2 Feet of Snow Plus 54 degrees equals.....

Fog?

Must enjoy those warm temps while we have them. Looks like for one day! It will clear the decks for more snow to surely come. Pretty!

Kris Kringle

My dog Kris Kringle (yes that's really his name) is loving the Christmas snow! He insists on going outside with me when I shovel the deck and he romps and barks and just has a great time.

I just want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays, and thank the wonderful people I've worked and corresponded with this year!

Blessings, Mary Hughes and Kris Kringle

Minus 3

Minus 3. That's how cold it is right now as the sun is rising on the houses across the lake. It's warmed up some since I got up. I started out the day with a -11. Chilly, but not complaining. Yesterday we had that monumental snowstorm that's hit so many. It dumped close to a foot of snow at our doorstep.

I'm working on cows, goats and dog paintings this weekend. We're welcoming the youngest child in the family for the holidays today too.

Dreaming of a white Christmas is a thing of the past. I must have dreamed that a lot!

Be sure and check out the sky from the vantage point of others around the world by clicking on the emblem below! Happy SkyWatch Friday!!

SkyWatch Winter

In all honesty I didn't expect much from the winter skies in that it's grey so much of the time, so I'll take what I can get when I can get it!! After a heavy 10" snowfall we had this pretty blue sky day before yesterday and in the second photo (you can click on it and see it's larger version) you'll see Mourning Doves in the trees. They roost outside my office window in the winter and on the very coldest days I notice. Some days the tree is loaded with birds just puffed out trying to stay warm.

Be sure and check out the sky from the vantage point of others around the world by clicking on the emblem below! Happy SkyWatch Friday!!

The Colors of Winter (SkyWatch Friday)

My Skywatch offering this week has been a surprise to me. I've just found out the past couple days just how colorful winter can be around here. A little sun can do some stunning things in the winter. I couldn't pick just one, so here are my 5 favorite from the past 24 hours.




A monochromatic snowfall in the early evening.




A contrasting of the starkness of the snow and the tree against a pastel colored sky.




Clouds holding back the light from the right side of the sky.




I like this one because of the yellow clouds and the large shaft of light that is actually going up from a setting sun.

A pink and blue late afternoon moment. The pink is reflecting on the snow covered lake.


Be sure and check out the sky from the vantage point of others around the world by clicking on the emblem below! Happy SkyWatch Friday!!

For those of you looking for my latest art, I apologize but I've been working on holiday orders and those are a secret until after the holidays. I have lots of ideas in the works and will be working through the holiday season so keep watching.