So now that we have warmed up a little by bringing up old warm memories of summer and colour, it’s time to go back to the reality of the Manitoba Winter. We hear (and love to tell) a lot of horror stories about the Manitoba Winter. That would be Winter with a capital W, oh yeah…
Winter is only as bad as one wants it to be. Apart from medical conditions, one should always enjoy the environment one lives in. If you can’t enjoy the place you live in, it’s time to move. In case you don’t move, stop complaining. Short and strong, eh?
At least that is my opinion. I have left a number of places in my life because they no longer suited me and didn’t make me happy anymore. Manitoba is not one of those places. I enjoy all seasons here, as you can see from the posts on this blog. All seasons are represented.
Hoarfrost galore
So let’s get back to the winterscapes, as winter is not yet over here in Manitoba. By now, it’s for sure that most people are already dreaming of change. Humans are always dreaming of change and of things they cannot have just yet, or ever. That incessant dream of improvement or change is what characterises us. But at the same time, I have come to another result of this dreaming.
Hoarfrost, clinging to grass blades
If you are never happy with what you have, you will never be happy. Satisfaction must be obtained and cherished. So I love my seasons, all and every one of them. I love what I possess, and dream of what I don’t have just yet. Things will come in their time, but the key to happiness is to enjoy what you have, not to only dream of what you have not.
Mother Nature’s Christmas Lights
So we have Winter. I enjoy Winter a lot. Agreed, sometimes, the cold or the weather conditions are not the best, but when things get better again, this is a great season to be out and to be taking pictures. Take a close look at the above picture. Early morning in the rising sun. If you look close enough you can see specs of light glistening off of the branches. In the gentle breeze of the morning, all the ice crystals were blinking; Mother Nature’s very own Christmas lights 
.
The sun getting stronger
Taking a wrong turn sometimes can give you other surprises. While we did have a goal in mind, that goal did not come to fruition. Instead we got a lot of landscape and winter landscape pictures. Should I complain? Nope, not gonna happen .
Hoarfrost
Hoarfrost against the rising sun. Is there a better way to enjoy it? Probably not, but I have a good way of preserving those instants. Shoot them! All these moments in time will then become digital memories of Winter. Things to contemplate when summer is here with its +35C in the shadow. If you can find shadow.
Disused for the winter
But you can only shoot so many landscapes before you start to think that something is missing. Remember that eternally “incomplete” human idea? Well, as it turns out, that idea pretty quickly comes to rear its head. It asks for more. It asks for “interest”. While it’s true that I try to capture the serenity of the landscapes, it may not be enough for all of us.
Once a proud homestead
Serenity is key, though. No need to insert people or angry animals in the pictures. Old, abandoned or disused buildings will do fine. The above one did hold a mystery, though. I am not sure why there is still a cable providing electricity to this visibly unusable building. I guess I’ll never know.
Abandoned barn
Abandoned buildings in Manitoba are plentiful. No reason not to shoot them if they add some interest to your pictures. They are part of Manitoba’s past, they have a history. And they have a place in my Winterscapes.
Until next time…