Winter Breathing on Fall—Photos

I love the turning of seasons when fall lingers and winter breathes frozen fog on bright leaves.

In the past week, I have been walking a dirt lane on a hillside near my cabin seeking late afternoon sun. Pockets of deciduous trees between the evergreens have left piles of bright leaves. As the temperatures dipped at night, the frost left lovely laced skirts of ice on the ones lying in the deeper shade. 

Sometimes it is foggy in town and sunny up here, but this week the fog moved in and didn't leave. All night long over a few nights it brushed frost on stairs, on car windows, and rough rocks.

By the third night of below freezing weather, I knew that if I turned off the dirt lane and hiked a small trail to a stream there might be icicles or if I walked along the river, I'd find something of interest. In the river I spotted a leaf holding its fall color entirely encased in ice. If I could have broken it off the rock where it was frozen tight, I would have had a leafcicle with which to enchant a child. 

The stream held its own enchantment and unexpected humor. My macro lens caught the beauty of ice forming. 

But it was the long icicles that made me laugh. What would their scientific name be? 

Peniscicles?