A Sunny Saturday Stroll

Last Saturday was bright and sunny!  It was a beautiful day for a February walk, so we were delighted when Mr. Reiche called us up and asked us if we would like to go check out a hiking area where we had never been before.

Soon after lunch when the brilliant winter sun was high in the deep blue sky we headed out for an adventure!  (okay, so maybe it was more of a leisurely stroll)

We walked along the edge of the lake which was still quite frozen, so we found the "no swimming" sign amusing and unnecessary:)

The lake is drained some each winter, so there was quite a bit of open beach strewn with rocks and shells.  Dad, Mr. Reiche, and Josiah liked to find rocks and see if they could break through the ice.  But at least in that particular area, they were not successful.

We soon left the main trail that went through the empty camping sights and entered the woods.  The sun shone through the empty trees and onto the leaves that littered the forest floor.

"For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters,
Which spreads out its roots by the river," ~Jeremiah 17:8

When we were circling down around a point in the lake, we went down near the water on to a small beach.

After a little testing we decided to be brave and cross on the ice to the other side instead of going around.  In the middle where leaves had fallen, the sun had melted the ice just enough to create a leaf impression.

Because the lake had been drained, "Cat Bird Island" (which Faith and Grace had found and named when we had been canoeing here a couple years ago) had turned into "Cat Bird Peninsula", and we were able to walk right across onto it.

While there, Josiah found a baby pike which had been caught in one of the shallow pools with ice.  He was a cute little fellow, and Josiah released him into an more open area.

We finally made it almost all the way around and strode across the main beach with the sun beating down on us like it was an August afternoon instead of February.

We were very blessed with such a lovely day for early February, and are very thankful for our friend and fellow hiker, Mr. Reiche.

~Chs