(Originally posted on the website Heron Flight)

“Dear Boss, my apologies for being a bit late again this morning. I don’t think we should really call it ‘late’. It’s more like being ‘delayed’, delayed by the world because I can’t resist it. It took me 11 minutes to go through the woods to get these photos today. But I did double time on the back roads and made up time. I was at my desk at 9:05. That was efficient, right?”

A little more snow fell on us last night, more than what was predicted for Sunday night. Gotta love that weatherman! (Just don’t trust him to pick your stocks or anything that truly matters!) Still, less than an inch of snow fell. It was beautiful anyway. And the small amount allowed me to walk through it even though I was wearing Docker’s dress shoes and a business suit, not your traditional hiking gear! It’s a very quick walk through the woods from the road to the viewpoint at the top of the mountain. But, not too quick in dress shoes.

Below are several photos of the woods and the view from the top of Point Mountain. These are looking northwest over Port Murray, Washington and in the direction of Oxford. Note the clear spot in the middle of the penultimate (Oh! Such a sophisticated word!) photo. That is the spot I took the photos from yesterday. It’s like going back in time for a second, right? Time travelers!

(Originally posted on the website Heron Flight)

“Boss, I’m sorry I was 10 minutes late to the office this morning. Sometimes you just have to stop and take note of beauty.”

The weather forecast called for 4 to 7 inches of snow overnight.

I think we got 4/7 of an inch instead, not even enough to exceed the height of the grass, and certainly not enough to make the roads hazardous and give me an excuse to work from home. How disappointing.

However, with every disappointment comes glimpses of happiness and beauty, depending on how you look at the circumstances. It’s all a matter of perspective.

Two miles from home, this mountain smiled at me and said, “Good morning! Nice to see you! How do I look?”

“My dear, you look lovely! Spectacular! I love your highlights!”

Actually, what I thought was, “That looks like a delicious brownie with powdered sugar! Yummy!” You can’t say such a thing to a lady. But we are talking about a mountain here. Mountains are delicious!

Being a creature that likes to stop time and possess what I view, I pulled into a nearby lot to snap a few photos. Below is Point Mountain, proudly modeling on a January morning. Enjoy her beauty.

(The first photo includes Mansfield Township Elementary School in the foreground. I attended 5th and 6th grade there, started playing drums there, and had an early encounter with the occult there. Stories for another time. Yes, the occult.)