Mystery tracks on the ocean ice

Mystery prints. Looks like 4 paws, then 4 paws, then something dragged for a distance, repeat.
Mystery prints

I saw these on the ice the other day.  What do you think it is?  It looks like 4 dog paws, then another set of 4 paws, then something dragged for a distance, repeat.  Leave comments below.

Seagulls or ducks?  The waddle suggests ducks to me. Pretty.
Seagulls or ducks?

And these?  Looks like ducks to me; I can imagine the waddle, and there are lots of ducks right here when the water is liquid.

Soft morning light on snow

On Feb. 1, the morning sun illuminates the Bay.  Photo taken from the causeway to Oak Island, looking north.  Oak I. is on the right.
On Feb. 1, the morning sun illuminates the Bay. Photo taken from the causeway to Oak Island, looking north. Oak I. is on the right.

There was a soft dusting of snow on everything on Sunday (above). Then on Tuesday came the biggest snowstorm of the season so far.  Schools were closed 2 days in a row.  In a storm like that, I feel I’m in a time warp – life seems suspended somehow, even though I was in my usual place in my home office, and the power stayed on, and the internet offered my usual window on the world.  Surrounded by the energy of weather, it felt like the inside of a cocoon.

Pretty snowfall

It was nice to have a snowfall that didn’t come with a storm.  Just 2 or 3 inches and sunshine to welcome February.  Isn’t that how it’s supposed to be?

The inlet, February 1, 2009
The inlet, February 1, 2009
Snow on the sumac, February 1
Snow on the sumac, February 1