Winter to summer and back again

Not too much going on up here right now. I'm struggling to get/stay healthy as the weather fluctuates back and forth between winter and spring.  Emmett's had the sniffles to so Sarah has been keeping the ship steady.  I don't know how she stays so healthy with us boys blowing our noses on everything.  All in all, though, I'll remember this as a great winter, full of laughs and little moments of surprise and joy.

Not to be dramatic or melancholy, but I've really felt grateful to have so much time with Jonas.  When we took him into the vet over a year ago, I thought it was the end.  To have him still holding on and helping to get Emmett off to a good start has been such a joy.  I have lots of bad dreams... I guess I'm pretty stressed over it on a subconscious level, but day to day, things are going ok.  He and Emmett and I have gotten quite a few hikes and skis in together.  And because of the unnaturally balmy weather, Jonas was able to accompany me on the canoe's maiden voyage.  I know that the canoe (and canoeing) is going to be a major part of our next adventure and to have Jonas's paw on it is really important to me.

 Emmett and Jonas and I took a hike last week in big heavy snowflakes.  As we passed some trees, we saw one that still had leaves and it popped out beautifully.  I took a picture (above) but it just didn't stand out the way it did in real life or in my minds eye.  So I doctored it a little to look like it felt like it looked (below).

The usual route.  Love how the bright fresh snow makes the evergreens look almost black.

The contrast between the snow and the trunks of the staghorn sumac.  Soon these shrub-trees will be filled with grateful robins, gorging themselves on red juicy fruit after their long flight back from their winter in the South.  Their bellies will be a pale orange-yellow when they return, but will soon darken to the illustrious orange we know and love.  Here though, the sumac looked to me like black lightening.

The most beautiful transitional wetland I know.  I'm pretty proud of this shot as it actually looks like what I was seeing with the "ghost hill" hovering ephemerally in the background.

Still awake back there?  

This is from later that evening or the next day when I went out for a ski.  Coming back as the sun set behind the hills and reflected off the river.

Zhora's farm.  Another cold sunny day.  Can you see your breath and feel the nip at your nose and cheeks?

More planning for the summer.

I took this picture on a walk Thursday afternoon as Emmett and I headed up toward the spring to stretch our legs.

Baby's first campus board.

The maiden voyage of Merry-weather.  Can you spot the river running through the pond?  This is the most navigable course as most of the rest is less than a foot deep.  Still, to paddle from the shore to the farthest point, and up the creek as far as is navigable and come back takes about 45 minutes or so, includes sightings of several duck species, geese, turtles, frogs, often herons, and occasionally raptors.  That is to say, it ain't the wilderness, but it'll due for a place to sip coffee and contemplate the day.

This is my buddy Jevon's kid, Wes.  He's one and a good egg.  He has donated a lot of cool clothes to Emmett.  He loves my sunglasses.  I stopped over at Erik's on Friday for a hot minute to say hey and have a taste of the Sloop Sauer Peach that Jevon brought over.  Zach was there with his kids, and obviously Sebastian was there, too.  It was a wonderful day to sit on the back deck and wax poetic about mouth puckering yeast cultures (if you were a dad) or run around and save the yard from super villains (if you were a kid).