bridges of great swamp national park

Hardly "bridges", these are more wooden walkways over extended parts of the swamp.

Doesnt take anything away from their being picturesque, though !

double-bull

looks like an indian bulbul, dont know what it is called over here ..

Visited the Great Swamp national park today, a delightful half an hour drive away through forested land, by twisting, undulating roads which reminded me of this song.

The swamp is all iced over at this time of the year, and the ground's all crunchy under the feet from Thursday's snow. Elevated walkways take you around the swamp - long bridges that dissapear into the white mist in the distance; over shallow streams that have frozen mid flow. On either side, stands guard the gaunt forest, patiently waiting for spring, the leafless heads of the trees high up in the air.

There's a nice bite in the air - it's easily the coldest day of the year so far. Air so clean that you gulp it down by the mouthful, air so fresh that you want it to caress the skin, raising goose pimples all over.There's no one around in sight, and the occasional walker quickly dissapears on one of the myriad trails, as if apologetic for the interruption . Its a feeling of oneness with nature that you never want to let go.

The freeze has driven the reptiles into hibernation; and most of the birds to migration. There were just of couple of small hardy ones twittering about near the birdhouse, including the one in the pic above. Spring should bring back a lot of activity, though; so have added up a visit in my calendar two months from now.

brrr

the cold contiues on to the next day, bringing along this time a world draped in white ..

.. shot with camera phone from a moving car which was getting late to office. No, I wasnt driving.

twinkle click

It helps me see beauty everywhere around me
It helps me see a constellation where i saw but one star
It helps me realize maybe i need to visit the optician
Its my three-fifty-d

Today brought clear skies and sun, and freezing temperatures
Night's a clearer sky and colder still ..

US vs India

In the US, it is more likely for deer to cross your path, than stray cattle.

The difference is that, the deer shows up for a glimpse and then flits away on winged feet.
In India, the cattle - they own the road :)

No, I don't

Or maybe, I do, just a teeny weeny little bit.
Just that much.

About caramelized banana with ice cream and honey.

Not much else :)

Going Green is just a fad anyway.

The bridges of Central Park

Prominent among its many attractions, Central Park boasts of some forty bridges - stone, wood and wrought iron; and no two of them are alike. Most of them are hidden away around the corner - you take a turn on the path and suddenly you come face to face with a quaint beauty.

This here is the Gapstow bridge, takes the park path over the pond.

Of all the places in the world, I count central park as the Mecca for runners. Iske darshan mile, Yeh wali zindagi dhanya hui. ;)