Looking at this picture, that's what came to my mind...a big, sandy beach. I certainly wasn't thinking about beaches as I stood there with my camera. In reality, I was looking out over the frozen lake that I often visit during warmer times when it's not so frozen. With warmer weather right around the corner, this would probably my last opportunity to see the frozen facade of the park.
The wildlife is scarce here during the winter. I had received a tip that eagles were in the area. Unfortunately, none ever made an appearance. Every bird I saw that day makes a regular appearance in my own backyard. However, I was determined to find something worth sharing. Bear with me.
No, I was definitely not thinking about beaches as I stood there by the lake. What was I thinking, you ask? Probably the same thing you are thinking. Could a person walk all the way to the other side? Sadly, nobody attempted it while I was there. I'm sure the minute I left the park, everyone ran across. That's just how it goes, sometimes.
Here, the frozen lake looks like the surface of some distant planet. A cloudy planet. Or, possibly, our own moon. This picture is included for another reason, too. I used a photo from nearly the same spot in a previous post. Together they represent the contrast between summer and winter.
As I walked along the path, I noticed three furry looking things near the top of a very tall tree. They weren't moving at all, but looked like squirrels.
The tree continued to draw near as I walked, giving me a better view of the furry curiosities. I became more confident that they were, in fact, squirrels. Finally, they started to move. That confirmed it. Squirrels.
I rarely, if ever, get to see squirrels this high off the ground. Normally, they'd be well hidden by the covering of leaves. The branches they are perched on are pretty thin, too. And it was very windy that day. Squirrels are definitely the thrill seekers of the animal world.
Noticing these squirrels lead me to the discovery of something I had never captured before. The elusive squirrel nest.
I'm pretty sure that's what this is. Squirrels tend to make their nests out of leaves. They are also much bigger in size than a bird's nest. I zoomed in as far as I could.
Is that a plastic bag in the nest? What could the squirrels possibly use that for? Maybe they just returned from a shopping trip. One can't help but wonder what else is in that nest. Squirrel Cribs. Now that's a television show I'd want to watch.
The pathway that goes right up to the edge of the lake was still covered with a little snow. As I strolled along, I noticed something peculiar about a set of footprints that I was following.
See, the footprints appear to be sliding into place. Was this person pretending to ice skate? Then it hit me...these are the footprints of someone being dragged along by a big dog. Notice the rather large paw prints to the right of the footprints.
Finally, I will end this post with some glamor shots. The winter scenery presented in all of it's glory.
Wherever we are, we are surrounded by nature. It's always trying to communicate with us. Take time to notice. #NoticeNature.
