Several days ago, during the evening, the snow began falling and when I awoke in the early morning, the last remnants of autumn had completely disappeared beneath the wintry shroud. Although the wind was quite chilling, I bundled up before heading out towards the lake with our dog Duncan like I usually do; he really enjoys the walks, especially if he comes across some squirrels to chase up a tree. Since I knew the walk in the fresh snow would be unmarked by vehicles or other people walking down the road leading to the lake, I grabbed my camera as I headed out the door. Besides Duncan's footprints, coyote, fox, rabbit and squirrel tracks could be seen crisscrossing the road as I casually walked along listening to the creaking trees and the occasional song of a chickadee. Because of the lighting, the photos I took almost look like they are black and white but if you look closely, you will see a hint of colour.
When I reach Mike and Judy Saunders' cottage on the lake, I always do a loop around their house to make sure everything is still in good order before continuing on home. They have returned to Victoria, BC for the winter and so far everything looks very well contained for the harsh weather ahead. Duncan and I will continue to keep an eye on their place until the snow is too deep to handle my weight (may have to invest in a pair of snowshoes). The walk can be a bit treacherous at times because before the snow fell, I stepped on a small patch of black ice during my walk and did a remarkable display of doing the splits.
The partial view of the frozen lake from the Saunders' place can be seen and although it is covered in snow, the ice is not yet thick enough to safely walk on but once the temperatures plummet for a lengthy time, which won't be long coming now, the ice-fishermen will show up with their augers and little buildings. I've yet to experience ice-fishing or any other type of fishing on the lake for that matter but I'm hoping that will change in the not too distant future.
Winter is certainly a brooding and moody time of the year but I have to admit, I do enjoy its arrival; not so many chores. However, speaking of chores, after a wee bit of discussion with my wife Sarah, we decided to expand the bathroom into one of the upstairs bedrooms (needed a larger space for the free-standing tub I purchased). As you can see, I'm great at ripping things apart and now that the tub has arrived, I'm beginning to wonder if expanding the bathroom is a good idea. Of course it's too late for that now and I'm hoping, like when I'm looking at a blank canvas before I start painting, the finished product will all turn out fine. Hardly a professional carpenter; I call myself an ad-lib carpenter - let the magic begin - cheers, eh! 
