A Study in Gold and White: Millbrook in Winter

On Monday morning, we finally began to rebound from the ultra-cold weather that's been hanging around since about Christmas. Temperatures in the 20s and 30s F on Monday and Tuesday were a welcome change of pace, and things long frozen began to thaw.

My first week of work was so cold last week that I took the bus instead of driving my old Mazda, which now sits out in the driveway even on the bitterly cold nights. So Tuesday morning after it had begun to warm up was the first I drove my car, and it seemed like flying. I felt like I had been given back my wings!

And so where did I go, on this, my first little morning side-trip adventure of the year? Well, on my drive in to work, I had spotted a frozen side stream along the way, and I wondered to myself: Will the runs be frozen at Millbrook? And I figured if they still WERE, they might not stay that way for long, given the warming trend. I should go and see. . . .

Because the temperature was in the 30s (heat wave!), I had also been brave enough to wear a skirt, leaving my legs bare. A first in a long time. And a lighter jacket than I'd been wearing. No hat, no gloves. And a great big smile.

But the moment I got out on the marsh, even though it was warmer than it had been, I wished for long pants, gloves (left 'em in the car), a hat. Oh well, nothing like rushing things a bit. Fortunately, I come from sturdy stock. A chilly knee-cap or two won't kill me.

I crossed the bridge over the first run and discovered the boardwalk had buckled either from the cold or from the warm-up that followed. Repairs will be needed there, to be sure. Watch your footing on the bridge, my peeps; you don't want to trip and fall in!

And then I walked further out onto the marsh and this was the sight that awaited me. This is Slab Cabin Run, and it was apparent that it had been mostly frozen over during the recent cold snap. There is ice still remaining along the edges, and even almost to the middle. But it's diminishing.

I love to watch the play of morning light on things, especially on water and even on ice. On this morning, Millbrook was a study in gold and white: golden marsh grass, golden light, and white ice on the water.

Refreshed and chilly, I made my way in to work, and participated in a meeting with trusted colleagues, some of my favorite people. We solve problems, we get things done, but we have a good laugh every time we're together. And we did all of those things.

As I left the meeting, I felt something in my hair: reached up and picked a few twigs out. And then looked down at my skirt to find burrs clinging to it. Much to my great delight and amusement, I had brought some of the wilds from my morning Millbrook adventure along to work with me!  :-)

The soundtrack song for the picture above . . . I looked at this scene and thought to myself, "Oh, I wish I had a river . . . I could skate away on." (No, I don't advise you try it here!) So the soundtrack song is a favorite: Joni Mitchell, with River.