Word Pictures

No photos today - just word pictures! This morning we drove to our house on the coast that is under contract (yea!) to do some pitching and packing. Our lake looked much as it did in yesterday's picture as we left. As we drove by one of the lakes on the way (Crystal Lake) it looked pretty much the same, too, but more gray than white (the ice was thinner). On our way home in the afternoon we saw that Crystal Lake was open blue water! With just a wee bit of ice in the middle. We were encouraged to think that Coffee Pond (our lake) would be the same, but alas, as we approached we saw ice! But not thick white ice - it was thinning to gray with open rivulets in many places. I took a chair to the front lawn and sat there with a book reading and waiting for the ice to "go out".
The sun was moving around to my back and shining on the trees across the lake. It is only April in Maine so the leaves aren't out yet, but as I looked at the bare trees I could see in the sunlight hints of green, red, and yellow on those bare branches. That brought back memories of my childhood (100 years ago) when my father told me how when the buds first come in the spring they pop out showing pale shades of the colors they will wear in the fall. It is really true. The first thing to appear on the maples that are such a vivid red in the fall are the pesky little red things that litter the walks when they fall in the spring as the leaves begin to grow and uncurl. And the birch that turn only to a yellowy green before dying in the fall have a very delicate green cast to them now. And have you ever noticed that the beech trees still have last year's leaves on in the spring? Also some oaks.
As I pondered the colors of the trees the wind began to grow cold and the temps dropped into the 50's. I knew I should go in so sat in the bow window still waiting for the ice to go. It grew dark before the ice went so I am praying that it gets cold enough tonight that it will still be there when I wake. There is nothing quite like watching the ice "go out".
Several years ago, before we built our "year-round" house here I sat on the porch of the old camp bundled in blankets, while the wind swirled around me, for a whole day and finally saw the ice go out! For years before that I had tried to be here at just the right time, but when you live "someplace else" it is a hard thing to do. Just another "perk" of retirement!
Bye for now and have a great day!