Ice.

Ice; Cold today at Young Gulch! My Camelback waterline froze an hour into the hike. I don't remember being at Young Gulch before with the stream in this state.... After I bit I grew brave and started walking on some of the shallower ice - even enjoying the startling feeling when my foot would sink an inch. Cool to practice just barely touching the ground as I stepped. Kind of exciting, though I did keep hoping for a bit of sunshine!

Wintery.

Nice to actually need to wear my fleece up at Lory State Park today! I was hoping it would snow a little while I wandered but it never happened.

Plenty of cool snow and ice sculptures around....

Everywhere I went the sound and sight of melting snow 

plopping down -  several times on my head. I kept seeing bird shadows

that I think were often really snow shadows.

Chickadees, Juncos and Nuthatches galore. Noisy flocks of 

Red-breasted Nuthatches, Brown Creepers and these

sweeter-than-sweet Pygmy Nuthatches. I watched 

two wrestling White-breasted Nuthatches drop from a tree,

float down to the ground still entangled, and then

peacefully separate.

Also of course the resident Cackling Stellar's Jays, Magpies and 

Clark's Nutcracker.