the ice decor continues...

 and yes i do have way too much time on my hands.  it's kinda nice to live a simple life though where you can do silly things like fill water balloons with food colouring and smile.  i'm not going to say i don't have lonely moments or lonely days.  i can feel as sorry for myself as the next guy.  i suspect we all have those times.  people aren't lining up at my door to chill with me, my phone can go seemingly ages without much use.  on the flip side. i don't think anyone hates my guts really.  i am always thankful for the pets though.  even if i do have a day where i feel a bit down...they are there with a wag or a purr and then who cares.  animals are actually good judges of character in my opinion.  i am clearly likable...i just haven't been discovered by the general public.

 not in your face.  shy in some ways.  once i am comfortable i think that all changes...it's just these days few people are willing to really take the time to get to know each other. it's a twitter world.  you only get a blip or a tweet to shine and for some of us that just isn't enough.  i like to think i'm an acquired taste.

 the colours on the deck should make me smile for months to come...or until they are totally lost to several feet of snow. so far it seems to be an ice year.  cold out today and tonight.  i had some thoughts of stores to check out but it was a long walk and i bailed.  rio has a bit of a limp tonight so i'm sure i overworked the poor girl.  she never complains though.  will let her skip the monday walk tomorrow.

 was planning on just doing rovers run, but it was so lovely out that i took the side trail out to homestead trail. probably adds a good 2-3 miles to the loop.  blossom is wiped out as well from tennis ball chasing.

 rio wore her peace and love jacket which always makes her come off as super friendly and she gets tons of pets and attention.  strange how even a dog can be judged by it's clothes...or lack of.  blossom is just cute and being coated in icicles does much to bring on smiles.  perhaps if i dressed outlandishly...hmm...

 i know that works for some.  generally, i'm more apt to not try to bring attention to myself.  that will really make me shy and embarrassed.  confidence can get you far though, if you are lucky enough to have an abundance of it.  sometimes it just makes people annoying though.   i find people who need to be the center of attention all the time to become exhausting. let someone else shine from time to time.

 today, rio was the one shining.

 the usual ice out there.  always pretty.

 the side trail i took was mostly bikers.

 gotta get cracking on the christmas stuff.  mostly i like the cards and decor and the music.  the whole gift thing can get stressful.  when i was a kid it was so much more simple.  so few expectations.  i try now to focus on the kids.  i'm sure i can convince the dogs to get me a gift or two to put under the tree.

 just laughing at a memory...not christmas at all.  today on the walk i ran into a family with a young girl. she seemed quite taken with blossom.  i asked if she wanted to throw the tennis ball for her as most kids ask me if they can.  one day a kid asked if he could play. i said sure and as i went to hand him the chuck it...he took off running.  he wanted to fetch not throw.  i feared his mother would somehow be offended, but luckily she was totally cool and laughed.  apparently he is pretty high energy and she was happy to see him run off some of that extra zip.  she may have rushed to a pet store for her own chuck it.

 i do meet  a lot of nice folks on the trails out there.  it's often my only social interaction of a day.

 blossom did take a dip in this open water.  she tries to never miss an opportunity

 this is part of the back trail i took.

 more trees.

 must get swampy back in this part in the summers.  i have never attempted it in the summers though clearly the bikers must.  generally more bugs and bears in bicentennial park in the summers than other places i hit.  happy i live on this side of town though.  lots of options for me without having to drive too far.  i am so far happy with my studless winter tires.

 the light is just so pretty this time of year. the sun never gets high above you so there are long shadows and well...i guess it's hard to explain.  it's pretty though.

 tried to get the dogs to cooperate for some photo ops...blossom wants to chase the toy and rio just wants to keep walking.

 blossom started barking when i was stopped chatting with some lady on the trail.  she thought blossom was being protective.  rio and the lady's dog were doing that grumbly play noise thing.  no...blossom was just done with the visit and was demanding i toss the ball again.

 almost got blossom with the view. this spot is why i do this side trail. rio above looking  bright and happy!

 more of the cool views from this side trail, soon it hits the homestead trail and we start to head back  towards the parking lot.

 no walk seems complete with out a moose sighting or two. this mother and calf were off the homestead trail

 crossing the bridge on the other side of the airstrip

 and...almost back to the car.

 lit some candles in the ice candles...looks nice i think.  pretty.  will take a few tries but i think i'm getting the hang of it.  it's a matter of timing. i think the big bucket needs an overnight at least.  the center needs to be water still so that you can put the candle inside.  strange the food colouring sucks into the water part for the most part...and it all drains out when you are done.  it would have to freeze all the way through to keep the bulk of the colour.  still some remnants of color.  will have to experiment more.

looks like i will get to bed at a much more reasonable hour.  got some cupcakes made for tomorrows monday walk.  good night!