Then and now

This afternoon it seemed appropriate to spend a few hours following in the footprints of a solitary coyote, for no special reason other than to see what he was up to and to enjoy some of the scenes that he sees every day. I was not surprised when his meandering trail led me to a small, lonesome ridge a short distance above the valley, and when it disappeared into some large rocks atop a bluff, I broke away from his tracks rather than disturb him in his home.

Just beyond the coyote’s ridge lies a little meadow which I visit with relative frequency, and as I strolled through it in the afternoon sun, my boots making crunching noises on the snow, I recalled that the last time I had visited there was during the oppressive heat of July. I enjoyed the scenes then and I enjoyed them again today, although they are visually quite different, and it occurred to me that a pictorial contrast might be interesting. Here it is: