Whether these are the longest nights or shortest days is a matter of perspective.  Waking with the sun reveals thin, rubbery ice near shore that just supports a few hungry gulls.  In a few hours shifting winds will clear it away – for now.  Within a week or two the bay will be white with ice and snow and the lakes’  quietest season will be underway.

Gulls at the icy edge

It’s a time of greys and whites punctuated by the blackness of clear starry nights and brightened by glimpses of sunny skies and sunsets.   As we transitioned today from an old season to a new beginning we were visited by a trio of swans. Beyond their grace and strength these visitors are a powerful symbol in many traditions and a fitting gift to renew our spirits. http://www.druidry.org/library/animals/swan

Three swans a-sailing