Cracks in the ice

After 2 more days I finally returned to the lakes and now the snow was entirely gone, giving away an amazing view on the cracked ice.

It was a really dark day. Thick layers of very deep hanging clouds took away most of the little daylight that we have. At the moment the sun rises at around 8:30h and sets around 14:30h, giving us about 6 hours of light, but the darkest day of the year is still one month away and a the moment the days get shorter at a rate of ca 5 minutes per day. And of course because of the short time the sun is even up, it doesn’t rise very high above the horizon but instead stays very low all day. Not like we could see that through the clouds though.

After flying with my drone, I also took some photographs from the ground, because with the mist, the forest looked really mystical and if it hadn’t been so cold and uncomfortable outside I would have stayed out there much longer to enjoy the quietness by the lake. But having just recovered from a cold, I didn’t want to challenge my luck, so I went back to the car to warm up a bit when I was done taking pictures.

There were little bubbles trapped in the ice and I think they are what makes the ice seem partly „cloudy“ on some of my drone pictures. I am assuming that the ice froze faster on some parts of the lake than on others.

November has been very depressing with the fluctuating temperatures (a mix of frosty and beautiful and warm/muddy and wet) and the constant darkness.
I try to find some positivity anyways and see the good side of it. At the moment it feels like it’s evening after 13:00h, because it is so dark with the clouds and without any snow, and while that leaves us with incredibly short days, it also gives us extremely long cozy evenings. At home I try to make it as cozy as possible. I am burning incense sticks and lighting a lot of small lights and candles to create a bright and cozy mood and atmosphere.