Tag Archives: ice

Hubbard Fellowship Blog – Eliza’s Ice Photos

Posted on by
2

A guest post by Eliza Perry, one of our Hubbard Fellows.  All photos are by Eliza:

Sorry to state the obvious, but it is cold. 

All kinds of internet wisdom has been popping up offering random coping mechanisms,
like “21 Hot Chocolate Recipes You’ll Need To Survive This Winter” and “23
Delicious Salads To Get You Through The Winter.” Salads and hot cocoa are very
important, this I can’t deny, but there’s also so much beauty in these frigid
temperatures. I am not new to the winter blues, but I try not to waste my sunny
day rations. Chris’s recent posts on still life ice portraits and river ice
behavior inspired me to venture outside with our new camera and make some
prairie ice art myself. It will be the last ice-related post for a while, we
promise!      (Editors note: I make no such promise.)

DSCN0533DSCN0535

At this point, my fingers were that odd red-hot feeling from the cold, so I gave up. I just loved how beautifully the ice distorted the landscape.


At this point, my fingers were getting that odd red-hot feeling from the cold, so I gave up. I just loved how beautifully the ice distorted the landscape.

On another note, I wanted to express my sincerest gratitude to all of those who have participated in the survey I posted last week. We’re learning some really neat things that will help us reflect on how we can do better.  I’m also learning a lot about how to conduct surveys!  There are already a number of things I would do differently in light of what I know now, but I’m learning that this is simply the nature of experimentation.

I will DEFINITELY write a post about my findings and supply links to any additional write-ups that I make.

For those who have not yet shared their thoughts about the blog, there is still time! I plan to close it for review this Friday. Click HERE to take the survey and fire away!

Photo of the Week – February 7, 2014

Posted on by
4

When I woke up, the temperature was hovering around zero degrees F but there was almost no wind, so I decided to go for a sunrise prairie hike.  It was a beautiful morning, and there was a lot to see in the prairie, but I didn’t find much to photograph until I got down to the Platte River.  There, as I walked cautiously across the frozen surface of the river, I found a few small holes where flowing water was exposed…

Columns of ice along a patch of open water on the Platte River. Hamilton County, Nebraska.

Columns of ice along a patch of open water on the Platte River. Hamilton County, Nebraska.

It looked like the splashing of the passing river by had created stalactites of ice around some of the uneven edges of the holes.  Over time, those stalactites had widened into wide-based columns that spanned the 3-4 inch gap between frozen surfaces.  Regardless of how it formed, it was sure attractive in the early morning sun.

A close up of the columns.

A close up of some of the columns.

The edges of the ice were rimmed by frost, as were some of the plants nearby.  Not that there was any need for the frivolous decoration – the ice was plenty attractive on its own.  Very carefully, I slid myself on my belly toward the edge of the ice hole until I heard the first small cracking sound.  That seemed like a good place to stop.  Then, lying on the frozen river and photographing ice, water, and frost, I thought about (as I often do) how glad I was that no one was around to watch me.

Frost-covered plants on a small island near the open water.

Frost-covered plants on a small sandbar near the open water.

Many thanks to those of you who have already taken Eliza’s survey of blog readers.  If you haven’t yet taken it, please consider helping her out.  You can find the survey here.  Thanks!