It feels extra-adventurous when the dog and I slip away from the usual pathways to walk instead along the riverbank. The mud looks shiny-wet in the morning, but it’s still frozen from the overnight lows.

Crevices make the dirt look rock-like. Rain ran here in rivulets anxious to regain the river.

Winter’s palette is full of blues and grays, browns and golds.

Across the river, the University campus has finished its second phase of riverbank stabilization. The rocks are huge and grate against the metal of the heavy equipment, cumbersome to move into place, their sound ricocheting through the air.

And then we’re home! The dog insists on bringing back a stick almost too big for him to handle.