Wishing you a happy, happy holiday season.  And for tomorrow, Happy New Year!
A poinsettia, holding a bubble of water in its cupped bract; Wright Park Conservatory, Tacoma

Frozen Leaves

I'm sure you've seen those leaf skeletons, coated in shimmery metals.  We have several that we hang on our Christmas tree each year.  These oak leaves, frozen versions of the enegry-collecting green leaves of summer hung stiff and unnaturally still on their branches, just like those pretty little metallic leaf skeletons.

Icy Icicle Creek

In Leavenworth this December we took a walk along Icicle Creek and the Wenatchee River.  It was mid-morning, but so dark, the sun obscured by fog and low, thick clouds.  As the sky began to clear we were crossing one of the icy bridges and saw the sight you see here.
It reminds me of an image taken on a much warmer day, a sunny September morning on the Olympic Peninsula.