chance of flurries

"Under the microscope, I found that snowflakes were miracles of beauty; and it seemed a shame that this beauty should not be seen and appreciated by others. Every crystal was a masterpiece of design and no one design was ever repeated., When a snowflake melted, that design was forever lost. Just that much beauty was gone, without leaving any record behind."

- Wilson Bently, 1925

Forget for a moment the awful commute this morning or the fact that most of the white stuff outside has now transformed into the predictable grey slush that Torontonians know and loathe ... isn't the first snow of the season kind of magical? From paper chains to sugar cookies, snowflakes are my favourite winter motif due to their unique shapes and dazzling intricacy. There was perhaps no one more fascinated by these crystallized wonders than photographer Wilson Bently. In his lifetime he captured more than 5,000 microscopic images of one-of-a-kind snowflakes blanketed on a backdrop of black velvet. Currently the Bentley Snow Crystal Collection permanently resides at the Buffalo Museum of Science (wait...there's more to Buffalo than football and bargain shopping?) and I think these beautiful images would definitely be worth a visit. And if I can't make it to Buffalo anytime soon I think this book would make an excellent stocking stuffer.