More ice pictures
Above is a February 12th view from farther back of the ice-covered possumhaw tree (Ilex decidua) in Great Hills Park that provided the close-up you saw last time. Below is a lichen-covered oak twig that ice added its own kind of coating to.
© 2021 Steven Schwartzman
Portraits of Wildflowers 
I wonder whether the possumhaw tree can take this kind of weather without any damage. The ice cover looks pretty, but will the tree survive it?
Peter Klopp
February 15, 2021 at 8:56 AM
I believe possumhaws can, based on the survival I’ve seen of some of them after previous ice storms.
Steve Schwartzman
February 16, 2021 at 11:46 AM
Those are beautiful compositions, Steve. I hope your weather returns to normal soon though.
Lavinia Ross
February 15, 2021 at 8:41 PM
Until half an hour ago we were without power and heat for 33 hours after a 6-inch snowfall came down on us the night before last. The overnight low was 8° yesterday and 9° today. Another winter storm is coming tonight. Austin has never seen anything like this.
Steve Schwartzman
February 16, 2021 at 11:52 AM
That possumhaw photo would make a beautiful wallpaper design. This ice has been so much fun, at least for photos!
Sue Ann (Suna) Kendall
February 15, 2021 at 9:36 PM
At least for photos. Until half an hour ago we were without power and heat for 33 hours after a 6-inch snowfall came down on us the night before last. The overnight low was 8° yesterday and 9° today. Another winter storm is coming tonight. Austin has never seen anything like this.
Steve Schwartzman
February 16, 2021 at 11:53 AM
Your second photo is so reminiscent of some amber that I’ve seen in my travels, and the black background highlights it beautifully.
krikitarts
February 16, 2021 at 3:05 AM
It looked so pretty there was no way I wasn’t going to make pictures of it.
Steve Schwartzman
February 16, 2021 at 11:54 AM
The first is another great abstract full of detail and interest. The second looks gilded with crystals of gold.
Steve Gingold
February 16, 2021 at 3:37 AM
Yay, abstraction and details (of which there’s understandably a lot more in the full-size image. I like your use of gilded.
Steve Schwartzman
February 16, 2021 at 11:56 AM
Both beauties – the last one looks like a cluster of frozen amber.
Leya
February 16, 2021 at 5:22 AM
Speaking of frozen, until half an hour ago we were without power and heat for 33 hours after a 6-inch snowfall came down on us the night before last. The overnight low was 8°F yesterday and 9°F today. Another winter storm is coming tonight. Austin is turning into Sweden.
Steve Schwartzman
February 16, 2021 at 11:57 AM
Ah…it could be worse..
Leya
February 16, 2021 at 12:10 PM
Yes, it could be worse, but it’s not good. We’ve been without power again for the last 18 hours. At least the temperature has finally gone up to the freezing point Instead of staying well below it.
Steve Schwartzman
February 17, 2021 at 8:36 AM
Oh…hopefully it will come back soon. We’ve been without since Friday – I think it feels enough now even if we have got a fire going .
Leya
February 17, 2021 at 8:48 AM
Oh, I didn’t know you were suffering the same thing. Your utilities are supposed to be prepared for winter up there.
Steve Schwartzman
February 17, 2021 at 8:12 PM
They are, but our system was very old and decided it was time to give in now. In the middle of winter… Yesterday we finally got the new system set – and it is working! It is an air heat pump just like the old one, but even better and kind to the environment.
Leya
February 18, 2021 at 9:45 AM
It’s good to hear you’re back up and running, especially since it’s more efficiently than before.
Steve Schwartzman
February 18, 2021 at 2:03 PM
😊
Leya
February 19, 2021 at 10:50 AM
I saw topaz rather than amber in the second photo. The possumhaw fills the frame beautifully, and looks rather like a frost-covered window. I’ve read that both Ilex species here do well in harsh conditions, as does mountain laurel. We’ll certainly have a chance to see if that’s true after this little episode.
I’m glad to see you back online. It sounds far worse in Austin than it’s been here. I had power until this morning. I managed to get coffee made early, and that was the end of it until just a bit ago. For whatever reason, Verizon was non-functional, too, and I wasn’t able to use my iPad once the wifi went down. It’s hardly the biggest issue in the world, but by last night some of our cell towers were failing and people were without phones; only texts were getting through. Having another storm roll through tonight and tomorrow is the proverbial insult-to-injury.
shoreacres
February 16, 2021 at 1:20 PM
It’s been pretty bad here. We haven’t had electricity since about 2:00 Tuesday afternoon. More ice has come down and more boughs on trees are bending. On the good side, the temperature is right around freezing for the first time in days, as I can confirm from some little icicles on the rain gutter that are dripping water. So far my iPhone has maintained its connection, which is my only link to the outside world other than my feet. In fact I went down to Great Hills Park yesterday for two hours and took pictures of bigger icicles. We have an old camp stove and a couple of canisters of fuel so we’ve been able to have hot meals and hot drinks. Our little front entranceway has become a de facto kitchen.
Steve Schwartzman
February 17, 2021 at 8:34 AM
The first picture is very pretty with its intricate pattern. The second sure looks like a hunk of gold … wouldn’t that be nice!
denisebushphoto
February 19, 2021 at 10:27 AM
At least it’s pictorial gold, if not metallic or monetary. This has been a rare chance for me to take pictures that look like they come from a lot further north.
Steve Schwartzman
February 19, 2021 at 1:04 PM
[…] ever experienced here. First came the ice storm of February 12th, which you’ve already seen a few pictures of. The weight of the ice caused many tree limbs to break, including a bunch in our yard. Especially […]
The continuing photographic fruits of our unprecedented winter weather | Portraits of Wildflowers
February 20, 2021 at 4:35 AM