Sunday was an exceptionally beautiful day, and I had spent far too much of it at the keyboard. Finally Miss Sadie and the Cowboy could stand it no longer. They dragged me outdoors and made me go for a walk on the beach. Come on! Let’s go!
Sadie disappeared south, came tearing back to see what we were doing, sped north and disappeared again. I took pictures. The Cowboy found dead fish to roll in. It was glorious.
It was easy to talk myself into walking quite a way, stopping to take pictures of interesting things, laughing at the Duo chasing each other. Miss Sadie was spin-dancing, and I’m pretty sure they were playing hide and seek with me. I played capture-the-flag. More about that later in the week.
The sun was shining, the breeze blew tendrils of my hair into my face in a very attractive manner—and then I had to turn around and head into a fierce wind just as the sun dropped to the horizon. It’s surprising how fast all the warmth can go right out of a winter afternoon.
We moved toward home quite briskly, stopping only when the neighborhood eagle appeared, soaring over the shoreline hunting for supper. We had to watch that. (I kept my mittens on. No picture, but no frostbite either.) By the time we got to our own stairs even the Duo were ready to go in.
It was the sort of day that makes a person glad to live here in winter. Remind me I said that the next time I whine about snow, OK?
Torch Lake Views 
Lynne Kovan
February 13, 2012
Oh it looks wonderful. I think that was snow at its best!
Gerry
February 13, 2012
It is a very good use for snow. I’m glad you liked it.
Heather
February 13, 2012
Sunday was just that sort of day! Your shot of the ice shelf looks like snow-covered mountains loom in the distance.
Gerry
February 13, 2012
It was a keeper, and today was pretty nice too. I’m glad you saw the mountains. I always think that’s what it looks like. The ice piles up when there’s a lot of wave action. If we have a calm period that’s very cold, we end up with a flat plain of ice and a second range of ice mountains. I can watch this stuff forever.
M
February 13, 2012
What a familiar scene. I feel your pain, er, cold, er, pain. Still, one of those winter walks with the light just so that it stays in your memory.
Gerry
February 13, 2012
I know – I’m always astonished at how much your shoreline photos look like Around Here–all except for the shipyards of course. I envy the shipyards. It isn’t too cold – just, you know, winter – but the wind down on the beach can make it a lot colder really fast. Still, it was fun. It always is.
Sybil
February 13, 2012
Lovely, but boy it looks cold Gerry.
Gerry
February 13, 2012
And here I was trying to show it to best sunshiny advantage!
Dawn K
February 13, 2012
Beautiful. Love that second picture…not that Sadie wasn’t cute, of course she is…but that second shot is just so striking. I think I’d be freaking though to have the dogs run free, afraid they’d get out on that ice. But then dogs are smarter than that.
Gerry
February 14, 2012
I’m glad you liked the picture. I must tell you that the fluffy one is the Cowboy and the tidy terrier is Miss Sadie, who is in a couple of the photos, but only as a distant fawn-colored dot. They had so much fun haring around. I don’t know that they are smart enough to stay off the ice, particularly should another critter run past and entice them. But we have adopted a policy of Maximum Allowable Joy. It’s always risky, but worth the candle.
Joss
February 14, 2012
‘We had to watch that,’ means what? Were you afraid that the eagle was going to carry off one of your dogs? i worried about that when my little terrier was a pup, and maybe I still would if we lived anywhere near eagle territory. But Miss Sadie and the Cowboy look fairly weighty (no offence meant) and surely could not be carried away by a bird of prey. Or… maybe you meant that you had to watch the spectacle of the hunting eagle rather than that you had to watch out. Oh, please disregard all this nonsense. But I’ll post the response anyway, to show I read and appreciated all the rest of your words. And the fantastic pictures.
Gerry
February 14, 2012
Ah. It meant “we felt compelled to stop and gaze after the eagle, awestruck.” We see the eagle every now and then, and we always have to watch it.
Miss Sadie and the Cowboy are indeed weighty. Miss Sadie is fairly sleek, but it’s all muscle, and I can barely lift her. I can, in a pinch, carry the Cowboy, but the eagle would have quite a time of it, particularly with Miss Sadie clinging to its tail feathers, growling.
The eagle also has a strong preference for fish. The Cowboy often smells faintly fishy, but he doesn’t look at all as if he would taste fishy.
I’m glad you had a good time with the photos. I had a good time imagining the eagle trying to make off with the Cowboy with Miss Sadie in opposition.
tootlepedal
February 14, 2012
Where was the picture of you in your shorts in the sunshine?
Gerry
February 14, 2012
I do not do shorts. I find that it is possible to bask in a very satisfactory manner in my down coat – in February.
tootlepedal
February 14, 2012
Very sensible.
Bruce
February 14, 2012
Lucky Cowboy. It can be hard to find a dead fish to roll on.
Gerry
February 14, 2012
He seems to have a talent for it.
P.j. grath
February 14, 2012
Do I recognize that beach? Is that where you took me and my sister and Sarah? Next-to-last photo looks almost like MOUNTAINS!
Gerry
February 14, 2012
I don’t remember if we were on this stretch or not – we spent most of our time up at Antrim Creek, which looks a lot like this but is a few miles north. The mountains are deceptive, but that really is what it looks like and I was glad to capture the effect. Some years ago we had much higher ice mountains along the Bay – I wish I could find those photos. They’re very dramatic.
Giiid
February 14, 2012
Happy Valentine´s Day, Gerry, I hope you are having a nice one.
These are very nice photos, it looks cold in a good way.
Gerry
February 14, 2012
Thank you Giiid – a nice bright red Valentine’s heart back to you. It was definitely cold in a nice way.
DAwn
February 15, 2012
You know I wondered if I had the right dog with the right name…..don’t tell Cowboy, OK?
Gerry
February 15, 2012
Not to worry. He’s used to it.
Karma
February 17, 2012
I just love that first shot with the Cowboy in it. The light and composition of the shot are beautiful! Nice work Gerry. I wish I had a place to go with my duo where I could trust the two not to be on leashes. We don’t seem to have that sort of relationship unfortunately.
Gerry
February 17, 2012
Let us just say that I can’t trust the Cowboy either but as there’s no one else fool enough to be on the beach this time of year there’s no one for him to molest.
Thank you for the kind words about the photograph. I find it endearing myself, as I do love the untrustworthy little miscreant.
Margie
February 19, 2012
Now you’ve got me all inspired to go painting today!
Gerry
February 19, 2012
Margie, I suspect that waking up in the morning inspires you to go painting that day. I don’t think you can not paint. Which is a good thing, because I like your vivid still-lifes. I just went over to see what you’ve been up to this week and now I’m pondering the truth in the green apple: It’s a good way to control one’s panic, comparing everything in a painting to one object’s size. Now you’ve got me all inspired to go writing today.