First ice

Most of the time, when I have to choose between several likely photos to highlight and write about, I'll opt for the best-looking image, or, at least, the most striking of the day's photographic haul. This, however, is not that picture. I could have gone with an image of colorful leaves floating on dark, still water. I was tempted to choose a nice shot of a bird: a bright cardinal, perhaps, or a somber Dark-eyed junco. I captured pictures of newly-opened, intensely red Bittersweet berries, and there were, of course, a few images of water coming down the rocks by the falls. This shot, I must admit, has none of those eye-catching aspects. But in its own way, the photo is more significant than anything else in the Tuesday collection. Just around dawn, the temperature touched 26, the lowest reading of the season, and just below the falls, I spotted the debut patch of autumn ice. If the warming trend forecast for the next couple of days actually arrives, all of the water outside will turn back to its liquid form. This shot is a record—a historical document—of the first time towards the end of 2013 that the frigid season put its calling card on the table. It'll be back with more cards soon enough.