So putting on the sunglasses and imagining days to come this is what I find.....irises my favorite spring time flower,  yellow and golden poppies....geraniums  in beds and pots.... my crab apple and Evans cherry tree in bloom....white roses or wild Alberta pink ones.....an extended weekend on the west coast and a morning bike ride has given me hope of warmer days to come!

Man Walks All Day to Create Spectacular Snow Patterns http://inhabitat.com/artist-makes-giant-wintry-crop-circles-just-by-walking-in-the-snow/simon-beck-snow-art2/

Artist Simon Beck must really love the cold weather! Along the frozen lakes of Savoie, France, he spends days plodding through the snow in raquettes (snowshoes), creating these sensational patterns of snow art. Working for 5-9 hours a day, each final piece is typically the size of three soccer fields! The geometric forms range in mathematical patterns and shapes that create stunning, sometimes 3D, designs when viewed from higher levels.

How long these magnificent geometric forms survive is completely dependent on the weather. Beck designs and redesigns the patterns as new snow falls, sometimes unable to finish a piece due to significant overnight accumulations.Interestingly enough, he said, 'The main reason for making them was because I can no longer run properly due to problems with my feet, so plodding about on level snow is the least painful way of getting exercise. Gradually, the reason has become photographing them, and I am considering buying a better camera.

Spectacular art for the sake of exercise!

A sunny but snowy Alberta morning here and just a few reminders of personal reasons for gratitude.

• The color and pockets of beauty in my plants or when scouting with the camera
• My church family that is truly a community
• My own family though often scattered...
• here is my brother Don on a visit from Ontario and the grandaughter who has given me the opportunity of second chance parenting
• My work mates and challenges that hospital social work brings
• My swim and writing friends with whom I can coffee and good food or celebrate those decade birthdays
• Those crazy dogs Dysis and Nanuq even when they escape!

I am very much a hands on learner and spent several hours today putting it together...a first time video project with titles and music and voice overs.....hope you enjoy!