hickory ridge is now accessible by water with campsites in place and trail constructed. two trips over from whitebreast ramp allowed me to imagine what it will be when open for campers this summer. stripbuilder and i paddled for four hours yesterday and checked out the construction at the cordova access. this 15 miles was the most i've paddled this year...
monday night i paddled from elk rock to the west beach for the first time and the indian tree stood sentinel over a lake still ~6' below permanent pool.
in solitude, when we are least alone. 
the temp drops with the sun now and the twilight time of winter is coming up against full spring. paddling the north shore of red rock lake, with a north wind, insured an almost clear path in the sheet ice, from cordova to the marina. i love this time of year when the tinkling of the almost crystalline crumb-ice and the bright sunlight refracted in the angles makes you want to never leave.
pursue some path, however narrow and crooked, in which you can "paddle" with love and reverence. - henry david thoreau (with obvious substitution)
"Horas non numero nísí serenas." - maurice maeterlinck, measure of the hours
a sunday afternoon with ice breaking up on red rock provided us a welcome return to bluewater (brown-green?). stripbuilder and i got caught in a whiteout crossing back to elk rock from cordova. the weather here can change on a dime and always provides excitement.
"beauty is everywhere a welcome guest" - goethe
the museum of modern art in boulder, co was next to the beautiful dushanbe teahouse, designed and created by their sister-city in tajikistan. the last pic was thousands of pieces of bicycle tires put together on the walls and in this one to form a tunnel with backlighting.
our recent trip was to loveland, co to preceptor an advanced cst class. time at the base of the mountains with morning walks and challenging work from 9am-midnight was complemented by great organic meals and a peaceful atmosphere. on one morning sojourn i was accompanied by about 80 elk and a small herd of cows looking for some bovine therapy.
on thursday it snowed 6 inches and the effects were spectacular creating a winter wonderland. it looked like an impressionist's painting. "things perfected by nature are better than those finished by art" - Cicero
