I have always loved Niagara Falls. I can remember my very first time.. I was 6 and it was the only time my Oma and Opa visited from the Netherlands. At that age, I don't think I could really comprehend what I was seeing... where does all this water come from? Doesn't it ever run out? It just keeps falling like that? All the time?? Other than that, i thought Canada was a nice place to visit. My parents, my sister, and myself, with my Oma and Opa.... we walked, and took in the sights. There wasn't much to the town at that time.  As a child, it was something, that I could be standing in Canada and looking across at America. There wasn't anything at all on the American side of the Falls at that time... Canada was the place to be! And when nighttime came, the Falls became magical!! The lights making the water dance with color!! I was in awe!

I have gone back to Niagara Falls several times since then. Each time, staying on the Canadian side... though the American side slowly added some tourist "attractions"... and each time, the Canadian side was built up just a bit more than I remember from the last time. But, the Falls still held that amazing feeling over me. (They're still going? How haven't they run out of water yet?? HOW MANY GALLONS PER MINUTE?? (More than six million cubic feet (168,000 m³) of water falls over the crest line every minute in high flow,^[4] and almost four million cubic feet (110,000 m³) on average. Wikipedia) I just love walking along the river, starting at the Horseshoe Falls, and walking as far as the sidewalk will take me. Over the visits, I have experienced almost everything Niagara Falls had to offer.

Until this winter. I have only visited the Falls in summer... ever... but a few weeks ago, I read that the Falls were.... frozen??!! I know it's been a long, cold, winter... but, frozen!? I saw a few pictures online, but the photographer in me said.. "I have to see this for myself!" This hasn't happened since 1911!!

I was there this past weekend... and it's been many years since I had been back. I was a little taken aback by how much it had been built up! What used to be the Minolta Tower, was barely visible with all the "new", tall hotels built around it! Granted, I stayed in one of those, and had a spectacular view... but it's always a little sad to me to see the simplicity of a destination erased.

The Falls still had that "breathtaking" beauty, and effect over me... but, it was unbelievable to see almost all of that water frozen... stopped in time... partially anyway... the rushing water over the Horseshoe Falls still moved... though not as fast as usual... but the "chunks" of ice around them, and at the bottom were immense! Some ice formed what looked to be huge rocks in the water, I just couldn't believe what my eyes were seeing! The American Falls, however, were almost totally encased in ice! There was very little moving water visible on that side. Incredible!  Granted, the actual Falls were not completely frozen... there is just too much rushing water for it to completely stop moving... or, it hasn't been quite THAT cold... but, to see the amounts of ice covering the Falls was worth the trip! If you don't get a chance to see them for yourself, I hope that you'll enjoy my images from the Falls!

So, here it is, early March... usually looking forward to winter loosening it's grip... you know, "in like a lion, out like a lamb"... well, this March certainly is acting "like a lion" as we are getting more snow dumped on us... predictions ranging upwards of 12 inches...

On the positive side... the fresh snow looks incredibly beautiful.. giving everything that bright, clean look.. and as the snow falls, I am eager to go out and photograph it's beauty. However... there is a "state of emergency", and I am technically not supposed to be out on the road if I don't have to... hmmmm...

So, today, I will "settle" for finding winter's beauty right here in my own yard..

As the snow is falling, I head outside to see what I can find. It's really not that cold today... not like we have had in recent weeks. It is actually quite pleasant to stand outside and take it all in. As I'm standing there, waiting for a bird or squirrel to come into view, I realize just how peaceful this day is... Aside from an occasional noise of a snow blower, there really isn't any sound... nothing.. It is so incredibly peaceful, that I forget I am out there to take pictures... I am just enjoying the quiet.. what a wonderful feeling... standing there, snow falling all around, and just quiet... peace and quiet...

This quiet comes with the call of a blue jay every so often... the chirping of the sparrows, and various other birds.. but mainly, just quiet..

I don't even know how long I was standing there... just being... everywhere I looked, fresh snow covering trees, branches, the grass... snow gently falling, falling, and falling... and quiet...  there have been very few experiences I've had in life that came with pure and almost total silence... and I can tell you, it is something to enjoy and savor... So, put your winter jacket on, step outside without grabbing the snow shovel or snow blower, and just walk to a quiet spot... it will do wonders!

It was exactly one year ago that I had my first experience photographing wolves, up close and personal. I was not lucky enough to just "happen" upon them, but I am fortunate enough to live within driving distance of a wolf preserve!

I was especially set on getting winter photographs... wolves are, to me, one of the most beautiful creatures on earth, and to add them into a winter setting, I thought was a perfect scenario.

However, with winter comes it's own set of problems... first and foremost, the preserve was having so much snow that they could not get open. My appointment to go and photograph their wolves was cancelled and rescheduled four times! I was thinking I would not get my pictures in the snow, but there was nothing I could do.

Finally, a year ago today.... we were lucky. There was still a lot of snow on the ground, but they were able to open up partial access. At this point, partial was better than nothing. Partial also meant quite of bit of extra walking in deep snow... okay... I'm good with that... and carrying my equipment... okay... though that limited what I could take up to where the wolves were, but, okay... let's go!!

I had a full tank of gas in the truck, a cup of hot tea, and some snacks. I was dressed in several layers, hiking/waterproof boots, backpack for camera gear... and I had 4 extra memory cards, besides the one already in the camera... should be good for one hour..I brought 2 cameras and about 7 different lenses..... ready to go!!

I was so excited driving up to the preserve that morning... it was a couple of hours to get there, watching the sun rise as I drove... always a beautiful sight... and the scenery is breathtaking... there are parts of New Jersey that are so unbelievably beautiful, and so often overlooked...

As we hiked to the area with the enclosures, my excitement was growing!! I was like a kid going to the candy store!! Butterflies in my stomach, an permanent smile on my face. At this point, I wasn't even feeling the below freezing temperatures, I was too excited. As we drew closer, and I spotted the first pack of wolves, I was awestruck!! I have never seen one other than in photographs, books, and online ( I had seen a coyote out west once, and one in Alaska,  but)... WOW... they are so incredibly beautiful, and powerful... and yet, quite dog like!! These are wild animals, but, living on the preserve, they are quite used to people. Not that I would just walk into the enclosure, but, then again, I probably would... I have been known to do some things for a shot that I probably shouldn't have... but, back to the wolves...

At first, I couldn't even concentrate on taking pictures... I was just enjoying watching them... the way they interacted with each other, the way they "eyed" us.. there was only me, and one other photographer, and the guide... so it was a great experience... we had lots of space, opportunity, and pretty much a private guided tour... it was fantastic!!

I finally managed to focus on getting some shots, (about 300 or so, after editing).... and I had quite a few favorites! There is a folder here on my website with many of them in it. However, I just recently added more... after a year, I went back and revisited that folder of images, and found many more that I had overlooked! Or, absence makes the heart grow fonder.... When I first edit a batch of pictures, I am so critical of my work. Let some time go by, and I am much more appreciative of the images!!

There were several different areas to the preserve, each containing different types of wolves. Not all were accessible, but we managed to get close enough to see all of them. Each wolf species so beautiful... the Gray wolves (or Timber wolves), were the ones I had expected to see... but there was also Arctic wolves, and British Columbia wolves... each majestic in their own way..

These wolves all reside, along with bobcats and foxes at the Lakota Wolf Preserve. Basically funded by tours and donations, the couple that own/run it have quite a job at hand. You don't realize how much work is involved. If you are interested in learning more about the preserve, you can visit them here...http://www.lakotawolf.com/

Revisiting those pictures brought me right back to that day last February 17th... and reminded me of the great opportunity it had been. I can't wait to see what the next adventure brings!! There's always one around the corner if you look for it!!