Magic In The Air

Our winter remains essentially snowless.  This morning's wake up temperature hovered just above 0F.  Both the ground and calm stretches of the Unadilla River are now frozen.  An unusual light on the eastern horizon interrupted sleep early today.  It was a crescent moon rising ahead of the sun.  The bright spot of light that ended my sleep quickly became the moon as it climbed above the ridge.  We frequently watch the full moon rise as that happens early in the evening.  This may have been the first time ever that we witnessed the moon rise just before dawn.  Window placement in our bedroom allows us to view the rising orbs without leaving the warmth under the covers.  This time of year it is usually the sun that wakes us but today it was the moon.

Hard frost coated every surface this morning.  Light from the low rising sun caused the frosty coating to glow.  We stood transfixed watching the sunlight dance on the trees when we noticed tiny flecks of frost falling from the air. Their diamond like sparkle is truly magical, so much so that it can't be photographed at least by me.  It seems that water vapor suspended in the air was changing its state from liquid to solid right before our eyes.  Exactly how this differs from ordinary snowflake formation is unknown to us but what was taking place this morning was amazing.  We had the good fortune to see this as it happened.