Winter’s understatement

These pictures were actually taken back in December — I just haven’t gotten around to posting them. They capture a beauty unique to winter with its pristine paleness.

The frost seems to emphasize the outlines of things, from grass to dead leaves. And somehow, the reflections seem sharper.

Textures and colors stand out in a way that fails to attract attention in the green busyness of summer.

I know it was December, but what I think of is John Updike’s poem about November extolling “the beauty of the bone.” Winter lasts longer than I’d like where I live, but it does something for me.