Although snowfall here was minimal, every inch of the landscape was coated in a
thick layer of ice. Now, I am the first to admit that I am a total wimp when it comes
to cold—hence my move to the sunny South. But as a photographer I simply could
not resist the rare, incredible beauty the storm left behind. After a bit of coaxing
my husband agreed to join me on a photographic expedition into the frosty winter
wonderland. Digging deep into the back of our closets we came upon our old ski
gear which we laughingly donned before setting out to cross the Ocean Course and
head to the beach.
Leaving home we found that the island had settled into an eerie quiet. The dunes
and grasses were so beautiful that I forgot about the bone-chilling cold and the
slippery slop underfoot and happily removed my gloves to work the controls on my
camera. The plants and flowers were completely encased in ice, almost as if they’d
been cryogenically preserved. Golden grasses were locked inside icicles, glistening
beautifully but frightfully fragile, breaking at the slightest touch. A thin layer of
ice topped the lagoons, challenging the egrets and herons with a bizarre blast of
bitterness seldom seen here in the South.
The macro world was every bit as lovely. Golf fairways were covered with a
dusting of snow and the iconic palms cradled clumps of ice within their fronds. It
was the best evidence I’ve seen of the importance of going native when landscaping,
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Naturally Kiawah