Winter’s beautiful silence

I was in Melvern today helping a friend work on a house. When I stepped outside, the trash bin was coated in a fine, frozen glaze of ice. As I ran my hand across the bin, I noticed the cool, roughness of the ice.

Time to get back home.

The paved roads were glazed, so we hit the gravel roads — so beautiful. So silent. So magical. We came across a wooden bridge outside of Olivet. This rickety old wooden bridge. It wasn’t until we were all the way across it, I decided to grab my camera and sprint back across it on foot. I had to have that shot. The shot that illustrated such perfect silence — the bare trees seemed to reach up to touch the sky. The deserted bridge that possesses so much character. I began to wonder how many vehicles and pieces of farm equipment that bridge has supported all these years.

While I was trying to frame the perfect shot, the icy wind mixed with light frozen liquid danced through my hair — chilling me to my core. But the shot was worth it. The subtle beauty of the old bridge was enough to make me want to stay awhile — even if it was 17 degrees out.

On the way through the Flint Hills, the beauty of the winter mist in the valley was just as breathtaking. We stopped near a body of water in the distance, capturing another classic winter Kansas shot. The dark, bare trees stood in sharp contrast to the brown, dormant grasses.

Beauty is all around us in Kansas. No matter what the season. Today, even with chilling winds, ice-glazed roads and bare trees, Kansas had so much to offer.

For it’s in winter, she bares her soul — the lands lay bare and seemingly desolate. But looking beyond that, Kansas is all but desolate — even in winter.