Watkins Mill - more photos, and Christmas

Here are the remainder of my Watkins Mill photos.

We stopped in there for a couple of hours on Monday evening. It was heading for dark when we got there, and the Canadian Geese were flying in to land on what parts of the lake were not frozen. Watkins Mill is a state park on the site of an old woolen mill and farming property. It's north of Kansas City, as can be seen from the map below.

This link has more information about the site: Watkins Woolen Mill State Park

I have never before seen a frozen lake, been close enough to touch it, to feel it, to tap against its skin like rapping knuckles on a window pane. It seemed to have been snap frozen, leaves and twigs suspended in ice like fossils caught in frosted glass. If it weren't for the cold air in my lungs and the bitter chill on my face, I'd not have believed it to be real.

Here ice bows under the weight of a leaf, or so it seems.

Diamonds in the leaves.
I dared to brave the chill without gloves, for at least part of the time. Emily shows me how to take great shots and to preserve a small measure of warmth.

As we walked deeper into the park, the sun sets behind the clouds.
We came across a small creek with water running from a drain -- another scene frozen in time.
One last shot as we leave shows snow in the car park gutter that crunches beneath the feet, freezes the fingers, gives a hint of the beauty that will be when new snow falls.
We will come back here again.

We stopped in back at home then went out again to the gym. Em showed me around and the woman behind the counter let me go in for free. Daily rates are $7.95 and we intend to go almost every day. She suggested we speak to the office manager to see if there's a better deal could be worked out, and handed me a business card.

The gym is fantastic, well laid out with lots of treadmills, bikes, steppers and elliptical machines. There's one rower but it doesn't seem very popular so I easily got a turn on that. The weight training/resistance machines are modern and set apart from the free weights. They have machines that I know and some that I don't, so we tried almost every one of them. I discovered muscles I never even knew I had. *laughs*

Once we were tired and sweaty, we did some abdominal curls and stretches and headed home.

Back at home we had dinner, a great meal with pasta and chicken, salad and veggies. I do feel as though I'm at a health retreat with fabulous healthy food and regular exercise! At this rate, I will go home a new woman!!

We then cracked a smirnoff each and dived into Christmas... unwrapping presents, that is. The dogs loved the gifts I gave them, and I feel so spoiled and loved with what Em gave me. I even cried, but they were happy tears.

It was well worth the wait, and beneath a real christmas tree so it didn't matter that there wasn't snow outside (well aside from the little patch of ice on the front path that just won't melt). We even forgot the eggnogg, but smirnoff is better.

And there sees off another fantastic day!