In my post about the tomato cages, I mentioned the Tree Grove. The Tree Grove stands about a quarter of a mile from our house. It erupts from the middle of an open field with nothing but rolling hills all around. At some point in time a farmer must have left this standing to shelter and shade his livestock. With the onslaught of the Ice Storm it stood out as never before. I made the trek there this morning at sunrise. What a show it was! The sun to the east behind the grove was the harbinger of things to come. Surrounded by a completely white and gray field, the Tree Grove was engulfed in color. Proudly showing off it's crystalline branches for one last time. The warmth of the sun was already returning the Tree Grove back to the whites, grays, browns and blacks of Winter. Knowing this would be the last day for it to glow brighter than anything around it, I wanted to preserve it's day in the limelight. Little does the Tree Grove know that people all around the world will see it's 15 minutes of fame! As I stood watching the drip... drip... drip.. of it's crystalline skeleton break into pieces and fall to the ground, I thought this would be a great watercolor. With the only tools at my disposal...I tried to paint with light...so here is photographic version of a watercolor in winter.

I returned this evening and the transformation was complete. No more bent branches under the weight of the ice...only the Tree Grove as it stood just 4 days ago...fading into the empty field where it lives. Like the pumpkin carriage at midnight, it's fairytale had come to an end.