Soaring Eagle Wetland

There is a little wetland area along Bald Eagle Creek not far from where we live. It takes about 15 minutes to drive there. It used to be called the Tom Ridge Wetland, after a former governor. But recently, it was renamed to Soaring Eagle Wetland, which has a much more poetic sound to it, I must admit!

We had an afternoon appointment for one of our cars at the mechanic across the road from the wetland, so my husband dropped me off by the railroad tracks. I walked down along the creek and eventually he met me and we spent the afternoon there.

I am one who is partial to water, and I find that spending time by water is restorative. There is something about the motion and the rhythm and the sound of water that is pleasing to the psyche. The trio of Canada geese that spent the afternoon nearby thought so too, as did the red-winged blackbirds who called from the marsh.

Above, in my main photo, is a picture of the woods along the creek. In the extras, I've given you a blown-up, enhanced reflections shot, showing light through trees. What can I say? Reflections shots are a hobby of mine. I find a pretty reflection and I zoom in on the water, and then I play with the settings and the light.

We've had a few last, very chilly mornings lately. So there was also some very interesting looking ice along the creek. I know that ice on rocks sounds like a pretty ordinary subject, but then the light hit it and turned everything ordinary into the extraordinary. Oh, yes, the light made it SHINE. (See ice photo in the extras.)

My song for this little jaunt down by the creek is this favorite, from the film O Brother Where Art Thou: Alison Krauss, with Down to the River to Pray. The first comment on the video cracked me up: One moment you're a cynical misanthrope despairing at the world . . . next moment you're singing along like a regular Mississippi churchgoer.