Early last week, I confess, I was complaining to myself.  After that beautiful sunny Sunday came several gray days that were exactly what I think of as January and wish it wouldn't be like.  I looked out the window and said to myself, "It might as well be black and white out there!"  At which point a little light-bulb went off in my head, I grabbed my camera, and switched it to black and white mode.  It made quite a difference to my perspective on things, I'm glad to say!  This could be the start of an addiction... ; )

Why, hello!  Welcome to the Observatory.  You're one of my first visitors—thank you so much for coming.  Who am I, you ask?  I'm Edith, the keeper of the Observatory.  This is my first project of this kind, and today's the Grand Opening, you know!  It's the first day of winter and I thought that would be a good time to start.

May I show you around?  Although the Observatory has its Grand Opening today, I've been collecting observations steadily for over a month.

The autumn was beautiful and full of color in late November.  I had a lovely walk in the autumn rain.

The nights were misty and increasingly cool.  (I thought I should just add, this photo is completely unedited—it was taken through a window.)

The southward-slanting light made things fun to photograph, especially in the afternoon...

...and I was having fun noticing details I'd never stopped to examine before.  (This is birch bark, but it reminds me of a Japanese illustration of mountains.)

Signs of winter were starting to creep in; here Christmas comes to the garden center.

In early December we got our first sprinkling of snow.

Then, almost halfway through the month, a Blizzard hit!  I bundled myself up and fought my way through the flurries and drifts as it came down:

The next day the landscape had been transfigured.

Since then, I've been enjoying the snow and carrying on my mission of noticing and documenting the quotidian.

(Seasons mix at their edges)

(Many neighborhood trees are majestic, once noticed)

(Even ordinary fences deserve a second look)

(On a tree in front of a store; nature is irrepressibly wonderful!)

My, how the time has gone!  I hope you enjoyed the tour...

... and I hope to see you again soon!

* If you enjoyed this post, I invite you to follow the Observatory through the RSS direct link or in many web readers through Feedburner.  If you REALLY liked it, perhaps you'd be willing to mention it to a friend!  Thank you!
                                    ~Edith