The Winter Solstice arrives today at 5:02 a.m., just as this post is publishing. As my long-time followers know, Winter is my least-favorite season. I dislike driving in the ice and snow just as much as I dislike walking in it. Once it is icy and dicey on our City streets and sidewalks, the same conditions are usually found on the perimeter path at my favorite nature nook. This curtails my walking regimen immensely as you might imagine. I really don’t mind the cold, and, since I took the bus to Downtown Detroit for over three decades, I have amassed a collection of woolen hats, warm wraps, mitts and gloves, plus lug-soled boots. As long as it is clear and dry outside, off I go to walk at the Park.
If you don’t like the weather in Michigan, wait five minutes.
The first Christmas Day I walked at Council Point Park, back in 2013, we had a pop-up snow squall on my second time around the perimeter path. Earlier that morning, people lamented on social media about our lack of fresh snow to add a little Christmas ambiance. I was the opposite of these folks as I was overjoyed no additional snow had fallen, since it had been slick and slippery at the Park the last time I had walked there. It’s no joy having to step around layers of snow and ice on the pathway, so I figured this was Mother Nature’s little gift to me.
But, soon into my walk, I realized I had been a tad overconfident about the wiles of Mother Nature. The sky quickly darkened and I remember looking up and thinking “well, that’s a snow sky if I’ve ever seen one.” Mere minutes later, enormous snowflakes began to fall then swirl around my feet. In a heartbeat, the huge snowflakes began to slicken up the path and I couldn’t see what icy patches were beneath, so I cut across the grassy “donut area” to head for home. Home is just one mile away, but the snow was flying furiously by then and snowflakes had drifted and deposited heaps of the white stuff on the streets and sidewalks. Additionally, a stiff wind had blown up and I struggled to keep my balance as the gusts buffeted me. My parka hood insisted on flipping backward, and, unbelievably, by the time I reached home, snow had glommed onto every crease or crevice of my parka and the hood was filled with snow.
That was the longest walk home ever! I brushed off all the snow and with a nose as red as a cherry, (just like Santa and also my parka), I hustled into the house, grumbling all the way. “What just happened here?” I asked of no one in particular. I was sure a mere half-hour before I was enjoying my walk and working up an appetite for an early Christmas dinner and here I was with a saturated coat and hat, plus numb from my nose to my toes.
We’ve been fairly lucky so far in November and December, except for the November 30th snowstorm where the snow melted in a few days and last Wednesday’s minor accumulation blip. I wish we could remain unscathed by wintry weather the remainder of this season, but two mild Winters in a row likely won’t happen.
A year of seasons.
Once before I captured four images, one for each season, of the identical fork in the road, er … beginning of the walking path. This was the collage I made back in 2017.
I always start off on the right side, as it runs parallel to the Creek, has the most trees, thus many squirrels and birds. I prefer going in this direction, though it really doesn’t matter, however, when going to the left, I sneak up on Harry the Heron when he’s fishing and he freaks out more than usual. Here are the photos taken to mark each season in this new decade. I would have liked a photo with lots of dandelions for my Spring picture, but dandelion season happened the month the Park was closed due to COVID (May 1st through June 2nd).
Just ten more days until 2020 comes to a close … we all can’t wait!
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 
I love the pictures of the four seasons, Linda. Another mild winter would be most welcome this year. We can hope. 🙂
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Thanks Ruth – I thought it would be fun to stand at the same spot four times a year to do this. A mild Winter would be a treat for sure – we are getting to near 50 degrees on Wednesday before a blast of cold and snow returns and I suspect your weather is the same..
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I love seasonal photos like this Linda, showing the same spot at different times of the year. Very nice, 🙂
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Thanks Sandra – I thought it would be fun to do this for the beginning of Winter. I included the collage I did as it showed the dandelions – it is amazing as there is a sea of yellow dandelions and it actually looks pretty. I was sorry I missed this year’s crop (though I had enough of my own). By the time the Park opened, the dandelions were spent and fluff was blowing everywhere in the wind.
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I too enjoy seeing the seasonal changes in nature. Those of us that don’t do winter so gracefully can hope for a mild winter. 😊. Be well.
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Yes, this is true. A fellow Midwesterner lived in California, now in Texas, says she really misses the four seasons. I would miss Spring and Fall the most I think. At least after this shortest day of the year, we begin the slow crawl to Spring and Summer. Something to be happy about. Thank you Kim. I am still catching up in Reader (perpetually behind these days) and see you had a post since your “ice is not nice” post. 🙂 Christmas is creeping up quickly.
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The seasonal photos of the same spot are great. Everyone looks forward to 2021 but sadly I think at least the first part may not be a lot better.
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Thanks Kate – glad you liked them. I tried to stand at the exact location each season. I agree with you about 2021. Sometimes I hear April is the magical month for all part 2 vaccines to have been administered and normalcy will begin and other times June is that expected goal, but I don’t think everyone is “ready” yet to jump back into normalcy even then. I know I won’t. Baby steps.
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Linda, I really like the same view pictures taken at different times of the year.
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Thanks Andy – glad you liked it. I thought it would be interesting to see how the same location changes with each season.
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Miss Linda……………………………….I sure like your 4 weather pictures…………………….your a great photographer with good planning!…………………………………No, I don’t like winter either………………………I dread driving when it’s icy and slick with snow………..with all of the cars driving around you…………………………
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Thank you Ann Marie – I decided to do this again this year, even though that collage was just from 2017. I wish I did not have to post a snowy picture at all – you share my dislike of snow and ice, but YOU are different in that you navigate around much better than me, given your years of driving to school to teach those kids the three Rs.
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I loved your four seasons photos. Great!
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Thanks Anne – glad you liked them. Kind of fun standing at the same place at each season. We can just omit the white landscape season in my opinion. 🙂 Our weather is turning ugly Thursday and some ice and snow. Ugh.
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I loved seeing the four seasons from the same fork in the road. That was quite a snow squall you got caught in for that Christmas! When I was a child we lived in the woods and I used to enjoy walking in the snow, especially when there were flurries floating around in the air. And skating on the ice in the stream out back. But when I went out a few days ago hoping to find the magic again it wasn’t any fun at all and I was afraid of falling on the ice. Maybe my love of winter is waning… 🌲
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I think we appreciated Winter more as kids Barbara. I was searching for a blog post I did and couldn’t find it, but I said my mom said “go out and play in the snow, get the stink off you!” She dressed me in multiple layers under my snow suit, bundled up my face with a big scarf and those brown galoshes and I’d spend hours out in the snow with my friend next door or riding on the toboggan. The post had pics of me playing in the snow back in the day. It is all different now – perhaps we have a longer way to fall onto the ground and worry about breaking bones which taints that enjoyment. I know I can deal with the cold alright, but ice or slippery snow stops me in my tracks every time. We’ve had three snowfalls, none big, but freezing rain was present for each one. It cleared up, melted, only to have another snow/ice mixture come along.
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Yes, having sleet or freezing rain top off a snowfall ruins everything!!! My sister and I used to build snow forts at the end of the driveway and on Friday evenings, and when our much older cousin would come visit every week, we’d pelt his car with snowballs. One year my father built us an igloo and my mother took a picture of it but I haven’t been able to find that picture foy years now. But my favorite memory is of the hemlock trees covered in snow, crawling under the lower branches and finding patches of bare ground. A cozy little hideout. Once or twice a winter, if we had snow on a weekend, my parents would drive us to Horse Barn Hill to go sledding. It was such a long slope we’d only pull our sleds up two or three times before we were too exhausted to go again. 🙂
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Those were the days and we were outside hours and hours and never clamored to go back inside, as we were having such a great time. We had no hills near us for sledding, so we had to go with our parents if we wanted to sled/toboggan. I believe that you’d wear yourself out after all the fresh air and exercise!
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Winter is my least favorite season too, Linda. As soon as Christmas is over, I start looking forward to Spring. I love your 4 season photos. That is a really cool thing to do. So sorry to read about your harrowing walk home in the snow squall. I hope you treated yourself to a cup of hot chocolate after you dried off!
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Thanks Laurie – I thought it would be fun to stand at the same place, each of the four seasons to capture the same photo. That snow squall blew up so quickly, it was downright scary and I could not believe how soaking wet my clothes and coat were. I did treat myself when I got home – I figured I had a harrowing experience!
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I’m with everyone else, I love the seasonal pictures! Looks like we are going to have a white Christmas!
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Thanks Diane – glad you liked it. I thought it would make a fun post to show the exact same place over the course of the year. I heard that too – not only white, but very cold. We got to 50 today and it will be in the teens on Friday. Crazy weather. I was hoping it would stay this mild.
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What a great concept Linda, although I much prefer the green photos! I’m not sure what the forecast is for Christmas, but I hope it’s a good walking one for you! Merry Christmas Linda!
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Same here Joni! Today it was completely snow free and 50 degrees – you probably had the same! It is pouring raining now. It is supposed to get really cold. If it is slick, that will put a kibosh on walking for a few days, especially Christmas with the snow. Merry Christmas Joni!
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Now I can picture where you physically are when you talk about walking at the park. Thanks for sharing the seasonal changes at your favorite Nature Nook!
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I thought it would be nice to show people a glimpse of the start of the path, so I’m glad you liked my idea Sabine. It’s funny as I like to start on the right-hand side, maybe since I’m right handed – or perhaps it is just a force of habit. I wanted to show the different seasons – Winter is the most dramatic looking.
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We actually had a few minutes of snow yesterday! While I was never wild about winter, it was nice to have a glimspe of white Christmas. We had given up on snow in Berlin altogether. It is too warm for the snow to stay but fingers crossed we might get the slay out this winter! First time in 3 years … It did snow here when I was little …
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We got more snow that anticipated (or that I wanted) and I finally made it down to the Park this morning. I saw that someone had made toboggan marks on the snow. When I was a kid I had a toboggan and I can remember seeing the same marks. We warmed up today and at least the driveway is clear to the cement now, but we are getting freezing rain later in the week .. ugh to that. Hopefully it warms up again and it disappears quickly.
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I often think of what the weather is like with you as you are out walking as it seems so changeable. Beautiful post.
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Thanks Zena – I try to walk in any weather, but draw the line at ice and snow if it is slippery. I feel badly I didn’t go this morning as we had snow yesterday and there was still a slick coating on the streets with freezing fog. We are getting snow tonight. Unfortunately, I looked out this afternoon and all the snow was gone from the street, but I was at work.
Walking is the best thing I ever did for myself, I will tell you that.
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