Beauty in the cold...

Not too far from me, trumpeter swans stay all winter. The local nuclear power plant dumps warm water into the Mississippi keeping the ice away and giving these beautiful birds a place to stay. The neighborhood residents feed them and give them a refuge. The park, known as Swan Park is completely run by donations and gives people a chance to see these amazing birds up close. You can read more about them at www.monticellochamber.com/swans.cfm

We had a hoar frost on Wednesday and I got out to take some pictures. There is so much beauty in the winter here, you just have to go out and look.