dec 13/RUN

4 miles
trestle turn around
7 degrees

The run was hard, my hands were almost numb by the end of the first mile, and my left hip was sore by the end, and still it was a wonderful morning out there above the gorge. Greeted Dave, the Daily Walker who didn’t recognize me at first because my buff was covering half of my face. The river was completely covered in ice and snow, all white, except for below the trestle where there were a few patches of exposed ice and open water. Near the part of the path above the rowing club, I saw a flash of movement — a big bird! That wing span! Was it an eagle? A hawk? Not sure, but it landed in a nearby tree. I briefly wondered if it might be a turkey. Later, I heard a woodpecker knocking on a branch somewhere above me. I stopped to try and locate it, and the knocking stopped too. Near the end of my run, down in the tunnel of trees, I heard another knocking and saw the bird flying away. I stopped at my new usual spot: the bench on the edge, getting ready to slide into the slope — how long will it take? Will the parks leave the bench alone long enough for it to happen, or will they replace it before that?