Frosted Sunshine

It had been so dark and rainy. No snow had fallen. My, what kind of a winter were we having? Then, as if by magic, the world become frosted with ice, and the sun shone on everything to make it sparkle and shine.

Things most ordinary became more than beautiful. The unremarkable bare branches of the willow and alder trees suddenly becoming lovely spires of ice and crystal.

Because of the short days, the sun doesn't climb high enough in the sky to grace our yard with her warmth and light. We were all desperate to feel the sun on our chilled faces, so off we went to find sunnier places.

Wearing our biggest coats we climbed in the car, even bringing along a blanket to sit on once we found a sunny spot. Greta didn't seem to mind the cold at all, with her thick white and black fur, but Quinn and I shivered a bit, Quinn especially, as he chipped away at the ice on the car windows.

Off we drove, Paul in the lead ahead of us, with the girls following close behind, till we came to a forest bathed in light.

We continued on however, hoping against hope that somewhere the sun would feel a tad-bit warm.

Paul had gone ahead to a beach not far from us and was building a warm bonfire. With this promise of warmth in minds, we trudged forward, every step leading us into the cold shadows of the trees. Greta hopped along ahead of us, smelling that her dear friend Lupin wasn't too far ahead...

Despite the cold, I stopped. The frosty scenes around me were just too pretty not to take some photos!

While I snapped away, Quinn - growing colder by the minute - devised a plan to get warm. He would trap Greta and hold her close! Greta didn't like this plan too much, but she was caught in a blanket net before long!

She was quite relieved to be free from her blanket prison, and the cold biting at my hands and face told me we needed to hurry and get to that fire! And what a lovely fire it was:

The warm sun bathed us in light as we left the shadowed trees. The glare off of the still ocean was so bright we squinted - wishing we had thought to bring sunglasses. Paul and Lupin had the bonfire already popping and hissing as we sat down with them, eating nuts, oranges, and hotdogs. Sitting next to the fire the day seemed perfect!

Greta and Lupin were most interested in dad's hotdog.

Soon the girls followed and we all sat around and laughed and talked. As Laura finished roasting her hotdog, Lupin took the opportunity to lick it! Oh how everyone giggled! Lupin, did not get the hotdog though, and she got a strong talking-to by Laura.

Sorry Lupin, you have your own food at home!

Abigail admiring the smooth sea and the snow-capped mountains of Admiralty Island.

The sun was beyond beautiful, and we stayed on the beach until clouds from the horizon blocked out it's warm rays. We bundled back into our hats and gloves (which had been discarded due to the fire's heat) and started back along the frozen trail. It might have only been a short stay, but how we loved spending time in the winter sunshine!