icy beauty - fog and then sun

Today is an exceptionally beautiful winter day. After constant and steady snow for the first two weeks of January, we had some thaw and rain (30 degree temps) last week, which receded the snow accumulation to more modest amounts. This morning, it was cold and foggy, with a thick and sparkly frost covering every tree branch, rooftop, deck rail, bird feeder and more!

The sun eventually came out, illuminating a most gorgeous blue sky all around us. The feeder, empty of birds in the early a.m., became a popular spot for the finches and then the juncos, coming and going in little waves.

The sunshine has been bright all day long, and the temperatures have remained crisp, just below freezing. After watching Matt's team play basketball at the half-time of the high school game last night, Matt had a school basketball game in the a.m. and a travel team (home) game this afternoon. I am really enjoying the travel team games as the level of play is much improved over last year, and Matthew is playing well. He took a couple of shots to the face, and shook them off like the big guy that he now is. He was just mad that the refs didn't see the fouls, and the non-calls made him play all the harder. Since I can't get enough basketball, I am listening to the SU - Marquette game as I type. Go 'Cuse!

Of course, my child never gets tired. (Another parent mentioned this morning that kids this age never get tired -- they just get irritable. Pretty funny, and true, actually.) But truly, Matt never seems tired. He and a friend are outside taking jumps off the "terrain park" he built in the front yard (two relatively small jumps) before I drop them off at the local ski center for a couple hours of snow boarding. I am delighted that he loves the outdoors as much as I did at his age (and still do, truth be told! I wish I got out skiing more.)

If you are in a warm place, I hope you'll enjoy these photos! If you are in a cold place, I hope you'll appreciate the icy beauty anyway!