Crystal Blossoms Mandala

Crystal Blossoms Mandala (Circles of Winter 2011) © Sue O'Kieffe 2011
source image: hail frozen on car

The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event ~Anonymous

Living on the North Coast of California, sometimes I get smug in winter. I try not to scoff when the east and mid west are buried in snow, and we are enjoying first sightings of plum and magnolia blossoms. And really, I do enjoy posting photos of our first signs of spring to offer hope to you bundled up like the Michelin man, shovel in hand, wishing your eye glasses would defog and your nose would stop running, just for a minute or two. Well, just like the rest of the U.S., we had our come uppance the past couple of days and were blasted with cold winds, rain, and what?...is that really snow?Yes, it was, and hail and sleet, and all manners of other cold  frozen particles falling from the sky.
I woke up to stuff frozen on my car this morning, ran out and took a quick close up of it all. And then I went searching for the beauty and this is what was revealed to me!