February 4 White Pine Trail, Rockford

Friday:  I had two reasons to drive out to Rockford Friday afternoon:  (1) I needed to get my mile+ walk in--and since it was a beautiful day, I figured I would walk White Pine Trail a little north of downtown Rockford--it's super pretty in this section of the trail because the Rogue River comes close by the walking path; and (2) I needed to visit Aunt Candy's Toy Company to choose a small(ish) gift for Brendan's birthday party on Saturday, wrap it up, and let Kaity and Emma take it to the party with us so that they would have a gift for him. The Toy story was opened until 8pm, so I decided to take my walk first. I'll just post the pictures--there are many that look like duplicates--but they are edited slightly differently and I can't decide which edit I like best ... so here they are:

It was quite late in the afternoon when I began walking, and I was the ONLY one walking the trail for the longest time. It was SO quiet and just breathtakingly beautiful. There was mostly cloud cover, but now and then I could catch a glimpse of the sun going down--which made for nice light coming off the river with the reflections.

For some reason, the next picture is my favorite ... I just love the colors ...

I listen to Psalm 23 almost everyday ... sung by the Brooklynn Tabernacle Choir ... they do an incredible job. As I listen to the words, I am reminded once again that the blessings the Lord offers us are NOT just future blessings in heaven ... but everyday ones ... gently leading and guiding, comforting me in my fears, making sure I have food and shelter ... even in the darkest times of sadness and death! David concludes that this Shepherd Lord that we have pursues us with His goodness and mercy every single day of our lives. I am SO thankful I do not have to FEAR--God is on our side!

I like these pictures very much. I love this trail. I hope to visit it early one morning in the next few weeks of winter when the sun is shining brightly ...

I had turned around and was almost back to the parking lot when I spied these swans walking on the icy river. They were a LONG distance away. I used my zoom as far as I could extend it and kind of caught a few shots of them.

I love swans.

What a gorgeous time of year! I was triple layered, so I didn't suffer a single bit from the cold! I actually walked TWO miles and then I went to the toy store and picked out a really good gift for Brendan. I'll show it to you later ...