Winter Solstice Pictures

It was the shortest day of the year and darkness fell slowly, starting at 3:00. Remember this? Well, here's the solstice view:
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Taking a picture of your own foot with a view from the side is not easy:
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What you can't see very well is that the snow came almost to my knee...and almost to Frank's (I call him Frank. We're close like that.) knees, too:
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Look at how much ice formed on the laurel:
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And the rosemary:
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I threw food out for the squirrels. It landed on the sheet of ice on top of the snow. I felt sorry for the little guys sitting on the ice, but I guess they are built for it.
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The bamboo bowed to the ferns. The recycling trucks didn't even try to make it to pick up our stuff this week. We haven't bothered to bring in the bins in the neighborhood, either:
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More icicles on branches:
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Yes, that really is a hummingbird at the feeder. I took this shot right away so I would be sure to get something, but he didn't stay long enough for me to get the camera adjusted properly. A pro could have had an album of shots by the time he flew away. I'm still working on the speed thing. Oh, well:
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The lion on the back deck:
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One of my favorite winter shots...doppelbock:
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And an update will appear later today....