Posted on 03/08/09 at 05:17 PM

On Wednesday evening I walked out to the lake with my camera and tripod. It felt to me like there was something warm in the air, even though the thermometer said 32 (maybe the effect of those OBTYN days). I was surprised to see that the ice was thick on the lake as far as my eyes could see. There was a rare deep silence with no waves or water to be heard. It was as if the trees, sand and ice were all sitting quietly with each other: waiting.

I spent an hour taking photos of the ice and the sky and the city and then went back home to sleep. In the morning, spring had come! The temperature was above 60 degrees. At noon I jogged out to the lake again. There was still some ice near the shore, but half the lake was open water. And people were walking around in shirts and a t-shirt. I realized that I had photographed the night before the thaw. Here are the photos I took. Join me in saying, “Goodbye winter! See you next year.”

As always, click for bigger versions