Winter's last hurrah

On Saturday, April 12th, I took a walk along the Niagara River. It was a warm day and people were outside, doing yard work and enjoying the relative warmth and sunshine. The water was a light shade of blue, reflecting the sky. The trees, of course, are still bare and show no signs of growing new leaves, but that will come. I remember two years ago, when the fruit trees blossomed too early, in late March after a week of 80 degree days. That turned out to be a disaster. That unusually hot week was followed by a hard frost and those early blossoming trees produced no fruit at all. So, the fact that there are no blossoms or hint of leaves this year is OK.

lavender crocuses amidst the new grass growing... a sign of a new season

The yellow crocuses seem to be so very joyful, a reflection of sunlight.

These crocuses bring an intense color back to a world that had been starved for color.

A dog enjoys its outdoor time.

The Niagara River in early spring.

Another view of the Niagara River in early spring.

Wetlands in the northern part of Grand Island.

A closeup of a tree that apparently doesn't seem to mind having "wet feet."

Just three days later, the snow came back! Winter didn't want to relinquish its grip. But winter's grip was far weaker than it had been just a month earlier, when Western New York was treated to the second blizzard of the year. I went to Beaver Island State Park to take pictures of the snow-covered daffodils and the geese in the snowy place by the river.

When I went outside on Tuesday morning to fetch the newspapers, I was treated to this sight.

So, of course, I went to Beaver Island State Park to see more April snow scenes. That's where I saw these geese near the river.

This goose was looking for... something... not sure what.

I headed over to River Lea, where I saw that the pet cemetery that was made by a group of kids under the direction of a member of the Grand Island Historical Society was covered in snow.

The bench outside of River Lea.... covered in snow and not a great seat for the weary walker.

Old and new stuff, along with snow, in the garden at River Lea.

The gates at River Lea lead to a snowy trail on a cold April day.

The hardy daffodils can handle a little bit of a snow cover.

Soon, spring will be here to stay. But, for now, the change in seasons is a delightful thing to watch.