Ice Formations, Cold River, Massachusetts, 2008.

Ice Formations, Cold River, Massachusetts, 2008.

Ice Formations, Cold River, Massachusetts, 2008.

Ice Formations, Cold River, Massachusetts, 2008.

Lower Falls in Winter, Stickney Brook, Vermont, 2006.

Part of The Ledges, this ten-foot falls, just to the left of a sheer rock face, created a pool just big enough for a few strokes - and cold enough for one!

Rock with Ice Skirt, Stickney Brook, Vermont, 2006.

Hole in Ice Over Runoff Stream, Vermont, 2006.

Another remarkable winter phenomenon is the ability of water to form a shell just above the rocks, as in this spring runoff stream. The water bubbling behind the ice is visually and aurally delightful.

Small Rock with Ice, Stickney Brook, Vermont, 2006.

Ice Shelf with Icicles, Stickney Brook, Vermont, 2006.

I could never quite figure out how these shelves of ice were formed, but they were magical in their delicate fragility. If I could have stood the cold, I would have been tempted to watch for days to see how the ice formed. Someday, I'll do a time-lapse photographic study. Maybe. 

Ice on Rock, Stickney Brook, Vermont, 2006.

I moved to California to escape the dismal New England winters, but there were times when the darker season could be exhilarating and downright ecstatic. Stickney Brook was one of my favorite places in the winter; the dancing water created endless, and endlessly shifting, patterns of ice, often rivaling the best sculpture.