All that next week the weather was nice and warm, relatively speaking of course. It is still March. But it was warm enough to melt the snow. And in only a week that impressive fort was nothing but a speck in the lawn.
Then this past week we had a whole day on Tuesday with no doctor, hair cut or any other kind of appointment so we planned a trip to the shore to the Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge. It's mid-March, after all, just the time when the migratory birds are making their way to their summer homes, stopping along the way at different protected refuges.
The weather forecast for Tuesday was predicting cold with high winds. So we went prepared with our L.L.Bean Maine-manufactured winter coats, hats, gloves and scarves. What a surprise when we got there. The sun was shining brightly and the car temperature registered in the 60's. Huh? What a wonderful surprise and gift of a day spent in the beautiful outdoors, enjoying God's creation. There were many trails and we estimated that we hiked nearly five miles. It was not cold at all. In fact, we actually got warm from walking in the sun. We didn't wear our coats at all, and I even took off my fleece, wearing only my turtleneck.
The trails were so well maintained, back through pinelands, through native holly and rhododendron and laurel bushes on soft sandy soil.
After hiking the five miles, we got in the car and drove the eight mile loop through the salt marshes along the Jersey shore. We saw snow geese which was what I was hoping for. There were other birds, too, but I couldn't identify them, and they were too far away to take their pictures.
I believe this might be a tundra swan. They usually migrate along with the snow geese.
We didn't see any turtles. I guess we'll have to go back in the right season. All in all, though, this was just an amazing day.
Then another weather surprise on Friday. We got more snow. Ironically enough, it was the first day of spring. The meteorologists were predicting one to three inches, but it snowed all day without stopping. During the course of the day, the predictions changed to two to four inches, but I really think we got even more than four inches of snow. Before I could drive home from work, I had to spend quite a bit of time cleaning off my car.
We had been hoping to go hiking again on Saturday, but with all that snow, I didn't think the trails would be conducive for a good time. Thankfully, the weather was warm and the sun was shining all day, so a lot of the snow was gone by the end of the day. In the morning, though, I got a beautiful picture out our back door onto the deck.
Is there anything more beautiful than white snow on bare branches against a bright blue sky? Actually, as picturesque as this is, I'll be glad to see those branches covered in pink magnolia blossoms against that blue sky. It won't be long now.
Today was colder again, but the sun was shining. So off we went to the Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge. I had been there years before with our girls when I was still homeschooling them. It's a place where people can take injured animals to be cared for. We walked around and looked at the animals...
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| Bald Eagle |
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| Mute Swans |
There were other animals: a gray fox, a red tailed hawk, racoon,a couple kinds of crows, gulls, etc. but they were in cages which made the lighting difficult for taking pictures.
Then we took to the trail. There was still snow in spots, but it was a nice trail and we were the only ones on it.
We are checking off the parks on our Pine Barrens and Beyond, Birding & Wildlife Trails in Burlington County brochure. Out of 40 parks in that brochure, we checked off our 21st today. So we're over halfway! Only 19 more to go!
I was reading A God for All Seasons by Patti Tingen this morning. Each chapter is a devotional about each month of the year. In her chapter on March, she notes how changeable the weather is in March: "back and forth, temperate and chilly, every shifting and changing period of transition."
But God doesn't change. He is the same, yesterday, today and forever. But I love how she then takes that thought and says that though God never changes, "God is change. He embodies change. His character is multi-faceted like a diamond cut into an immeasurable number of surfaces, each side reflecting its own unique color as the light illuminates it. As God reveals different facets of Himself, it appears to us as if He is changing. And He is. He is showing us more and more of Himself, allowing us to understand His nature in fuller and fuller measure. However, the total, complete picture and package of who our Lord is remains intact."
I love that thought. God doesn't change but our concept and understanding of him does as we grow and mature in our walk with him.
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