Black and White – Nostalgia

Cold weather lingered. Snow came to the party almost immediately when the ice storm was finally out of sight. I like fresh air and a snow-white environment, but I have no courage to drive on the snowy ground.

Out On treasure hunt on foot, I saw no life signs and colors. I like simple stuff, and  I always appreciate black and white images, but I have not done much experiment myself. Black and White, as well as Minimalism, are probably two categories that I would tag this year.

Growing up and living a busy city life in my youth, I enjoy rural and country habitats more. I long for simplicity and tranquility.

The sparrow is nestled in the branches covered with snow. Regardless of how much she puffed up her feather, it was 15-degree weather.  The walking path lined with blackberry bushes had no food for her. A small piece of seed means everything.

 When a part of icicles is all he has to hang on, the chickadee grabs it firm and tight. Sometimes I think we are overly spoiled with an endless supply of articles, technologies, and information, but we are not making further efforts to utilize them.

 If these pictures are colored, I probably would not lay my eyes on details and enjoy them as much.

I have tried to photograph thistles all year round. I thought their spring and summer lavender and green colors would make better pictures, but so far my favorite images are often taken in winter. The scoop of shredded ice reminds me of my childhood. We tropical kids had numerous shredded ice with flavor toppings, not only colored syrups, there are red beans, tapioca bubbles, fruits, and much more. Up to today, it is still one hot summer fun for all ages.

Before the ice is made inside the freezer of a refrigerator in small pieces, we bought our ice in large cubes. The vendor used a large freezer to make a large piece of ice which can be as big as 6′ by 8′. They then used large hand saws to split them into smaller pieces for purchase. On hot days, I, the smallest kid in the family was the one who carried the little bucket to wait in the line and brought cheer home to the sweaty crowd.

Nostalgia, nostalgia, it is all brought up by the Black and White.