Imbolc walk

[lizziebelle]

loooong shadows, originally uploaded by Lizzie~Belle.

My friends, I can't begin to tell you how wonderful it was to get outside and into the woods today. Not only was it not cold, it was actually almost warm. I went gloveless, and I should have left my scarf in the car as well. It was sunny and beautiful, and so peaceful in the woods.

I expected the river to be completely frozen over, but it was actually free of ice in several spots.



I saw a whole bunch of robins, chirping away and playing on the thawing river. I also heard a Pileated woodpecker, and found evidence of his passage.



This was underneath:



The little stream was frozen over, so I was able to take that path for the first time in quite a while. I missed this bridge:



The path was pretty uneven, so every now and then I had to remember to look up.



I was passed by this dude, who had these weird snowshoe-like contraptions on his feet (he was running), and a pair of cross-country skiers:



Up where the river widens out and slows down, it was frozen over completely:



I walked back up through the pond area of the park, because I wasn't sure I could make it back up the icy driveway.





This is inside the covered bridge:



The swan, as usual, was ready for her closeup:



I feel so much better. That was just what I needed. I felt the turn of the tide, and hope that this winter won't last forever. It is, in fact, halfway over now. Mercury goes direct today, too. Thanks, Mother Nature! And happy Imbolc to all of you who celebrate!