Window Wonders

Around here, the winter feels long right about now. Really long. It’s been cold enough to keep us inside. The wind chill, combined with having to blaze a trail through the snow if we go on a walk, leaves us with nature study through the window.

Fortunately, the interest isn’t just through the window. Sometimes, the window itself becomes interesting!

My 13-year-old has taken lots of photos of interesting frost patterns on the windows of our house. I’d like to exhibit some of her work in this post — all of these photos are hers.

It’s truly amazing how many patterns — sometimes on the same window — Jack Frost can come up with.

This one looks like a cross section of some layers of soil — with burrowing creatures’ trails in the deepest layer.

One window might be a blank; the next, covered with feathers.

Or water droplets.

Or strange zig-zags, like an etch-a-sketch.

Edges look different than middles.

Some patterns look like deep sea creatures.

Now and then, Jack Frost paints a landscape.

When the sun shines through them, the edges and outlines come alive. The sparkling animation can’t be captured totally in a photo.

We like this single, solitary dancing star.

More textures…

This one reminds us of spring ferns…

This one looks like it’s sculpted into the window glass itself.

Some simply defy description. But the variety is marvelous.

They may be similar, but on closer inspection, no two patterns seem exactly the same.

I’m thankful that our cabin fever days are brightened by these beautiful examples of native crystal creations. And I’m thankful to have a daughter so skilled at capturing them on camera.