A few miles above Cottonwood Hot Springs along Cottonwood Creek a thousand feet or so below Cottonwood Pass is Cottonwood Lake. I went out there this afternoon to do some cross country skiing, expecting to find a trail, but only found deep, deep snow, too deep to plow through with my back country skis. So I headed out around the lake. The ice was thick, judging from the depth of the awls of the guys doing ice fishing on the far side. And the snow was windswept in many places, making for a smooth glide. In spite of the strong wind and snow falling through the late afternoon light.
It was a contrast to our house a few miles across the Upper Arkansas Valley where the sun was shining and folks were watching tv and quilting and preparing supper. The east and west sides of this valley provide such contrast in terms of snowfall, temperature, and conditions. And differences in how to experience the day...all of them good, but marking the kinds of choices we are able to make when our time is open-ended and our ability to experience life presents so much choice.
