snow scene Tanka Tuesday
Terri Webster Schrandt

Sunday Stills: #Frosty Winter Scenes

“You can’t get too much winter in the winter.” ~ Robert Frost

red barn in snow by a lake
Winter’s Colors

FROSTY is the theme this week for the Sunday Stills photo challenge. During the month of February, winter is still alive and well in the Northern Hemisphere. I choose to enjoy it.

Frosty Scenes From the Road

We enjoyed primarily dry roads and easy driving conditions as we drove home from our road trip to Arizona at the end of January. However, as we approached Northern Idaho, snow had fallen in many places, leaving its frosty footprint.

snow scene
Northern Rural Idaho

Northern Oregon along the I-84 showed off its winter colors as well.

winter landscape
Northwestern Oregon

Winter, through your hoary frost, I travel on, longing to be lost. ~ Angie Weiland-Crosby

Upon approaching Spokane, we were pleased to find the roads still dry, but the snow had fallen on Mt. Spokane, calling us home like a frosty winter beacon and its promise that winter was far from over.

Mt Spokane

Mt. Spokane is 5,887 feet high and is part of the Selkirk Mountain range, which spans British Columbia, Idaho, and Washington.

Winter Scenes Around the Neighborhood

Very little snow had fallen in Eastern Washington while we were in the warm southern states. I’m convinced Winter waited for us to arrive back home. Late last week, enough snow fell (around three inches in our area) to bring the winter wonderland back to life.

“It is the life of the crystal, the architect of the flake, the fire of the frost, the soul of the sunbeam. This crisp winter air is full of it.” ~ John Burroughs

winter day
My street

Notice all this sunshine? With the clear, blue skies, air temperatures were well into the single digits for several days. Last Thursday, I noted the temperature was -2 degrees Fahrenheit. Yes, that is freakishly cold, you’re saying, but amazingly, the sunlight felt warm…for a few minutes. I bundled myself and my dog Brodie up for a stroll along Lake Spokane’s Nine Mile Takeout area.

winter scene
Frosty Lake layers

The ducks didn’t mind the cold. I spied these new-to-me Barrow’s Golden-Eye Ducks floating where the Little Spokane River meets the lake.

three ducks
Barrow’s Goldeneye Ducks

Meanwhile, in the Backyard…

I threw black oil sunflower seeds around the yard for the winter birds…

Dark-Eyed Junco Feeding Banquet Style
Dark-Eyed Junco Feeding Banquet Style

…When I came upon these tracks in the snow.

rabbit tracks
Evidence of ??

These can’t be deer tracks, I pondered. I snapped the pic and asked Google Lens…

Resident Rabbit
The tracks of our Wesident Wabbit

The melting snow off our roof and patio cover yielded some fabulous surprises.

icicles
Sparkling Icicles
icicles
Windblown Icicles
icicle
Giant Icicle!

“Music comes from an icicle as it melts, to live again as spring water.” ~ Henry Williamson

Most days, when the temps are in the single digits, I can enjoy frosty winter scenes from indoors!

winter windows
snowflake border

Comments appear to be working again. I appreciate many of you taking the extra time to leave your comments on my posts. Saturday, I successfully left a comment on another blog from my desktop computer after accessing the post from my Outlook email account. This method didn’t work last week, but I used the WordPress Reader to read and comment from the Jetpack app on my phone. If you are still having problems leaving comments, please contact WordPress.

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. Please use your own original images, whether new or from your archives.

  • 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.

Sharing this week for Johnbo’s Cellpic Sunday and Bird of the Week

Life in a Washington Winter
Enveloped in a Washington Winter

“Winter is not a season, it’s a celebration.” ~ Anamika Mishra

I can’t wait to see how you interpret this week’s theme! Creativity is encouraged, so please share your own photographs (old or new), poems, original short stories, and music inspired by the theme. Join me next week as we explore FRESH. Have a wonderful week!

bitmoji plaid

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128 comments

  1. 🎵 Winter brings about such cheer,
    Sleds a-gliding, skies so clear!
    Frosty nights and snowfall shimmer,
    Stay ‘til May?—a real winner!⛄️

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  7. Hi Terri,

    Your winter photos show how much winter is still in charge. I like how winter knew when you were coming home. What a welcome.

    Coming home to those temperatures after being in a warmer climate must have been quite a shock. I’m guessing you must wrap up very warm when going out and can’t stay outside too long?

    It’s good to see you feeding the birds. They need our help on cold days when the ground freezes. I love cold winter days when it’s cold, and the sky is blue and clear.

    Sadly, it’s wet and mild here in Wales, but I’m hoping for more winter weather before spring officially arrives.

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    • Thank you for those kind comments, Hugh! I was happy Winter showed itself while we were home. We need the snowpack! Now we’re in for warm rains and milder temps which is abnormal here. Our 9 Mile Falls will be flowing soon! I went out in my snowshoes and stomped around my property in 5 inches of snow. All while throwing the ball for a Brodie. My jacket was on but unzipped. 33 degrees F!

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  8. I’m so sorry I’m so late commenting on your post! It’s been a crazy few days. We were flying to Florida to see family and then to snowy Pennsylvania, where we are right now. We also had lots of complications.

    I love all your gorgeous snow scenes. Mt. Spokane is a sight to behold. Your rabbit is a cutie. Here in Pa. the deer and the rabbits have eaten greenery above the snow. They are starving. They have not been able to forage since mid-November.
    Stay warm my friend!

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  15. Terri,

    I love the Northwestern Oregon picture and the stunning landscape. You have done a great job capturing winter in your part of the country. I’m curious, what is the elevation where you live? There’s no snow in Southern California, but plenty back in Tennessee with overnight temps in the teens. The day after we left Knoxville, we had snow. My neighbor sent me the picture of our house. Enjoy your lovely winter. Joe

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    • Thank you, Joe! The West can get its share of snow. The only snow in California is limited to the mountains, and far north. Sacramento is only 25 ft above sea level, but it snows in Lake Tahoe, which is 7000+ elevation and as low as the Sierra foothills. Here in Spokane, our elevation is 1800-2200 feet. But so far north that snow doesn’t care how low it is 😂 I’m always amazed at the snow that falls in your area. I’m sure it’s related to the cold Atlantic ocean.

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    • Oh it’s got frosty here, Cheryl. On our way home there were some beautiful snowy vistas. At home it was sunny and too cold to snow, but then it did. As you can see! It was wonderful to see you and the progress on your place!

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  23. Dear Terri
    We love your winter pictures; most of them really radiate the cold.
    Now winter has arrived here as well with frost and glorious sunshine but unfortunately snow in homeopathic quantities only.
    Wishing you a wonderful week
    The Fab Four of Cley
    🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

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  25. C’est aussi beau que c’est froid et certainement aussi froid que c(est beau /
    It’s as beautiful as it’s cold and certainly as cold as it is beautiful

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  34. Oh wow, your snowy landscapes are marvelous! My favorite is the scene from Idaho! Looks like a Currier and Ives print. 🙂 I’ve done a lot of snowy posts lately, so I may have run out of ideas! But if inspiration strikes, I’ll be back later with a frosty post.

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  37. Is it a holiday weekend there, Terri? I love your ‘hit me with it’ attitude to snow. As you say, you might as well enjoy it. I quite liked the soft stuff but that never lasted and I’m so bad on ice!

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  39. Terri, I think you are right about Winter waiting for you – that’s a long and snow-filled street you have there! The plow came by this morning while I was shoveling. We had a snow emergency in effect twice this week and it’s still in effect until 6:00 tonight. My neighbors park on either side of my driveway but are not supposed to but they were not ticketed or towed. This morning the plow came by while I was shoveling. Instead of dumping at the end of my driveway, our side did not get plowed. Sigh. Mount Spokane is very pretty with its snowcap on it.

    The snow can be pretty – for me, while I am no fan of the bitter cold (like the Polar Vortex), I still can layer up and walk. But snow/ice, I am no longer as brave and would rather not slip and fall, especially with our flu epidemic here in Michigan. The ERs are jammed these days.
    But we are embarking on another very cold spell, like you mention in this post and that begins tonight – combined with all this snow and ice and more to come tonight, Winter has not said goodbye to us either. Snowshoes (like yours) or big ice cleats seem to be the footwear of the day!

    Here is my frosty post, lots of snow:

    February made me shiver …

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    • I agree winter is very beautiful until one has to deal with driving and snowplows. On Friday before snow had started, 2 snowplows drive by me, likely heading north to handle the side, or rural roads. There are levels of snowplow care here. Our rural hwy is a main arteriel, so it get plowed quickly and regularly. Annoying about your side of the road not being plowed because of the parked cars. Our temps are in the low 30sF now. I’m the sure the skiing on Mt Spokane is crazy this 3-day weekend! My thrill was to snowshoe around our acreage yesterday before the snow started. We may get 6 inches of accumulation from this winter blast. It may be coming your way 😳

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      • I took the bus at the end of my street to Downtown Detroit where I worked for decades. My car stayed in the garage, so I really don’t drive in the snow, but perhaps if I had driven more, I would enjoy Winter more. We have a new snowplow law here where you must stay 200 feet away from the plow or be ticketed. Police are racking up the money with offenders. I know all our ski areas were happy to have real snow last Wednesday and now this weekend. We have some snow again tonight and some freezing rain as well – ugh. We can’t catch a break. This payback for enjoying two mild Winters.

        Liked by 1 person

  41. Fabulous snow views, Terri. I’m glad to hear the comments are working. We currently have snow. It looks like 6 to 8 inches since Friday. I notice you changed your theme. Did this help with the comments? Was it part of the problem? It’s so hard to know with WP anymore. Have a fabulous week.

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  42. Your pictures were beautiful and fascinated me, living nowhere near snow. I really like the pine trees near the lake, gradually drifting to invisible. We had 46C the other day, so I’ll have to dip into archives for this theme, but it’ll be weak by your standards.

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  44. I also noticed that comments seem to be fixed. Yay!!!! Great wintery scenes, Terri. I love the blue skies, but it does make for frostier temps. Brrrr. We’re back to “dreary” but at least that means the days are a touch warmer. Spring is on its way!

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  54. Fabulous winter scenes, Terri. Those blue skies make everything look so clean and fresh. I like your little rabbit. Mind you, it will be less welcome when your garden wakes up again. WP does seem to have steadied a bit this week, though I’m still having some issues with it, usually every time I forget to copy a comment before trying to post it! Here’s mine this week: https://grahamsisland.com/2025/02/16/its-frosty-up-there/

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  57. No snow here in Spain. I got a tan sitting on my terrace reading and writing today in 20 C (68F). I loved the Pacific Northwest but had to get away from the snow so moved to Spain 10 years ago.

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