Happy New Year ~ 2010

Blue Hill Town Hall ~  Maine

"O're the Fields We Go" ~ A winter visit to Horsepower Farm...a very special place where much of the work is performed by horses instead of machines. Penobscot, Maine

                                   We are given a warm welcome while our family is introduced to Emma and Harry,  the mother and son pair of Suffolk Draft horses that will pull our sledge through the woods and across the fields of Horsepower Farm.

            The snow is the perfect depth and consistency for our expedition. It is a cold day with a thin sun, but fortunately very little wind. There is lots of chatter on the sledge, but the predominant sound is from the bells on Emma's harness. Mostly we are in awe of the beauty of the land.       

Mr. Birdsall tells us Emma works harder than Harry and pulls more than her share of the burden so we stop frequently to give the horses a rest. We welcome the pause as it gives us a chance to survey and photograph the snow covered farmland. This is a slow time on the farm. In summer, there are crops of beans, tomatoes, greens, herbs, eggplant, potatoes, blueberries and many other organically grown vegetables.

Farm tools covered in snow. All are designed to accommodate the work of the horses.  

Silent Night

Blue Hill Town Hall. Maine.

Merry Christmas ~ Happy Holidays

to everyone who celebrates the season. Peace on earth to all.

Dark World ~ White World

Winter Solstice and falling snow...the longest night.

The tree on the porch

  

Gazing through my window while thinking of all the travelers on the east coast trying to get home for the Holidays...especially one person dear to my heart.                                                                                                                                                                                     

Below Zero

I love the added texture of screens in photographs of windows.  If you can add raindrops or frosty patterns, all the better!

Morning sun on a frosted window

The first hard frost of the winter season. It's pure joy to wake up to the lacy patterns on the windows...simple pleasures in Maine.

The Christmas Window

In the first image, antique curved glass bends and refracts the light creating a watercolor wash effect. In the next, thick fog and a princess add a little Christmas magic.

The Christmas Window

The Christmas Window 03
Originally uploaded by smilla4

Looking out, a winter silhouette against a pale sky.

The Christmas Window

The Christmas Window 05
Originally uploaded by smilla4

I have always been obsessed with windows and the northern Maine light in all our seasons.... it can change in the blink of an eye.

A Christmas card to the women in Maine

A Christmas card to the women in Maine
Originally uploaded by smilla4

whose fingers are cracked, calloused and stained with sap making so many of the Christmas wreaths and decorations enjoyed by people all over the country.