Saturday, January 11, 2014

Frosty

Jack Frost paid a visit.  At times yesterday the sun almost made an appearance, my eyes started to hurt and water but the sun didn’t make it through the clouds ( since my cataract surgery my eyes are sensitive to bright light). 

The frost was beautiful.  I had to do some Museum business so we went to town and headed north to Itasca State Park.

Hwy 71 North

The entrance to the park we wanted to use was closed, so we took a different way home.  Today we discovered something we didn’t know.  A historical site marker for a CCC Camp where Far Guy’s Dad was in 1935.  The snow was too deep to explore the area properly and too far from the highway to get good photos.  We will return to the newly discovered spot when some snow melts.

Bad medicine Lake

Bad Medicine Lake  just off that point is an island obliterated by the fog.

snooty Chickadees

Came home to stalk some snooty Chickadees.

IMG_6097

I also found some time to play with manual settings on my camera.  So far it has been a frustrating experience…I must be a slow learner.  One day I took no photos at all I was so disgusted. I am sticking to it one miserable shot at a time until I either master it or go back to automatic settings.

It was 27 F or –2 C yesterday.  Wonderful warm weather that we all appreciate after that cold spell. 

A little good news, the High Efficiency LP Furnace is apparently quite efficient.  We called for a LP Fill and the delivery guy said that many people have filled twice and three times to our once.  We used 231 gallons in 106 days…not too bad for as cold as it has been.  I have the thermostat programed perhaps that helps too.  We still miss the outside wood heat, but we are adjusting.

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25 comments:

DJan said...

I'm the same way with the automatic settings on my camera. After awhile I give up and go back to them. Love those pretty pictures, though. And congratulations on your efficient furnace! That is good news. :-)

Patsy said...

What a beautiful winter wonderland you live in.

Henny Penny said...

Is that first picture for real?? I've never seen anything so beautiful. I would have to turn that one into a Christmas card. I would love to take that drive.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful pictures. Never thought 40 degrees would make me so happy, but I think I may actually go out in the yard today (after the rain stops). :)

linda m said...

Those are some beautiful pictures.

Anonymous said...

Great news about your LP. Your photos sure are pretty and neat to find the CCC camp to return to and explore.

Beth said...

The photos are beautiful!

Nancy said...

I know you will conquer those camera settings: practice, practice, practice.

Muffie said...

Love that misty, foggy setting. Wow! 27 -- must be a heat wave!! LOL

Primitive Stars said...

Ahhh, a heat wave after the cold, near 0 here to....Love the frosty pictures, very pretty, Francine.

Red said...

Foggy frosty conditions make for some excellent photos. Trying settings bothers me because I cannot remember what I did. I'd have to write it down to remember.

Nancy/BLissed-Out Grandma said...

For better and for worse, you do live in a winter wonderland! You mentioned your cataract surgery...my first one is still three weeks away and I cannot wait. My vision seems to get worse every week.

Lynda said...

Your Jack Frost photos remind me of the Chronicles of Narnia movie. Very beautiful. We ran into frozen fog one time a few years ago when we had to detour over the mountain in Maggie Valley - - - gorgeous but spooky since we had never encountered it before. Hooray for the efficiency of your unit and hooray for you persevering with the camera. Learning new things is supposed to keep our brain smart and hopefully keep dementia far from us.

Far Side of Fifty said...

Nancy you will see like a new woman! :)

Esme said...

it looks cold however the photos are gorgeous.

Jacqi Stevens said...

If it weren't for the snow, that first photo is just calling out for someone to come explore... I certainly feel for you, in your frustration over using all the bells and whistles on your fancy camera, but as they say, no pain, no gain. You must have already put in your fair time in the pain department, because those are some lovely compositions.

Anita said...

Hello from Norway!Beautiful photoes you share!Crystal clear they are!Its nice for me to see how you have it down in Minnesota.Her in norway we have had the mildest winther ever.
Greetings!

Bob King said...

Nice picture Farside! We had a similar frost Friday morning in Duluth.

Leah said...

Beautiful pictures - we were on the road today (me resting in the passenger seat) ~ I so wanted to stop and take pictures around every corner.... :) the frost was beautiful!

Anonymous said...

Beautiful shots of the snow! Guess what - we finally got snow and minus temps here on Saturday!

Pamela said...

I can't figure out the manual's on my camera either. It is like I have a brain fart there or something.
Your post makes me want to go out and do some exploring tomorrow. Sigh.

Karen said...

Hoar frost presents a wonderful opportunity to get some amazing pictures. I'm an idiot when it comes to using the settings on my camera. Mostly I leave it on AV.

Cynthia said...

I can commiserate with you in the manual photography thing! I made the trip in to Big Camera Store for some help, thought I understood, and poof! Next time out with the camera I was as lost as ever!
Beautiful frosty pictures of Itasca.

Terry and Linda said...

That first photo is just outstanding!

Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com

thecrazysheeplady said...

Don't jump straight from completely auto to completely manual. First start with Aperture Priority mode - changing your aperture and let the camera handle the shutter speed and see how that affects things... Then, when you're ready, there should be an in camera thingy that you can see that gives you a head's up on what would be the correct setting - straight in the middle and when you change the aperture up one, two, three, bump the speed down one, two, three... Sometimes though the camera thinks things are right, but they are, say, too dark, so at that point, bump your aperture more open or change your shutter speed to a slower speed to let in more light. You have such a good eye that you definitely will enjoy using your manual settings once you get the hang of it. Some other settings that are fun and helpful are your white balance and spot metering. I'd be happy to share what I've learned so far.