Winter Solstice Walk

Kali on the rail-trail through my preserve approaching a rock cut

After a really cold week, temperatures moderated yesterday.  So, I took an hour's comp time in mid-afternoon to walk in my preserve with Kali (who retired in October and is, thus, available for a walk on a moment's notice).

I wanted to get outside to enjoy the blue skies, the stark woodlands, and the low-angled sunlight.

American beech-dominated woodland slope

At the base of the the slope pictured above, a small spring-fed brook wanders through mucky bottomlands (below).

Years ago, someone planted two cypress trees on the edge of the brook.  Though they're outside their natural range (closest natural occurrence is in southern Delaware, about 50 miles south), the trees have survived and grown well.  They even sport their characteristic knees.

Cypress knees

The rock cut from the first image; I like this abstract play of angles, sunlight and shadows

Large boulder in the shady woods