A New Year's Day Walk

I did go on that walk yesterday, even though it was raining the entire time I was out. I almost turned back when I first walked out the door and saw the rain coming down but then decided I had to at least go across the street to the bank machine, as I needed some cash for the week ahead and the forecast was for colder weather in the next few days so I figured it was best to go while the weather was mild.  It was quite foggy out though.  Here's a picture I took of myself reflected in the bank window:

I was dressed warmly, with a scarf, mitts, a hat and the hood of my coat so the rain didn't bother me.  I decided I would keep going and do at least a half an hour's walk while I was out.  As it happened, I stayed out for an hour and a quarter!  Not surprisingly, I only saw one other person on my travels (other than people driving by in their cars), and she was walking a small long-haired dog who was totally soaked!

I had so much fun. I was taking photos and picking up little bits of (very soggy) paper* to dry out and use for a collage (my friend Heather calls me a "magpie" and it's true, I am always picking up little things on the ground!).  It was such a lovely mild temperature that it didn't matter that it rained steadily the entire time I was out.  I was glad I hadn't brought an umbrella, as it left my hands free to take photos and pick up things. My coat was so wet when I got home, I could hardly lift it onto the hanger - I had to hang it in the bathtub until it dried! Here's what the bottom of my jeans looked like by the end of my walk:

I took 82 photos while I was out (!!), mostly of the rain and various leaves on the sidewalk which, like stones, often look better wet than they do dry.  Here's a couple of examples:

Here's a picture of the collage I made in my daily journal with the various goodies I picked up along the way, as well as two of the above photos:

*Remarkably, one of those bits of paper was a VISA chit which was written for the amount of - get this - $11,000.00!!  I found it in the parking lot near the bank and it was the branch copy of the transaction, complete with the full VISA number and the person's signature.  I brought it home and as soon as it dried, I put it through my shredder.  I certainly wouldn't want any of my personal information to be lying around on the ground like that!