My last post doubted the presence of winter. A week later it has gotten colder. We still just have a light dusting of snow, so you can't ski or really travel much by snowmachine (or at least I wouldn't), but it feels and looks like winter outside. So in contrast I wanted to share some photos from the shortest day of the year and the beauty that it holds. Happy solstice to all and happy winter solstice to those living in the northern hemisphere.

Above: Watching the sky lighten. As the sun comes up it hits the surrounding mountains.

Since the sun is low on the horizon, the sunrises and sets take hours. In the morning I enjoy sitting in bed while the wood stove heats the house and drinking coffee. I read, write, e-mail I just do it under the covers as the house heats up and the sky lightens.

Above: Watching the sky lighten and the sun come up inside the cozy cabin. Lots of coffee was consumed before the sun hit us in the second photo.

Shortly after the sun came up and the batteries got charged enough to grind some coffee and vacuum up some dog fluff, I headed out to the river to enjoy the middle of the day.

This place inspires me so much. It is so large I can't ever wrap my mind around it. Beyond that it changes every day, which makes it seem even bigger. I love to walk on the braided river bars, wondering what I will discover next. I could never make art work about everything I see on the Nizina, but it wears its way into whatever I do, just like a river stone is formed.

One of the beauties of today was that the river is still refreezing in places so you get these lovely reflections of the mountains in partially frozen water.

It's currently -2 degrees outside and dark. The long nights and short sunny days (where you have to take advantage of the light and go for walks like this on the river) make this time of year nourishing and reflective. You can read more about my thoughts on solstice from in my post from last year. I am pleased to share a little slice of this corner of the world with you. Happy winter!