Sunshine Returns

Blue sky and sunshine
are with us again, but the
cold is here, also

~ carliewired

I was out on the driveway clearing the snow away at 10 AM. It wasn't much to deal with, so I was on my way with my camera by 10:30.

I drove down to McArthur Island Park to see what the sunshine would bring. I wore my neckwarmer and also had my leggings on under my jeans. I was determined to keep warm today. It was -21 C in sunshine. 

I drove around past the Butterfly Garden and stopped long enough to get a shot of a Canada goose sitting in the snow. There was a little group of them which seemed to be finding some food in the snow. 

I drove on to the south side of the park and I stopped to walk along the Rivers Trail into the disc golf course. I looked back at my mountains in the east. I noticed the willows along the edge of the river appeared to have been cleaned off. The deer seem to like willow leaves. I saw one deer grazing under the trees far beyond my reach. I walked to the # 11 disc golf tee. A large tank has been painted since I was last there. The birds seemed appropriate to the season now. I looked west along the north shore of the Thompson River. I pulled up my neckwarmer to cover my nose on the return to my truck. It was a much quicker return walk as I was feeling the cold. 

My surprise today was seeing someone skating on the river in the middle of the channel. There are some places where the river is open. Steam rises up in these places. I pointed out the skater to a young man walking by. He was surprised too and told me that when he was young, he and his friends would ride their bikes on the frozen river. He said they would ride right up to the edge of the open water. He shrugged and said, "We were young and didn't know any better." I asked him if he ever told his mother about that. He laughed and said "No!"

I'm home for the day. N is going to stop by with some laundry detergent I've requested. It's a pail too big for me to manage. While here, he will check the exhaust and intake pipes for my furnaces. It could be the problem with my furnaces not running properly. 

The forecast is for a high of -17 C with increasing cloud in the afternoon followed by snow flurries.