suns along the Mohawk

– Christmas scene at Miner’s Farm in Duanesburg NY –

Former Stockade residents Bill and Cyndi Miner (they lived at 212 Union St. in the mid- ’80s and early ’90s, when I lived at 214 Union St., and we  shared a driveway and a lot of good times) invited me to their spread along Rt. 20 in Duanesburg for a Christmas brunch.  Approaching the Duanesburg hill, I was surprised to see a fairly thick fog, along with ice-frosted trees.  The temperatures were mild enough to allow my camera’s shutter button to operate smoothly, so I left a cozy wood stove to try to capture a marvelous Christmas Day “backyard” scene in pixels.  Despite the prominence of gray, white and black, each of the photos in this posting is presented in its original color scheme. (As always, you click on a photo to get a larger version and scroll over it for a brief description.)

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As you can see, the Miners did not give up nature’s beauty when they moved a dozen miles from the Mohawk River and Stockade neighborhood.

Ice and fog make it possible for even an amateur to snap a few subtly dramatic shots, and they make mundane items seem special:

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– finally, their swimming pond has turned into an ice-skating rink that beckons even creaky old knees:

update (July 2011): Reckless planning and zoning decisions by the Town of Duanesburg have threatened the beauty and tranquility at the Miners’ home.  See “Duanesburg needs a dictionary” (July 14, 2011) at my Preserve Our Stockade Trees weblog.