Patterns and Perspective

I took advantage of a sunny pre-sunset walk around one of my favorite little trails and enjoyed a few unexpectedly interesting views along my way.

 

The lichens on this tree were a beautiful soft green against the dark bark and almost seemed like a cool flame spreading along the surface of the trunk.

I also enjoyed the perspective of this fallen tree, with a few tall, slim branches rising straight up out of the snow. They line up so perfectly along the very center - they look like they are standing as sentinels along the edge of the lake. 

The lake where pond lilies grew and muskrats played last summer is completely frozen and stark this time of year. Sometimes the snow covered surface has different tracks traveling across it, and I imagine the coyote, deer or rabbit venturing out onto the ice. This time the expanse was smooth and undisturbed.

Watching from the observation point on the other end of the trail, I noticed the clouds looked like they were all emanating from one spot low on the horizon and fanning out like feathers across the sky. The gradation of blue from light to dark as it climbed the sky was also striking in contrast to the brightness of the clouds.