Monday, November 26, 2012

We Now Return to our Scheduled Programming...

...or in other words, pleasant photos accompanied by what I fondly hope are equally pleasant words. :)

Yesterday being Sunday, and too cold for comfortable cycling, Mr. M and I set out to explore another segment of the Ice Age Trail on foot. The bit we particularly wanted to walk is closed due to the hunting season, so we sought out a stretch we knew would be open (and safe). It runs along a canal, on the outskirts of a nearby town, and is therefore too close to civilization for any hunting activity.

I sometimes wonder, upon setting out for a walk or a ride, if I'll find anything worth photographing this time. Though the beauty of the countryside never palls for me - I could stare at trees and grasses and sky for hours on end, and still find them endlessly fascinating - I do wonder if my photos ever take on a boring sameness for those who view them. (But I suppose, if you're taking the trouble to read this far, you probably like trees and sky and water as much as I do. So I'll stop asking myself silly questions and get on with the post.)

I hadn't realised quite how cold it is (mid-30s, with wind chills in the 20s). Good thing I'm wearing plenty of layers on this walk. A cold west wind blows without ceasing, and the water is covered by a thin film of ice. Near the start of the trail, a charming bridge spans the canal:


(A little-used road on the far side of the bridge leads to a historic site now closed for the winter.)

No one else is out walking today - the trail is ours alone.


Wild grasses fly like pennants in the stiff breeze:


Which way did the wind go?

That way

Nearby civilization notwithstanding, all it takes are some trees and a trail, and we feel a million miles away from everything. I love that.


Far down the trail, another, older bridge spans the canal:


Mr. M has turned back by this time, and will wait for me in the car. But he doesn't mind if I go a bit further, to where canal and river meet and head out to the open countryside.

Lacy red-twig dogwood, decorated here and there with a wandering leaf, lit up by the westering sun:


This reflection fascinates me:


The reflected tree looks covered with golden leaves, yet the real tree's branches are completely bare. (Dang, why didn't I think to take its photo?) Must be a trick of the ice - either that, or there's a reflected world under the water where spring still holds sway. Should I dive in to find out? I'm sorry to say that my adventuring spirit has shrunk with the cold and I much prefer to head back to the car, where warmth and Mr. M are waiting.

Next I spy some baby leaves sprouting from a fallen branch. Rosy and beautiful, they make a spark of colour in this landscape of brown and buff:


A handsome stand of pine:


And one last shot of the shivery river (technically a canal, but "shivery river" sounds so much nicer):


I'm getting cold just looking at this. What a treat to climb into the warm car, and head back to a warm house. A very good walk - not marked by spectacular beauty, but filled with a quiet loveliness.

~

December is just around the corner, and I do hope that soon I'll have some snowy pictures to post. Monday night we're forecast to have a low of 13º - brrr! Good thing we've got the flannel sheets on the bed. (Yep, it's almost winter.)

Thanks for dropping by!  :)

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26 comments:

  1. Your walk sounds lovely but much too cold for me I think I would be sitting in the car too haha. I love your photo's you have brought your walk to us so that we don't have to venture out into the cold :)

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    1. It was pretty chilly - despite all the layers I was wearing I had to break into a jog several times to get warm. Thanks Linda! :)

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  2. It's always nice to see blue sky in November. But maybe not where you are. Anyway, my flannel sheets are on the bed too. They just arrived in time. Furthermore, I was lucky to find flannel pyjamas today. Can't wait to go to bed .... :-) Have a nice day! Regula

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    1. Yes, blue sky is wonderful any time of year.

      Did you make your flannel pjs? I remember the pair you made last year without a pattern. :)

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  3. Lovely pictures of your walk. I love that reflection photo and all the muted colours of nature.

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    1. Thank you, Sandra. I seem to be on a reflection picture roll lately.... :)

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  4. Beautiful photo's Sue, and yes, I absolutely love trees and water and sky, and especially when the bones are showing in the wintry months.

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    1. Every year I fall more and more in love with the bones. :)

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  5. Enjoy your photography and your blog. Linda at www.wetcreek.blogspot.com

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  6. Wow, not only do you have a lovely world of your own to capture digitally, but your words are so poetic, ringing with haiku even if you are writing straight prose!

    I love your leaf photo, the leaves pointing the way their family members have gone. I, too, adore reflections, and I, too, would not have taken a dip to find out what thrives beneath the shimmering layer!

    We had a cooling off, too, and a forecast for snow today, but the best it could do was drizzle just enough to make the ground slippery!

    Bring on the snow!!!

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    1. Yes - we do so badly need it here, and you too in Colorado. Thanks Deb!

      P.S. Your reflection photos are always so stunning.

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  7. PS: The server timed out while my comment was being published, and I thought I'd lost it!!!! Whew!!!

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  8. Keep taking those pictures, Mrs. M! Those and your beautiful comments are always interesting, inspiring, informative. Don't stop! Unless you take a chill - then you're allowed a break to warm up.

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    1. Thank you, Ginnie. I don't think I could stop now that I have the blogging bug. :)

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  9. The pics you took are reminding me of this season in Kazakhstan, my home country. Looks pretty same...except. it already snows there. brrr...
    so keep warm. be safe and happy! Anna

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    1. Thank you, Anna. We're doing our best to stay warm. :)

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  10. -happy sigh- Another of you wonderful walks, which you took me along on. :-)

    Mmmmmmm, I hope you wear some sort of BRIGHT ORANGE! Even if there are not SUPPOSED to be hunters near. I'd just not trust it to be fully true.

    Please, get theeeeee some ORANGE, before your next walk, even in a safe area.

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    1. Really we were fine on this trail - but I could have used the orange on last week's bike ride. I rode through all kinds of hunting country in a very low-key lavender jacket and black tights. And I'm still here to tell the tale! :)

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  11. As usual, lovely photos. And a two shadow shot! Woo Hoo! :)

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    1. Yes, Mr. M has got to put in an appearance once in a while. :)

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  12. I for one, really do enjoy your posts. It feels like you are taking me on the walk right along with you.

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    1. Thank you, Rosie. I do enjoy taking the photos, mostly because I know other people will get to enjoy them too. :)

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  13. I love to look at your pictures (and other pictures on blogs)! They are relaxing for me and reaffirm the small wonders of our world. I also love to see how and where other people live.--And you live where it is COLD! :-)

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    1. Thank you - and yes, it is cold. And will be colder still come January! These are just the preliminary flourishes. :)

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  14. It all looks lovely and peaceful. I could use some peace right now. :)

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