Three April Days in the Woods, 2018

THURSDAY

Thursday, April 19.
Enough already.

FRIDAY

Much better.  Getting warmer, 
but still enough snow for skiing in the woods.

Making tracks up the hill across the road from our camp.
This landmark is "Chaz Rock."
At the age of 13, he leapt from the top
into the pile of snow below.
It's higher than it looks.

More tracks.
Someone has been using the trail.

The ski tips indicate another turkey will soon follow.

The feather caught in the crotch of a twig
draws attention as it flutters in the wind.

No turkey, this one.

Same trail, different traveller.  Perhaps a raccoon.

Looking back down the hill,
sidestepping ski tracks show the route.

The north side of the ridge holds its snow longer.
It's great to be in the woods when all the leaves are down
because the lay of the land becomes much more apparent.

Soon to be replaced with a new crop.

But no new leaves until these dripsicles are completely gone.

Looks like a squirrel was here first.

Looking down from the ridgetop to the bend in the stream.

Don't step past the first big rock.
The second one is more than 100 feet below.

A bolder man might wake boulder man,
but I let him slumber.

Could it be that the Olmecs once pushed this far north?

Be careful to pick your line so that you stay on the snow.
Easier said than done.
With a bit of melt atop an icy base,
it was treacherously fast coming downhill.
One hard fall taught respect for the conditions.

Discovered near the house,
the tracks of a rare Boreal Bichon Poo.
How exciting!

OK, can we put this stuff away?

SATURDAY

Better still.
It did not snow!
The sun was actually visible!

Everyone enjoyed the warmer weather.

Including the Wood Ducks.
You'd think the male was a garish painted decoy
if not for his movement.

And the mallards.
Best to observe the mallards in the sun.

The illumination highlights their iridescent green.

And the Mergansers.

The warmth of the sun is wonderful, even if you're having a really bad hair day.

The sun is also great for paddling.
Note Mary's expert technique at hanging cellophane from her paddle,
her compliance with State Law in wearing her life preserver prior to May 1,
and the rock face beyond the pines.
She's looking up at the previous day's vantage for looking down.

This fabulous 3000 sq. ft. custom home, set on 14 private acres at the end of Stewarts Landing Road,
features 3 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, and a 4-car garage with radiant heat.
Yours for only $1,250,000.
Act now. This gem won't last!
Call Howard Hanna.  Send commission this way.

The itinerant geese launched into the air when we approached.

Yet another instance where photography does not do justice
to the experience.
Imagine the fowl mass, honking excitedly,
passing directly overhead.

The locals are unperturbed.

Kane mountain in the distance beyond the ice in the shallows on Lily Lake.

But there's a break, so we can make our way through.

The deep blue water is so inviting.
C'mon in, the water's fine!

Full ice on Canada Lake blocks our path.
Time to turn around.

But before we go, a reward for coming so far.

The eagle peruses the ice edge, searching for fish sunning near the surface.

Was he visible from the Kane Mountain fire tower?

We are treated to another!

How can one be sure this is a different eagle?
In addition to not having fully aged beyond the darker immature coloring,
this one is spreading "fingers" wide on one wing
to compensate for lost feathers.

His name is "Lefty."

Returning back through Lily Lake,
wondering when the loons will make their 2018 debut.

Looking westward, wonder no more!

A good day to fish.

Chilled sushi is hard to beat.

Beauty and the Blizzard of '17

The wind blows the falling snow almost horizontally.  

Hunker down in one's hopefully heated home?  Better, I think, to get out into it and enjoy the stark beauty.

For those who cannot appreciate the magnificence brought by the blowing snow, scroll down to see the indisputable splendor of others well adapted to the situation.

I love to ski in gentle breezes.
Don't you?

A frozen moment of a view toward the trees through driven flakes.

Drift ridges begin to form.

The cumulative effect of the flakes obscures the distant trees
like a frigid fog.

Like underwater sand, the snow is shaped into ridges.

But why in one place and not another?

What unseen flow caused this pattern?

The shelter of a large tree makes appreciation much easier
as the wind whistles past.

The wind is too strong for the trees to catch much snow.

"There is no bad weather," a man once told me.
"There is only bad clothing."
That he was a salesman does not make it any less true.
Yes, I should have worn my ski goggles.

Debris is still visible from the near hurricane-strength windstorm
we experienced last week.
I'm glad I'm not one of those still without power.
Life is never boring.

More ridges.

More snow.
Visually peaceful, even with the high energy wind.

I met some friends on the course.

They didn't stay long.

My tracks will soon be covered.
Unfortunate for all those who follow them.

A few places blown clean.

More ridges!
Yes, I am easily fascinated.

More drift patterns,
easily explained by the position of tree trunks.

The steady wind and its effects defy
describing this as a "Still Life."

As expected, my tracks have disappeared
wherever they were exposed to the wind.

Here are some others, also undeterred by the the wind.

"Blizzard?  What blizzard?"

"I've looked every which way and don't see any blizzard."

"A few flurries, maybe."

"There are more interesting things to think about
than the weather."

"Right down here."

"Huh?"

"Were you talking to me?"

"What were you saying?"

"Oh, now I get it."

"Scrumptious, don't you think?"

"Definitely."

"Not a bad restaurant.
We should come here more often."

"Yes, Dear."