Ushguli, Svaneti, Georgia

Today's images are all about the Enguri River, which has its source not far from Ushguli. I had the privilege this December of being there to watch it freeze over, seeing and documenting much of the process. H2O sure has a lot of different forms to offer - an infinite variety, in fact, between its 3 main phases and the various forms which it can take in them. This isn't the reason I was in Ushguli - I DO have more important things to do than watch water freeze! - but it was a pleasant few hours on a couple of afternoons.

Watchtower reflection in the water and ice

Ice, snow and water together

Ushguli, Svaneti, Georgia

Wow, this is frustrating, unable to upload more than 1 picture for this post. More to follow immediately.

Ice on the Enguri, cool patterns like terraced rice-field hillsides in South-East Asia, scale indeterminate.

Ushguli, Svaneti, Georgia

More of the ancient, enigmatic stone watchtowers of this place of which I never tire. What have you seen over more than a millennium, standing silent as history washes over and around you? How many wars, avalanches, thaws, freezes have taken their tolls on you, or not? We don't even have the secret of your mortar.

Ushguli, Svaneti, Georgia

Dogball, anyone?

Framing again

Tower reflection in the ice

Last bit of free water as the ice-banks prepare to meet in the middle

Ushguli, Svaneti, Georgia

2 pairs of images today.

Views of Murqmeli, the village's lowest hamlet, through the natural frame windows - a favourite device of mine - of its fire-gutted former school

Reflections - another favourite approach - of a watchtower in the Enguri as its surface transforms from water to ice in the afternoon light

Ushguli, Svaneti, Georgia

From my discovery of the Enguri as it began to freeze:

Ice from both sides of the river gradually making its way towards contact, at which point the flow is frozen over

Details of ice and water flow mixing

A "footprint" frosted over on the river bank

Ushguli, Svaneti, Georgia

Chazhashi hamlet: COLD water on tap

The hamlet's main church seen through the entrance stairway

Tower cluster

A 19th-century Russian Empire church bell

Ushguli, Svaneti, Georgia

View towards the top of the village and Mt Shkhara, Enguri rushing by

Looking down from Tamar's Winter Tower complex, which even 80 years ago had more towers than it does now

Icicles - gravity is definitely lower here than it is at lower altitudes; I've seen ice doing things it would otherwise be too heavy to contemplate

Ushguli, Svaneti, Georgia

Upper village at sunset again. Mt Shkhara looks to be within easy walking distance as it catches the last of the light. But's it's actually 7 km away from the foreground, just so high - over 5 km - as to appear closer

Reflection of the house - and me at the doorway, lower far right - in Dato's truck. I'm always looking for good reflectors, water being a favourite

Zakro with one of his twice-daily bundles of hay for the cows

Icicles in the sun

Ushguli, Svaneti, Georgia

Self-portrait in truck window

Icicles

Sunset on Mt Shkhara

Fenceposts

Ushguli, Svaneti, Georgia

Several images from a walk which Lali and I went on across the Enguri and towards Mt Shkhara. The last shot's tower is that of Lamaria Church, the highest of the village's 7 churches. We almost reached the summit I was aiming for, but it was getting late in the afternoon and I didn't realise how quick our descent would be compared to our ascent, so I turned us back. We could've made it! And now, with the amount of snow which has fallen in the region, cutting off both roads and electricity for now, I'll have to wait until the spring to make that summit.

Ushguli, Svaneti, Georgia

Ice and water on the Enguri River, tower reflected in it

Tamar's Summer Tower Fortress above the village

Mt. Ushba at left, Mulakhi village spread out below it

Murqmeli, lowest hamlet of Ushba, and the Enguri

Ushguli, Svaneti, Georgia

Top 2: the main church in Chazhashi hamlet, including some remnants of outer-wall fresco work

Goat closeup in yer face

Water, snow and ice on the Enguri River

Ushguli, Svaneti, Georgia

Lali on a bridge, Mts Skhara (left) and Lamaria (right) behind her

Tower in the sun

Anzor & Lana woodcutting, he splitting the logs on which we depend for heat and cooking