Believe...simplify: February 2013

Comfort means different things to me at different times of the year..

When I get home from work in the Spring or Fall, the first thing I want to do is get some fresh air.
The clean air outside (certainly cleaner and fresher than the lab air) almost makes me giddy with
excitement. I feel sooo good after filling my lungs with outside air, and no matter how bad a mood
I may be in, after my walk, I feel much better.
I quick change my clothes, make a pit stop, fill up my water bottle and put on my walking shoes.
I call for Annie, stick a few dog treats in my pocket, clip on her leash, make sure my phone is in my pocket and we are off, down to the walking path by the Mississippi river.
Annie gets bored with this routine, but she's walking with me, and I like the path better than the streets, it's pretty by the river, I don't have to worry about getting hit by a car, I feel safe, and I have a better chance at seeing my eagles (we have two adults and one youngster)
I'm down here so often, I'm thinking of taking a weekly "from where I stand" photo of the same spot,
to show the change the river goes through.
The river changes even now, in February, two weeks ago, the river was almost completely iced over, last week it was almost completely clear and yesterday a lot of the ice was back again.
I really never took much notice of the changes the river goes through, until Instagram allowed the Android market...and I got my pretty new Canon 7D, now it seems like all I see is light and color and mood.
Thank you photographers for helping me to see the light!

During the summer, I usually wait till my hubs is off work and we've had dinner, then it's usually a little cooler
to walk and I don't worry as much about Annie overheating.

During the winter, I only walk when it's not really cold and windy because the only part of my face that I can't cover, (the bridge of my nose where my glasses sit) gets too cold and I guess I'm just turning into a wimp with my old age. I also tend to read more in the winter and once I'm engrossed in a book, that's all I want to do. So unless there is some errand I have to do after work, once I get home, I let Annie out,
change clothes, make a pit stop, make a cup of flavored coffee, let Annie in, stoke the fire, make sure I have my coffee, water, phone and book or tablet, sit in my chair, cover up with a blanket and read for an hour or so, until it's time to start dinner.