The wonders of December

When I lived in Pennsylvania, I did not like summer because it was too hot.  Now that I live in Troy, summer is my favorite season, because it's the only season when the temperature is warm enough to be comfortable.  Since coming to Troy, I have dreaded the coming of winter, when it is dark, cold, bare, and gray. But starting last winter, I started to see more beauty in winter.  It's not winter yet, but the trees are bare.  Walking at Peebles Island today, I found that even with bare trees, nature is filled with beauty.

Today I studied the bark of the cottonwood.

I was enchanted by the shoreline.  It reminded me of the mountains I visited in Venezuela, with the water at the shoreline looking like the clouds in the mountains.

The water of the river has usually been completely opaque, but this time, it had more clarity to it, allowing me to see to the earth below.

The absence of the leaves allowed me to see the sunset through the trees.

It also allowed me to see a forest pool.

I drew closer to the pool, and found some beautiful reflections in it.

When are reflections most striking? It seems to me that it would be at dusk and dawn.  I wonder if it also make a difference that it is getting closer to winter solstice.

As I left the forest pool and returned to the path, I walked up a moss-covered hill.