New Year, Same Woods

I was expecting to see ducks on the lakes at Naugatuck State Forest when I went there for a walk this morning. It wasn't a great place for waterfowl today, however -- the water is all frozen over!

The ice isn't thick enough to support a person, but it does just fine with the stones that people have slid across its surface (I choose to see this as a mark of human creativity, and I like it):

Those patterns on the lake are definitely pretty, and there were some interesting ice formations in other places as well. This mid-path puddle looks like a frozen puzzle with interlocking pieces:

And you can almost see the ice flowing over these exposed roots:

I can see how these ice pendulums might've formed on these branches dipping into a stream, with water droplets splashing up (so cool!):

But how did the ice climb onto this dried plant on the edge of the lake?

The woods were still and silent overall, except for two Red Squirrels yelling at each other near the end of my walk -- I mistook the sound for a revving motor when I first heard it! This squirrel in its tree was wildly scolding the second squirrel below, who was arguing loudly right back:

The sound eventually stopped, but I'm not sure who won the argument. Really, though, how could you be angry with this guy?

It's nice to be back. :)