A Ride & A Run-a-way ~

 Our winter weather has been one for the books.  Cold to warmer, back to cold.  The weekends usually get the blast of cold, then during the week we get a day or two that's too warm for the time of year.

Heading east~

I keep watch for those warmer days & today was supposed to be the last for at least this week.  It was crazy warm - the day topped out at 64 degrees.  I took my vest & coat but would have only needed a windbreaker over my vest.  

Stern Oil, Tank Farm #3

The park was busier than last week, which surprised me.  The Lake Manawa rides will probably get a little stale by the end of the season.  I won't complain though.  Having hard surface trail - mostly without traffic - anywhere close to home is a good thing!

Underpass~

The strong shadows give this underpass a futuristic look.  The upcoming corner is where I spooked the deer a couple weeks ago.  No deer again today, so they must have been passing through.

Break spot~

There was meltwater showing all over the surface of the lake.  It was the next day I saw a news story where a dog had to be rescued from the water this same evening by emergency personnel.  The ice looked to be so thin, I was surprised the dog made it as far out from shore as he did.  This happened shortly after I'd left.  I'd been sitting watching the Eagles flying over the lake, too.  What a beautiful sight on such an incredible afternoon.

Shadow at the lake shore~

The ice formations had melted down since last week.  The photo above shows all the open water.  This is the first time I've ever seen the lake in January without a full cover of ice.  Usually, people are out on the ice, fishing.

Sun moving low in the sky~

I'm taking advantage of these days.  The air is so fresh & sky so blue.  This January will go down as one of my favorites so far - if this trend continues.  The temperature always drops through the section above.  If we've had snow, this is where it takes the longest to melt.

Just a short way further though, you come out into the sunshine & the area I call a savanna.  It's home to wildflowers in the spring.  

The mini savanna~

I'd left Finn home & made it back to the Bronco about my usual time.  Finn met me at the door, yawning.  We'd had a terrible experience this morning as I'd parked at the church for our Wed. mat making.  I'd taken Finn out of the Bronco, put him on the ground & was getting my bag when he jerked the leash out of my hand & took off after a loose dog.  The stray had been sniffing around in the flower bed in front of the building.  

The large black dog took off running away from Finn - toward the busiest street in town with Finn hot on his heels.  I dropped everything I took off after them both - my heart in my throat.  Cars were coming from both directions - but both stopped when they saw the scene unfold.  I yelled at Finn to STOP but was totally ignored.  They actually made it across the street!  The black dog cut over between houses & the marble in Finn's brain finally fell back in place.  He stopped, turned & started back toward me.  I grabbed his leash, thanked the people who'd stopped traffic with their cars & returned to my bags.  

A friend walking down the hill, saw the entire event.  She & I both were shook up.  Everyone heard the story & Finn knew he was in BIG trouble when he was completely ignored all morning.  When another friend stopped to see him, she said he was trembling.  He understood at the least - how upset I was.  Upset - but ever so thankful he hadn't been hit.  The leash loop will be completely around my wrist from now on!  I have no idea why he is so aggressive toward other dogs...

1-8-2026 Rain!

Just to prove my point, the above photo is of the rain Thursday.  By evening we'd received an inch of badly needed moisture & our high temperature was over 25 degrees below Wednesday's.  The forecast evening snow didn't happen, but rain in January isn't our normal.