Snowy Morning I woke up to the sound of the phone ringing. The woman said she was looking for Jane, my lovely wife. But I knew it was really the Goddess, demanding that I look out the window and marvel at how beautiful she is. When I reached the front yard I saw the dog. His master finally had him collared and was heading inside, "bad dog" he said. "Darn", I said. I always start with this standard shot, I have about 20 of these now from different seasons over the past 4 years, (another essay, some other time). I am fascinated by the blue shadows and the tonal ranges of the snow on different planes. So I didn't notice I had a visitor. He came huffing into view, snorts of steam coming from his muzzle. Ah ha, a perfect addition to the scene, maybe a great shot in the offing. By seeing the world through a digital viewfinder, magic happens. When the camera was ready to shoot again, the dog had disappeared! It was so cold, (about zero degrees) that each breath was like inhaling menthol. I started back toward the house and noticed the same scene I had shot a few days before. He was a backyard or two away already so I focused on the roof top and yard. White on white, blue on blue. In a flash he was back. . . and gone again. But the early light dazzled me and I went to hunt for shadows instead. When it's this cold the snow falls like powdered sugar, it fell through the cracks of the dock to make this pattern. Only at night. I decided to pull on my boots and biggest coat and tromp out into the backyard in search of my quarry. I could have followed his tracks, I suppose.