Welcome to another week of Sunday Stills 😊. Thank you for your continuing support by reading or contributing with so many links (35!) to last week’s color challenge.
Silence is this week’s theme.
As much as I would like to share fewer images of snow these days, I will try to keep it interesting!
“We went down into the silent garden. Dawn is the time when nothing breathes, the hour of silence. Everything is transfixed, only the light moves.” ― Leonora Carrington
As you know by now, I live in an area where it snows in the winter. We’ve had more snow this winter than is average for the Spokane-proper area of Eastern Washington (over 2 feet accumulation), and snow remains in the forecast. Our 24+ inches have slowly melted to about 12 inches, which means I can walk around my property without sinking to my knees.
You know how much snow can muffle outdoor noises if you live around or near the snow.
“When light, fluffy snow accumulates on the ground, it acts as a sound absorber, dampening sound waves much like commercial sound absorbing products.” Accuweather Article
Walking with a Lens in All Weather Conditions
Even with all the snow, our streets are thankfully clear. There are no sidewalks within a mile of our area, so walking on the side of the road (not our main highway) is the only option during winter months. During the rest of the year, we can easily walk along the grassy frontages of the properties as pictured below.
I walk nearly every day with my dog. On those walks, I carry my mobile phone for the inevitable photo op.
“Nature’s music is never over; her silences are pauses, not conclusions.” ~ Mary Webb
Silence is Golden
When we first moved to Eastern Washington, I had no idea just how QUIET our rural area is, as well as dark (no streetlights). Aside from the occasional vehicle traveling on the highway, most of the noises we hear are the distant barking of dogs, kids playing outdoors, or an errant bugling elk in the foothills. But you have to be outside to hear these.
The stately Ponderosa Pines and variety of deciduous trees help muffle the ambient noise, except the welcome birdsong.
“Everything has its wonders, even darkness and silence, and I learn, whatever state I may be in, therein to be content.” ~Helen Keller
Silent Snowy Sentinels
With silent winter snow comes the welcome noise of the snowplow! While our main highway is considered a Level 1 road for snowplow maintenance and response, the connecting roads in our area are lower on the list. Our street is a private road, so we have to hire a snowplow to scrape it. During the last pass, the snowplow pushed 3-4-foot high mounds of snow to the sides of our street. As the snow melts it leaves funny-looking shapes, I give you:
silent snowy sentinels
This one is my favorite–what animal do you see?
This little sentinel snow bunny was a frequent visitor in our backyard last winter and likely lived under my she-shed.
Today January 22, marks the beginning of the Lunar New Year, the Year of the Rabbit.
Silent Moose on the Loose
Last week, I checked off another bucket list item. I looked out our kitchen window and low and behold…a MOOSE was meandering in the neighbor’s driveway. Ridiculously excited, I shouted, ” A MOOSE is standing 25 yards away!” Of course my dog Brodie lost his mind, breaking the silence with his barking. As I scrambled for my Lumix camera in the other room, the moose ambled along through the property. I almost missed capturing him with my 600 MM lens at full zoom.
“Every creature is better alive than dead, men and moose and pine trees, and he who understands it aright will rather preserve its life than destroy it.” ~ Henry David Thoreau
Moose are like deer, they are very quiet. Silent forest sentinels, if you will. You won’t know they are there unless you see them with your eyes.
My neighbor got a closer look at Mister Moose after we called her. She confirmed this was an adult male, although his antlers had already been shed for the winter. He looked to be close to 6 feet tall at the shoulder. With Lake Spokane a quarter of a mile away, he was on his way to quench his thirst.
“As of 2015, there were approximately 5,000 moose estimated to live in Washington State. The majority of these are in the Selkirk Mountains (Pend Oreille, Stevens, Ferry, and Spokane counties) with smaller populations in the north Cascades, Okanogan, and Blue Mountains.” Washington Dept of Fish and Wildlife
Many Spokane-area neighborhoods regularly report seeing moose silently strolling the streets. A mom and her calf currently hang out in my brother-in-law’s neighborhood in Spokane Valley.
Moose Fun Facts
- Moose are the largest member of the deer family. The height of North American Moose, from hoof to shoulder, ranges from 5 to 6.5 feet (1.5 to 2 meters).
- Genus and Species: Alces alces
- Moose are gentle giants that only eat vegetation in the form of twigs, bark, soft wood, and leaves of trees.
- Like cows, they have four-chambered stomachs and chew their cud.
- Adult males, or bulls, have broad, flat, palmated antlers tipped with a number of points.
- Antlers are shed during the winter and regrown each spring.
- Some antler sizes have been recorded at 6 feet from tip to tip!
- Washington’s moose belong to a subspecies called “Shiras” moose, which is physically smaller than more northern-dwelling moose in Alaska.
- Moose prefer colder temperatures year‘round with seasonal snow cover and access to lakes and wetlands.
- Their hooves act as snowshoes and range in size from 4-7 inches.
“I’ve begun to realize that you can listen to silence and learn from it. It has a quality and a dimension all its own.” ― Chaim Potok, The Chosen
My Weekly Inspiration in Photo Challenges
Each week I am inspired by my fellow bloggers’ photo challenges. I enjoy incorporating these into my Sunday Stills weekly themes.
- Cee’s Flower of the Day
- Johnbo’s Cellpic Sunday
- Jo’s Monday Walk
- Lens-Artists: Walking with One Lens
- Marsha’s Wednesday Quotes: White and Gray
Sunday Stills Photo Challenge Reminders
The Sunday Stills weekly-themed photo challenge is easy to join. You have all week to share and link your post.
- Remember to title your blog post a little differently than mine.
- Please create a new post for the theme or link a recent one.
- Entries for this theme can be posted all week.
- Tag your post “Sunday Stills.”
- Don’t forget to create a pingback to this post so that other participants can read your post.
- I also recommend adding your post’s URL to the comments.
This Week’s Featured Bloggers
Sunday Stills is a wonderful community of bloggers and photographers who desire to connect with one another. Below are this week’s links from bloggers who shared photos that depict SILENCE. I add these all week as new links are posted.
- YOUR BLOG’S NAME HERE!
- Beachwalk Reflections
- Bushboys World
- Cats and Trails and Garden Tales
- Cee’s Photo Challenges
- A Day in the Life
- Denyse Whelan Blogs
- Easin’ Along Image shared in comments
- Equipoise Life
- Frost on the Moose Dung
- Graham’s Island
- Hugh’s Views and News Image shared in comments
- Kamerapromenader
- LadyLeeManila
- Light Write Life
- Loving Life
- Musin’ With Susan
- Philosophy Through Photography
- NEW! Pilgrimage Studio
- Quaint Revival
- Robert’s Snap Spot
- Stevie Turner
- This is Another Story
- Travel with Me
- Travels and Trifles
- Wind Kisses
- Woolly Muses
- Working On Exploring
- The World is a Book
What images can you share that tell us about “silence?” Poems, stories, music, and other creative ideas are always welcomed!
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