Oberlin in Sunshine
January 5, 2020
Two days before I photographed Oberlin in fog, I was happily running around my neighborhood photographing Oberlin in sunshine. In my memory there is not much sunshine in Oberlin winters, and I wanted to seize the day—especially because it had been cold enough for ice to form on the ponds.
1 What photographer can ignore an S-curve? I wonder if the curve here has to do with the varying depth of water in the pond.
2 The black things are almost-holes in the ice. Can someone tell me—or guess—how they form?
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5 Are bubbles in the ice caused by decaying vegetation beneath that is releasing methane? Or maybe living plants that are releasing oxygen?
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7 Sycamores always stand out, especially against a blue sky.
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12 The woods were aglow with leaf lights.
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Romancing Reality 
Brrrrrrrrr. The south awaits.
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January 5, 2020 at 4:54 PM
It really wasn’t that cold that day. Now today was a different story. Was out between 9:30 and 11:30 this morning and am not warmed up yet. (It’s almost 7 PM.) To top it off, I didn’t get many good photos.
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January 5, 2020 at 6:52 PM
Oh dear, I can’t begin to answer any of your questions – but I can tell you I enjoyed the post, how’s that? Those black star-fissures are really goal. The pods in #10 are wonderfully seen, they seem joyous. Speaking of joy, oh the curly leaves against the blue sky! Yes! The plants in #11 appear to have elegant whiskers. 🙂 Beautiful light throughout – I’m glad your winter stay in Oberlin has been rewarded this way.
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January 5, 2020 at 6:54 PM
If you enjoyed the post, Lynn, then I’m happy. I’m going to guess that “goal” means “cool,” but I can’t be sure. Aren’t those pods in #10 neat? They’re another mystery to me, as are those curly leaves. Lots of mysteries in this post. Ha ha: I see about the whiskers! . . . If I couldn’t take photographs this winter, I think I would be decidedly unhappy.
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January 5, 2020 at 7:04 PM
Based on what I’ve seen in Austin, the curling leaves in #8 appear to be those of a willow. Do you know if that’s the case?
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January 6, 2020 at 3:27 AM
I don’t know, Steve, but I think you could be right. I can look in the spring; it should be obvious then if it is.
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January 7, 2020 at 1:13 PM
This is what I was comparing to over here:
https://portraitsofwildflowers.wordpress.com/2015/02/16/black-willow-leaves-curling/
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January 7, 2020 at 2:58 PM
Oh, absolutely. You must be right.
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January 7, 2020 at 3:07 PM
Reminds me of a pond near where I lived in upstate New York when I was a kid. These definitely communicate the feeling of cold. I get that it wasn’t particularly cold that day. But the pictures still evoke cold.
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January 6, 2020 at 10:58 AM
“Particularly cold” is relative, isn’t it. It had been colder—and will be colder yet before spring’s liberation.
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January 7, 2020 at 1:28 PM
The pond where I skated as a kid was at least particularly cold by any standard.
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January 7, 2020 at 2:04 PM