Day 41: Winter Rhapsody in Blue

The ice storm and the cold afterward turned the branches to glass.  Then came the snow.   Part of the river was frozen now, and part of it looked like it was boiling, as in some witch's brew.

And yet the sky was so blue, it was almost too bright to see.

But parts of the water looked snap-frozen, like the river was rushing fast before it was forced to stop.

Was it too cold for a walk?

We asked Zoe, and she gave us that wolfy look.

She wanted to see what there was to see, a world transformed by ice and snow.

The young trees bent to sweep the ground under the weight of the ice and snow.

We were glad to know we weren't the only fools out there on this day that began with the temperature well below 0.
We brought along our favorite border collie.  His name is Blue.

To make them pose for this picture under the arch of frosted trees, I had to bribe them with treats.

Whenever I asked Zoe if she was ready to go back to the car, she would sniff the air.  Is there more here?  When she lifts her head to decide, not by sight but by smell, I feel the mystery and power of her  "otherness" most.  I try to imagine what this would feel like, to be a creature whose nose always knows.

It's one thing to be drawn into a bakery by the aroma of pastries, but to know where your feet must travel  on the trail because of a scent in the air: that is something, as a human, I'll never comprehend.