It’s hard to resist the beauty of a really cold morning (-25c early this morning, according to our thermometre). At the edge of the rapids the turbulent water shifts the forming ice into different shapes and during the cold nights the surfaces grow carpets of feathery frost. The horizon is lost in a fog of water vapour.
A closeup of feather frost on an icy surface
As I was out making photographs I spotted many brave ducks that seem to be willing to tough it out and spend the winter in and around the open water. Pictured are a couple of shy goldeneye ducks above, and what I think is an American black duck below.
A little glimpse of the city which is not far away
[Similar ice compositions to a post I did last year here, but the cold is a month earlier!]
© Karen McRae, 2013
draw and shoot 
Brrr… so cold ! The last image is my favorite one.
Beautiful blues. All this blue. Blue and white in details and patterning. Those sticks under snow look like ducks in a mystery cloud. You make it all huge and shifting and Moby Dick mythical yet delicately intricate at the same time. Beautiful images to revisit!
The one with the feather looks to be getting out from a « Draw and Shoot » world… I really like those temperature Karen. We here are slowly getting out from it. We reached -32°C last week and heading for a 0° at the end of this week. Damn it. So enjoy it Karen and have a nice week!
What a beautiful time…and I love the feathery frost…how nice that you’re looking closely….as always. 🙂
Love the little pompoms of snow in the first ones. Strange.
Breathtaking photos! Simply stunning! 🙂
wow, frosty magic, it’s great you share it in a beautiful way… thanks so much!
the pictures are incredible, grea job !
-25? Help!
These are amazing, Karen. Maybe I’ll explore Toronto this winter and see if I can capture some shots!
Wow. And I thought it got cold in the Chicago area! Great captures! Winter is mysterious, blue, and wonderful.
Beautifully blue. I absolutely loved the feather frost…..how lovely.xxx
Nice . . . the third shot looks like two ghosts were flattened by something heavy.
It seems that the cold is a month earlier in many countries this year, here too!
You always manage to make this harsh season look so warm and inviting. Beautiful, my dear Karen. 🙂
Really coool. Beautiful scenes Karen!
Wow, this is really cold!! Wonderful shots, Karen.
Really wonderful! Ally
The last photo gives the post such meaning. We are never far away … 🙂 Beautiful! And guard to believe – its baking here and steamy! 🙂 Meryl Xmas dear Karen! xo
It sure looks colder than anything I’ve ever experienced!
I had no idea that the city was so close to all of this either.
Love this, filled with winter colors:) So beautiful! The one with not frozen water is my favourite!
Beautiful set of photo’s, Karen.
Thank you so much for the beautiful shots ! So nice the feather frost and the last photo makes me dream !
Lovely, but how do you manage?
Its hard to imagine your ethereal alien-looking world with such cold but beautiful blues. The temperature here is forecast to reach 40+ celsius on Thurs.
The feather frost is awesome! Never seen anything like it.
A beautiful and varied collection. I particularly like the wider ‘scapes – the first two and the last. The choice of ice blue is very effective.
Karen, What a beautiful, heavenly blue you captured in the first few shots. Makes me wants to jump right in, until I realize how cold it must feel.
: )
Beautiful shot of the feather frost…a great wintery post.
Nice, Karen. Even more frosty than be us at the moment. The close up is my favorite.
Beautiful textures and soft colors. 🙂
A deep sense of infinite.
These are so incredibly beautiful Karen. Fabulous use of colour and texture!
-25!! I feel for that duck. These are gorgeous, Karen.
Those sliver blues are so magical. Beautiful images!
Wow, that’s cold! And very beautiful 🙂
Brilliant pictures.
So unique and beautiful! They bring to mind a long landscape of flowers, or an ariel shot of birds gathered together on an island..oh how I long to go there!
magic!
Only -5 here on west coast but cold enough for me…yet you have captured a blue and spartan freeze with ethereal beauty…
Love the feather frost!
Surprising, especially the feathery ice…
I have never in my life seen such cold, so I didn’t even recognize immediately what you were photographing! Such beautiful coldness, and yes! the feather-ice!
Beautiful pictures, Karen – and they certainly make me shiver! My favourite is the one at the bottom – I think the juxtaposition (what a great word!) and all that ice, and the mist too, really hammers home how ice and snow-bound the whole place is. Adrian
Ah, the feathery ice-one of my favorite things, expertly revealed.
This almost looks like home.. cold blues and lovely ice patterns, minus the trees and city scape in the background. Lovely series, as always, Karen.
Ahhh that marvellous blue that I love so much as you know Karen 😉 The third one down reninds me of the tail of a whale …. 😀
Simply stunning!
superbes photos!
Ahh…..absolutely beautiful pictures
great photography dear Karen 🙂