CHRISTMAS ICECAPADES @ HORNE LAKE

No, the ripples aren't from a fish, but from the rock I threw. 

Susann and I spent Christmas at our cabin at Horne Lake, and were joined by her family -- Mom and Dad, and her sister Christin and hubby Mikel and daughter Emmelin.

Our family with Emmelin's nicely decorated tree on Christmas Eve

The unseasonably freezing temps not only resulted in us having no running water and in me getting my exercise hauling water, but also in some beautiful ice formations.

I photographed the ice on two occasions, at dusk on the 24th and the morning of the 25th. It was cold on Christmas Eve and there was even more ice Christmas morning. I played around with some of the images, making some monochrome and others warmer or colder. I used a tripod and shot very close-up in most of the photos. Lots of fun!

I liked the frozen maple leaf in this one. 

More petrified leaves. 

I saturated the reds in this one. 

Not much color in this one, so I made it in monochrome. 

I cropped some, like this one, square. No need to shoot in "square" format. Just crop it after. 

I thought some looked better with a colder temperature. 

This old chain captured my eye. 

A close-up accentuated the frost crystals.

I found the leaf made an interesting shape, and I like angles better so shot it that way. 

I angled the crack in the ice diagonally.

A prehistoric looking shape in this one. Again, a close-up. 

Nice shapes in the ice, and I saturated the colors. 

A Canada goose track.

I placed the three cones on the leaf, and made this photo warmer. 

Hair Ice- Hair ice grows outward from the surface of the wood, as super-cooled water emerges from the wood, freezes and adds to the hairs from the base. 

I "made" this still-life by placing the cone on the driftwood.

And I draped the cedar spring on the ice crystals. 

And placed the grass stem on the conglomerate rocks. 

And then it snowed on Boxing Day and the magical ice disappeared!