The extraordinary October 29th blizzard we experienced here in the Hudson Valley of New York was unseasonable, unwelcome, destructive, and beautiful.  The destruction was from the weight of the snow on still fully leafed trees that were in peak color and not destined to fall for a week or more.  The beauty was from the clingy, wet snow that girded limbs, branches, twigs, and leaves.  Were I a color photographer, the yellows, reds, and oranges of the autumn color show that were set off in bold relief by the snow would have been a real treat.  Still, the monochrome of it all was beautiful to me.  This is a scene from behind our house. 

A week after the blizzard, all was back to normal (except for post storm repairs), and I was again enjoying the glories of the autumnal show.  But, despite its not being particularly vivid in a seasonal sense, I decided to stop at Iona marsh on the way home from work a few days ago . It's a tidal marsh that, were it not for the mountains that rise beside it, could be mistaken for an ocean side marshland. The tide had drained the water and all it would have contributed to making a photograph.  But, I really liked the stalks, stems, seeds, and branches that I found rimming the big muddy, and decided they would be just fine as portrait sitters.