Four Dogs and a Friend

 

Thank you for humoring me yesterday and reading the saga of my writing career, and even leaving some kind comments. Today, I will show you something else I did yesterday. A friend from the trail club called and said she had to come to town, and would I like to go snowshoeing? Well, duh!

Pretty much wherever she goes, three dogs go too. That made it easy to decide to do the Pere Marquette River loop trail because there is no problem with taking dogs there, and one hardly ever encounters other hikers. The dog population is an interesting mix. Maggie completely ignores all three of the others. They have been on a lot of hikes together, and they might as well have plexiglass walls installed between them for the amount of interaction they demonstrate. The two labs are Cedar and Teak, and the little Bichon Frise is named Corky. Want to guess who is the Alpha Dog?



Do you remember this bridge? I was just there with Ellen not long ago. I think it's pretty amazing that I got a picture with 3 of the 4 dogs lined up so nicely! It's usually more like complete chaos! Cedar, Teak and Corky do not ignore each other. They chase and chase and Corky nips at their legs and keeps things interesting.

Every time I take this walk I try to get some pictures that don't look like all the rest. For the first time I noticed this old mower parked - maybe abandoned. The teeth make a stark silhouette against the whiteness.



This is one of my favorite spots on the walk. There is a "wall" of white cedar trees, and the trail goes through that larger opening near the left end. It always looks to me like an entrance to a different world. It just seems so odd to find that line of cedars planted out there.


Finally, I'll just add a couple of closeups of where the ice was hanging above the surface of the river. I'm not sure what was unique about the conditions that made the icicles have that pinched form, but it was true of every place where there was a "shelf" like this with icicles hanging below into the water.

You can see what I mean better on this closeup. Keep looking at it. Look at the odd way the ice fans out from the little stubs of the branch at the top. Can you tell where the icicle stops and the reflection begins? For sure, the ice will always give me something different to share, as long as I remember to look at the details.

Tomorrow, Ellen and I are doing our "First Friday" outing. We are going to Bowman Lake. Prepare for more ice and snow pics tomorrow!

See Walking and Writing for this hike on Dec 4 See Quiet River for this hike last January