The Beauty of Winter

The beach in winter has its own spectacular beauty, especially when it's been cold enough to freeze. I've been watching the bays from afar all week, waiting for the opportunity to go for a long walk, when the icy blasts of February died down. Today was perfect! DH, Little-Sir-3-Year-Old and I went to Indian Island and walked all along the beach border this afternoon.

There's something particularly lovely about the edges, where the foam is frozen, and the ice is in waves, like they've been flash-frozen. The air was still cold, but not brutally chillingly so, like it has been. The sun felt warm on us, as we happily tramped along, watching a flotilla of swans where the ice ended and the water smoothly flowed. The guys took turns throwing stones on the variations of ice...in some places, the stones were absorbed, as in snow...in others, they bounced and skidded over the surface. The air was fresh and clear and tasted deliciously cold, and we gloried in being outside again.

Who knows when the weather will permit our next excursion together like this? Our time to just be us, without a schedule to keep, is so fleeting and precious. Today was a special gift, and I plan to savor the memory of it.