Surprise

Saturday Jose picked the title, today Nov.3 2008, it's a surprising title,
as surprises popped out everywhere.
First, after a few days of snow showers. I woke up with the sun shining in my eyes. What a surprising world; after a few grey days everything bathing in sunlight, the snow 6 inches thick.
Yesterday, surprise meant, that Saturday, Jose and i found a place close to the house, so incredibly beautiful and i didn't know it was there.
Today i went there again, and when i come out of the thick forest, covered in snow, as i step on a path, miraculously Margriet( my wonderful neighbour) appears on skies. We are happy to see each other and continue our travels together.
The last surprise more humbling, as i read my last post, i realize i didn't even name our catch. A rabbit. And surprisingly it was delicious!

About what i initially called 'Surprise':
Saturday, for our last walk (for now) together Jose would like to go to the little lake. Somehow we don't stop there, but keep going. I lead her to where the water comes into the lake. In the summer this is a very wet area, and i have never really explored it. Today is the day! First there is a little creek, we walk on the ice and work through and around the bent over willows. The creek becomes more open, and entices us to go on. There is yellow green ice, overflow. An open meadow is next.
(no photos, an excuse everyday;today, i left it in the van and the van is in town)
I'll try to describe it. Grass is sticking out through the snow, hummocks with bushes everywhere, dead trees, their smooth grey trunks, sticking out, little pools, frozen, with overflow, or covered in snow. Birds singing, and the cougar tracks.
Rabbit tracks in the surrounding forest. And North of us the mountains.

I am unstoppable and give Jose the feeling; that we must be totally lost now. Luckily i have her home before dark. Today i went there again to see if there is option for a path (an easy way to get there and back).

The overflow totally changed, on the lake getting close to the creek, the snow i walk on feels soft somehow, and suddenly i am sloshing through water on the ice under the snow. As i follow the creek, all has changed, but equally beautiful.