Bendithion Calan Gaeaf

Full Moon of Calan Gaeaf 2010

(full moon through frosty fog and bare branches of an elm tree)

November 21st, 2010 ~ 2 am
Colorado
by Dawn NicDarrah

Snow Dappled Rosehips
Lakewood Colorado
by Dawn NicDarrah

First Taste
November 11th, 2010
by Dawn NicDarrah

My youngest daughters first 'taste' of snow!

Otherworldly Red & White
November 11th 2010
by Dawn NicDarrah

Roots Defined By Snow
Bear Creek Green Belt
Lakewood Colorado
November 11th, 2010
by Dawn NicDarrah

Unidentified Red Berries
Lakewood Colorado
November 11th, 2010
by Dawn NicDarrah

Snow Heavy Larkspur
Stone House Garden
Lakewood Colorado
November 11th, 2010
by Dawn NicDarrah

Squirrel Prints
November 11th, 2010
by Dawn NicDarrah

Stones Packing Heat
November 11th, 2010
Lakewood Colorado
by Dawn NicDarrah

Stones, sidewalks and roads are sill holding the heat of the summer . . . seen here the stones are wet because the snow melted upon contact while the oak leaves have a thin coat of snow . . .

Red Spring Sister
Bear Creek
Lakewood Colorado
November 11th, 2010
by Dawn NicDarrah

This water way reminded me of the waters of Chalice Well . . . it does not stain the way with red, but it does have an unusual red stringy plant that only grows in the run off areas where water feeds into Bear Creek . . . standing astride this water passage aided in a trance to visiting Chalice Well.

Green Man Stepping Stone
My Garden
November 11th, 2010
by Dawn NicDarrah

Not sure who the artist of this stepping stone was as I have had it for some years. It has seen better days, but I have never used it as a stepping stone . . . the Green Man does however rest at the foot of my Holy Glastonbury Thorn Tree.

Meditation Stone
Bear Creek
Lakewood Colorado
November 11th 2010
by Dawn NicDarrah

Every time I pass this spot, the stone beckons me to come and sit in solitude to meditate . . . even with a dusting of snow it was inviting, but time was short.

Dusted Limbs
Lakewood Colorado
November 11th, 2010
by Dawn NicDarrah

I believe the fallen trees here are the handy work of our local beavers . . . my daughter saw one to the left as I was taking this photo . . . by time I turned there were only rings rippling in the water, indicating where the beaver had been. I will get a photo of a beaver sometime this year - it is a goal!

Frosty The Pumpkin
November 11th, 2010
Colorado - The Front Porch
by Dawn NicDarrah

Autumn turns to winter with the batting of an eyelash

Magpie
November 7th, 2010
Lakewood Colorado
by Dawn NicDarrah

*I had heard of Magpie, but I had never encountered one until moving to Colorado . . . something deep within me is associating the magpie with Branwen. I know the story of the starlings, but what is it about the magpie? It really does have a range of communicating . . . a song bird one moment and very crow or raven the next . . . so to find out they are related to crows and ravens is not surprising. But how could they be associated with Branwen? Well, I did finally find one reference/suggestion . . . In Welsh Bran=raven and wen=white . . . 'white raven' . . . some say Branwen means 'white breast' . . . the snippet I found suggested Branwen might be referring to the magpie, relative of the raven with a white breast. I'll chew on that for now.*

Disgruntled Eastern Cottontail Rabbit
November 9th, 2010
Lakewood Colorado
by Dawn NicDarrah

*I swear we did nothing to alarm or incur the wrath of this rabbit . . . we were parked across the street taking photos of it sifting through the leaf litter and nibbling like Thumper from the Disney movie Bambi when suddenly it turned on us . . . scenes from Monty Python's Holy Grail came to mind . . . but I didn't dare get close enough to check its teeth!*

Frozen Dew Drop on Red Leaf
November 10th, 2010
Lakewood Colorado
by Dawn NicDarrah

Frosty Red Thorn Bush
November 10th, 2010
Lakewood Colorado
by Dawn NicDarrah

*I have to note a wee bit of a milestone marker . . . my sunny California family witnessed their first snowfall yesterday afternoon (mind you I am from New York and have seen plenty of snow, but it has been 22 years since) . . . it didn't stick, but the flakes were big and fluffy as they floated down . . . a magical moment. The weather forecast calls for one to four inches of snow for tomorrow . . . looking forward to photo journaling the event!*

Hawk Of Autumn
Bear Creek Green Belt
Lakewood Colorado
November 8th, 2010
by Dawn NicDarrah

*Working on identifying this one - not sure if it is a Redtail or not.*

Parting the Mists ~ Awaiting the Barge
Bear Creek Green Belt
Lakewood Colorado
by Dawn NicDarrah

Away For The Winter
Empty Nest Along the Bear Creek Trail
Lakewood Colorado
November 7th, 2010
by Dawn NicDarrah

Shorter Days . . . Longer Shadows . . .

Shorter Days . . . Longer Shadows . . .
November 7th, 2010
Bear Creek Green Belt - Lakewood Colorado
bu Dawn NicDarrah

Light & Shadows Autumn Leaves
Lakewood Colorado
November 5th, 2010
by Dawn NicDarrah

Rainbow Before The Storm
October 2010
Lakewood Colorado
by Dawn NicDarrah

Autumn Fog
Lakewood Colorado
October 2010
by Dawn NicDarrah