Winter in the park

See? I told you I'd be back. :D

Until yesterday, I hadn't taken one picture. Not a one. Hadn't even been tempted to take one. Instead, I've been thoroughly enjoying a leisurely, obligation-free beginning of the year. I needed to recapture the spontaneous fun with my camera instead of allowing it to become a burden.

I don't know how I'm going to do this, but I'm here now and have some photos to share of our trek to Baker Park yesterday. I was in my bench mode again...

the fountain is still, the lake ice-covered...

most feathered critters have migrated elsewhere...

the benches sit in their lonely emptiness...

waiting, patiently waiting...

guarding the still beauty...

until the warmth of the sun and friends return.

Day 339 - From pumpkins to pinecones...

... and gourds to greenery, we're well into decorating for the season. For this joint project, I conceived and supervised while Lew implemented. ;)

Day 281 - Basket o' gourds

More orange color spills out from a fall basket decoration on the porch bench.

Day 279 - Evening light

Couldn't resist yet another shot of the bench and flowers in the evening glow of sunlight and shadow... it's just so peaceful.

Day 277 - Matching set

Oh joy! We were so pleased with the bench we got last year, that we decided to get some matching pieces -- a small table and another, slightly shorter (3 ft instead of 4 ft) bench. They came yesterday so Lew spent this afternoon sanding the rough spots and putting them together. Tomorrow he'll put the water seal on and they'll be good to go.

Day 162 - Water spots

We got a lovely break from the heat this evening as a thunderstorm rolled through. I was pleased to see that the water seal is working...

Day 138 - Afternoon sun

After being treated with water seal, the bench gave up its storage spot in the garage and made its way out to the patio for the summer. I liked the way the late afternoon sun hit it and the shadows it cast .

Day #170 - A place to sit a spell...

Sometimes we just need a little more seating outside so we got a pretty good deal on this simple cedar bench from Amazon. Now we're trying to figure out if we want to seal it or let it weather naturally to that silvery gray that cedar gets.