Northern Lights

5x7 inches

watercolor on Yupo synthetic paper

Christmas is over. We made it to my brother's house for Christmas Eve, despite cold rain and high winds. Dick had called his sister to cancel our plans to drive to Door County for Christmas Day, but when it was sunny and dry here in Janesville, not a blizzard as forecast, we called to ask if we could still come. The answer was affirmative, so we packed overnight bags, loaded up the cat bowl and headed out. The further north we drove, the cloudier it got, and the more the winds picked up. By Algoma Lake Michigan was a sort of ochre color, the high waves filled with sand. The water crashed dramatically over the jetty near the red light house, but it was so cold, wet and windy I didn't ask Dick to pull over so I could get a photo.

We made the trip safely, but Dick's other sister and her husband slid off a side road into a tree, and their vehicle was wrecked. We ended up staying an extra day and giving them a ride back home on Sunday. By then the roads were clear and dry, and the trip was uneventful

I had started this little watercolor before we left, then I finished it this morning. The inspiration was a desk calendar photo of northern lights, something we haven't seen in a few years.

Cold Climes

by Mary Brittnacher in the 2009 Wisconsin Poets Calendar

I've lived my life in frosty air,

Near firs and moss and hedgehog's lair.

For me the seasons are a book;

That tells a story wherever I look.

Browns of springs show many hues;

Flowers of summer are always news.

Gold, red, and rust of fall,

Never fail to give their all.

Deep in winter I watch the birds;

Sleeping woods speak silents words.

Story same, story new,

That rivers and wrens tell clearly and new.