top of my page was taken during the snowstorm on Wednesday. It was the view out my guestroom window into the side yard. At the time the colors seemed vivid to me, and a fine example of how nature can cloak the darkest time of year in such beauty. When I transferred the photo it looks like it was done in black and white and I really love the effect because it captured my mood at the moment.

Winter here on the Cape is very stark but magnified by the ocean light it becomes more beautiful than any words I can capture. With the trees bare, we are able to see so much more. There are many more glimpses of the ocean, houses, normally hidden, are exposed, and the silhouettes of the trees are eerie as seen against the sky, especially in low light; some with very wavy or gnarled branches, others perfectly straight. Although this photo was taken in the Fall, the gnarly branches are evident. This is a project designed and built 5 years ago by the company I work for. It sits on a remote island in a marsh and is an interesting place to watch the stark beauty which is Cape Cod. The marshes change dramatically with the seasons. It is so quiet here with just the wind in the trees.

In many areas we have sand hills or dunes which are covered with the very low creeping vine bearberry that turns a beautiful burgundy color in winter, and is particularly beautiful in Truro. Probably to make up for the lack of trees! Also, creating great beauty and sound in winter is the tall (sometime 8-10 feet) phragmites grass which grow near marsh areas...they reflect the low sun with a golden cast and they make a lovely rustle in the wind, their tall plumes bending as they wave. Unfortunately, they do choke out the natural marshes.

In the early morning today, on my drive to the beach, I passed many little creeks and marshes that were lined with ice, where workboats lay idle, looking very cold, their shadows even gray on the icy water.

I am off to capture some beauty of another kind this morning....a visit to baby Teddy and his parents with Kristi. Pix later!!

1 comment:

amy in ct said...

love your description of the cape in the winter.... so beatiful.
wish i was there... i have been there in blizzards... i remember driving down rt 6 from truro to wellfleet in a 'white out' and we could not see anything except the vehicle in front of us which was an ambulance..... we followed it for a few miles until it went off the road so we stuck it out on our own all the way to eastham... that was an adventure. i remember how beautiful it looked the next day with 12" drifts of snow everywhere and icicles hanging from the eves....

by the way, as for the batting attached to muslin .... it was not found.... they had quilted fabric like what vera bradley bags are made from... and several kinds of batting from stiff poly to soft cotton and a bamboo cotton mixture... but what i ended up getting on the suggestion of the clerk at the store was drapery lining. it is like very thick flannel. there is some shrinkage so i washed everything today and will sew it together tomorrow with any luck. i am backing it with flannel so it should be soft and light weight and warm :)