Tracks in the snow . . .

So . . . how many made the tracks?  You can tell a human being shoe prints and maybe that human was using a walking stick.  Could that be  treds  from a bicycle under the walking stick prints?  The walker sure was exact in placing his walking stick on the bicycle tracks IF that is what it was!

Starfish in the snow?

Well, it looked like it at first to me. . . Nope!  Just plants at "Turtle Place"downtown.

Ribbit! It's a little cold here. . .

We have this frog carving on Main street downtown and I think it looks a bit cold, don't you?

A spot of color on a snowy day . . .

On my walk on the Burnt Bridge Trail near Stewart Glen, I spotted this horse and loved the way the color stood out against the almost black and white landscape.

Snowmen I met this week . . .

<

I was traveling around by foot in the adjoining neighborhood after I went to Esther Short Park and these are the snowmen I met along the way. If you really want to see the variety of faces, enlarge for details.

First winter snow day at the river, land bridge and Fort Vancouver areas

When it began snowing in early afternoon yesterday, I first went down to the Columbia River to see if it was getting any snow there because it is the lowest level.  If we had snow sticking there, we would get more of it in other parts of the city too!  This shows the beginning of the snow storm at the river.  I am sure it got more snow as we got 3 inches before it stopped.


Then I walked a little higher on the land bridge that goes over the freeway from water to land at the Fort and they had snow there too!  I met only one other person on the land bridge.



This is a settlers home replica at the fort.  The snowstorm was in full force by then and visibility was quite low.


You could hardly see the Fort as I walked by.  Usually, one can see Mt. Hood in Oregon behind the Fort but not this snowy day!

 

Almost the end of the trail  near the Fort.

Now I am in the Fort Vancouver National Park and the sign is pointing to where I just came from.  It is the northern entrance to the land bridge.


This photo and the one below are of the trees near the O.O. Howard House on Officers Row.


It is still snowing as I approach Officers Row.

On my way home -- the bus transit station is just two blocks away after I cross this bridge over the freeway. The snow has hit full force. Time to go home and change into dry clothes , shovel the sidewalks around our apartment building so the folks that live here can walk their dogs and then I will go out again!!!!!!!!

This post will post on New Year's Eve so I want to wish all my blogger friends a wonderful 2010!

The MISSING end of my poem. . .

Last night, I was tossing away some papers I had in my bag when I ran across the paper I had originally written this poem on. . .  I surprised myself by seeing that there was more to my original poem written on the back of the paper.  So, here I offer the poem in its entirety that I wrote after taking the picture below.

Snow Majesty

Above the rooftops . . .

Higher than street lights and telephone wires . . .

Towering above treetops

She stands there

Posing

In her new white gown

As if a prom dress for all to admire

And not just another snowfall.
Hiding the power that smolders inside her

Ready to burst and cover the northwest again.

Most call her Mt. St Helens . . .

To me, she's a giant snowball

Ready to be tossed

But patiently waiting

Her turn once again.

PS We got our first snowfall Tuesday so I was out playing in it and taking photos for about 7 hours this afternoon and tonight. Photos coming later this week IF they came out.