This is what the street outside looks like right now!
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| Denver Street in December |
Brrrr ! It's very cold outside with temperatures ranging from minus 19 to minus 12 during the day. The snow came down so softly and silently - like bits of broken petals floating from the white skies. For me, it is a novel and beautiful sight with the sparkling kaleidoscope of the Christmas lights that decorate the houses and the gardens in the neighbourhood, creating a fairyland in the city.
The Denver Botanic Gardens, which are located just a block away from the house, contribute to the wintry Christmas scene with its Blossoms of Light Festival which runs from 5.30pm daily for most of December. I decided to brave the icy conditions to visit this famous event so I borrowed some Arctic gear and carefully walked along the partly cleared footpath [ sidewalk!] avoiding the treacherous glassy spots by crunching along the snowy edge. Great fun!
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| Ready for the night cold |
I had chosen a good night for my excursion, clear, crisp and not many other people with the same idea. While here in Denver I have had a relaxing time with nothing much to do except cuddle my new grandson so I have had time to read up on how to operate my camera, a Canon Powershot G12 which I have owned for several months. While here in America, amazon.com has joined google as my friend and one of the great buys via this site has been two books: Canon Powershot G12 From Snapshots to Great Shots by Jeff Carlson and the other one David Busch's Canon Powershot G12. I was now keen to see if I could apply my newfound knowledge in the very tricky combination of night, snow and sparkling, coloured lights.
When I visited in Summer, this was the Water Smart Garden. How different it looked with more than a million lights twinkling and sparkling against a carpet of white.
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| O'Fallon Perennial Walk |
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| EL Pomar Waterway |
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| Romantic Gardens |
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| I just liked this one! |
A great deal of thought had been put into creating the displays with some of the trees being dressed in single colours while others shimmered in a range of colours.
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The moon added it's own magic to the night.
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| Monet's Garden |
How different is this scene to the water lillies I photographed on this pond in the foreground in June! They have apparently been removed indoors to ensure their survival. The lake was mostly frozen solid and someone had even ignored warning signs and walked on it. Not me!
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| Ice Sculptures |
A photography class was learning how to take great photographs of this ice sculpture. They had amazing gear - huge lenses, lights, tripods. I managed to squeeze in the group to take this shot - minus all the gear. In consideration I am quite happy with my effort.
The stream had mostly frozen over however there was still a little water to highlight the light reflections.
After an hour and a half of enjoying this novel experience, I wrapped my numbed fingertips around a final glass of warmed apple cider and my walk in Denver's Blossoms of Light Festival was over.
In terms of a photographic learning experience, I am well pleased. In all I took a hundred photos of which I like just 10 with some more perhaps worthy of editing when I get home. It's back to my bargain books for more tips!
