A visit to the Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in search of a bald eagle recently spotted there netted an altogether unexpected photographic outcome. When it became apparent that the eagle was hanging out elsewhere, I walked down to the Concord River whose banks were lined with some of the most interesting ice formations I have ever seen. The combination of temperatures vacillating around the freezing point and a gradually decreasing river height resulted in fascinating patterns and ice structures.
As rare as the ice formations were, I encountered something even more surprising after having ventured a mile into the refuge. Understand, for context, that during the entire course of my two hour visit, I only encountered a half dozen people willing to brave the sub-freezing temperatures, and most of them within a few hundred yards of the parking lot. Just as I reached the furthest extent of the trail I was on, I noticed, approaching from the opposite direction, two human figures. Soon it became apparent that one was on crutches and a second later I realized it was Nico with his friend Raz. I estimate the probability of this chance occurrence as roughly equal to the likelihood of running into Jeanine at a fast food restaurant, one in a million.
The holidays are never as happy without a visit from Jeanine’s sister, Susan, and we were fortunate that she was joined this year by her friends Ikey and Jean. Before moving to Concord, our Christmas holiday was spent with Jeanine’s other sister, Lauren, and her family in Indianapolis. We are lucky to have lived so close to one or the other since starting our family. On my side of the family, only my mother and sister, Alissa, live within driving distance. It would be nice to one year spend the holidays with my other sister, Mayela, who lives in North Carolina and my brother, Mark, who lives in Minnesota.
It was back to work for me today but not before bidding farewell to our Vermont house guests and capturing a group portrait.
There is something wonderful about the start of a new year. For me it is a time of infinite possibilities and fortified resolve. With each passing year, I find myself increasinlgy motivated to live deliberately and in balance with the people and world around me. Today I will take the first steps in the journey that is the rest of my life. Some of these steps will cover familiar ground but I hope that many more will lead me in new and as yet unexplored directions.
Jeanine’s recent decision to purchase a deep fryer can, I believe, be directly traced to our breakfast menu this morning. Behold the beignet. These powdered sugar dusted fried doughnuts have their origins in France but migrated to New Orleans in the 18th century where they are often featured in Creole cuisine. A questionable choice to start a healthy new year, there were no objections heard over the munching sounds that quickly consumed the delicious fritters.
