Saturday, December 31, 2011

Walking In A Winter Wonderland

I hope all of you have had a peace-full Christmas, and you were able to make some happy memories with those close to you. I'm glad to say that I have been so blessed. I also had the pleasure of once again experiencing the beauty that winter bestows on the creation, on solitary walks and walks shared with loved ones. I hope to share some of this over the next few weeks.

The old year is quickly sliding away, a new year is just around the corner. I want to wish each of you who have come here to visit throughout this past year or perhaps just starting recently, a wonderful new year. I'd also like to leave this Irish blessing, a favourite of mine, with you:

May the road rise up to meet you,
may the wind be always at your back,
may the sun shine warm upon your face,
and the rains fall soft upon your fields;
and until we meet again,
may you be held in the warmth of God's hand.

You might note the 'early' hour of this post - that's due to the length of time it took this evening to download Windows updates and then to load this blog post. If all goes well I expect to have access to a very fast internet connection within 2 weeks, at which time we shall 'meet again' in blogland. I thank you all for your visits and kind comments.

(10-22mm  f14  1/100 sec  ISO200)


23 comments:

Amelia said...

Hi Rick, how you doing? Hope you enjoy your holiday with your loves one. Happy New year to you and your family. May you be blessed with joy, happiness and best of health.
Have a nice day and a hugs for you.

Laura~Pretty Pix said...

You captured a beautiful serene winter scene, Rick.
Glad you had a good Christmas
and may all the best come your way in the coming year...
including faster internet service!
And I love that Irish blessing.

ju-north said...

New Year's greetings to you! Looking forward to seeing many more of your lovely images!

Carolyn Ford said...

a beautiful greeting for the new year...and, i want to return best wishes to you and yours for the New Year and beyond. What a stunning snowy image, Rick! wOw! it's absolutely breathtaking! Happy New Year!

Lasse said...

Hi Rick, lovely blessing and photo !
Wish you a Happy New Year !

biebkriebels said...

Thanks for the wonderful photo with snow and the kind words to it. Here we have a very warm Christmas and new years eve 10 C, no snow coming so far, only rain. Wish you a very happy 2012 and hopefully a fast internet
connection.
Liefs van Marianne

Karin / Southern Meadows said...

Thanks for sharing all your amazing photos! I am so glad that I found your blog this year. May 2012 bring you and your family many wonderful surprises and blessings! Happy New Year!

Marty said...

Hi Rick ! I wish you de bien finir l'année dans la joie ! et j'espère te revoir en 2012 en grande forme pour partager les photos !!
je te souhaite plein de bonheur pour the NEW YEAR et je t'envoie the last bisous of this year !

Cat said...

Happy New Year, Rick!!

Ruth Hiebert said...

That is a gorgeous scene. I hope your New Year is filled with blessing.I look forward to each post coming from you,because I know I will be treated to gorgeous photos.Thanks.

Lúcia said...

Beautiful shot (as usual)!
Have a wonderful 2012 Rick! ;-)

Carmen Barriuso said...

Que este año encuentres felicidad, salud, amor, dinero, paz y todo lo que necesites
Feliz año 2012

Rick said...

Hi Amelia - thank you for your kind wishes. I hope the new year brings you peace and happiness too. I will be around for a visit in another week or so.

Thank you, Laura ! I trust you also had a wonderful Christmas, and may your new year be a good one ! I've been promised a much improved internet service. soon.

Thank you Julia - I wish you all the best for 2012, and likewise I look forward to visiting you again shortly.

Thank you Carolyn - I had several wonderful treks through the woods like this one. All the best for the new year !

Rick said...

Hello Lasse - have a very good 2012, and thank you for your visit and kind comment.

Hallo Marianne and dank je wel. Veel geluk en zegen in het nieuw jaar. 't is vandaag 5C maar dinsdag verwachten wij -15C ! We vertrekken spoedig terug naar Florida !

Hi Karin, and thank you for your kind words. I miss being able to visit my favourite blogs due to my almost standstill internet connection. I will be back in warmer climes with an excellent connection in little over a week - I look forward to visiting you to see what I've missed. Happy New Year !

A ha Marty - merci a lot for your toujours kind mots and the plus de bisous ! I miss seeing your photos mais j'espère to fait a visit soon (in about une semaine). Je t'envoie the first bisous of l'année new ;-)

Rick said...

Thank you, Cat - I'm feeling bad about not being able to visit (yet) but it takes 20-30 mins to load a blog with my current connection. That will be in the past in about a week. Happy New Year !

Thank you so much Ruth. You truly are an inspiration with your beautiful photos, and Jake's, and your words of faith. I hope 2012 brings you peace.

Thank you so much, Lúcia. May your new year be a good one !

Gracias por su visita y tipo palabras a Carmen. ¿Se puede tener un maravilloso año nuevo!

darlin said...

I love that Irish blessing, it brought a smile to my face to revisit it again, thanks for posting and the warm wishes.

Your photo is beautiful, thanks for your patience to post and share it with us with your snail paced internet. Who knows, maybe this is the year they'll finally fix your connection, you never know what this year might bring. :-)

Wishing you and your loved ones a very Happy and Blessed New Year Rick.

Oh, I ordered the 24-70mm, it was on my "NEEDS" list for my upcoming trip! ;-) I can't wait to get it and see what I can do with this one! I went through B&H, thank you for suggesting them to me, they have amazing prices and I know their service is phenomenal. Take care and God bless.

Hope said...

Hi Rick.. I hope you and your family had a lovely Christmas.. and this New Year will be filled with many blessing and great delight thougth out the year..

Bitch said...

Dear Rick!
I understand the meaning of your words!!
Thank you for the beautiful snow image!!

My wishes for a very good new year!!
Monika

Unknown said...

Wow, what a beautiful winter you have down there by the Caribbean :-D

Beautiful picture Rick, I like how the tall trees frame the sides of the picture, perfectly rounded with a beautiful blue sky :-)

Greetz,


Joseph

Unknown said...

. . . and HAPPY NEW YEAR and may your wish of a faster Internet become a reality in 2012 :-)





























From my mouth to God's ears or to whomever is responsible for the internet connection in Rick's area :-D

Greetz,


Joseph

imac said...

Great shot Rick, hope to see you back in blogland very soon my friend.

Here I Am Carrie said...

So back to the cold weather again. Love the Christmas lights you blogged on down south. What a contrast. Well it will be sunny and warm for me in a couple weeks. Been looking at snow for over 8 weeks now and time for a change. Happy New Year.

Leslie said...

My father's family came over from Ireland, so that Irish blessing is familiar and beloved. A belated happy new year to you and your family, Rick!