An excuse to post pictures of icy puddles (really, they're cooler than they sound)

John and I went for a mellow hike this afternoon, riding our bikes down the Springwater Corridor Trail for a bit, then dropping the bikes off at John's brother's house and hiking around the Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge. It was a clear, COLD day, perfect for a brisk walk (anything slower than that and you'd have to have been bundled up to the contour of a snowman). We saw a bunch of birds, a squirrel, and a majestic midnight black cat with yellow eyes sunning itself on a log in the middle of the marsh, the king of all he surveyed.

Here are a couple of pictures of a puddle with some really cool ice forming/melting (they're even cooler if you view them full-size). We could actually watch the lines of the ice extend and retract; it was really cool. Things were still icy even at the end of the afternoon, meaning (I think) that this has been the coldest day so far this winter. If there had been precipitation, it definitely would have been snow. Maybe next time. :)





Oh, and check out this page for some of the pictures that John took of the local wildlife.