Walter Pratt Picnic Area, Brasher State Forest

The first day of my sister's weekend visit was warm and sunny, almost like summer (see previous two posts). The next day, however, was cold and snowy with strong winds. We decided to make a quick trip with the dogs to the Walter Pratt Picnic Area before the weather got too bad. It was snowing steadily, but not yet much of a problem. We parked along the road and let the dogs out. They ran wild, overjoyed with being out again:

They seemed to know better than to try going into the water, but instead traveled along the reservoir's edge, making sure to not get too close:

The pooches ran up a hill and my sister followed them:

And then they all walked along a ridge, looking down on the water and on me:

Fergus, Seamus and Daphne ran ahead:

And then we turned back toward the road. This was intended only as a short excursion:

But it was quiet and beautiful as the big, wet snowflakes fell all around us. My sister gazed out over the water:

And everything was calm and lovely, almost like a Christmas card:

The dogs ran in big circles as my sister and I slowly made our way back toward the car:

With occasional stops to appreciate the scenery:

We did, however, make one side trip across the dam. The dogs thought that was lots of fun:

But we had to stop and turn around at the spillway. It was an enchanting afternoon, the calm before the storm (a two day blizzard), and a perfect last day of my sister's visit: