The Rink

They were hidden until the very last minute.  Just as I rounded the corner I was struck with a scene that took my breath away.  A half dozen giant trees, winter bare and snow-covered, were glowing with hundreds of strings of lights, casting out the evening darkness all around the newest skating rink in town.  A foot of snow covered the park, the trees, the lagoon, but one section was cleared away to make a rink.  As I walked down the path, the chill in the air and the scrape of blades on ice welcomed me to my new experience of a true Canadian winter.

No zambonis here! Keeping an eye out for rough patches and taking care not to wobble too much, my skates hit the ice for a beautiful winter evening.  Cold toes soon warmed as I skated round the rink, and when fingers were chilled, some hot cocoa warmed them up before another round on the ice.

A new snowfall and a rising wind signaled the end of the evening.  One more lap around the ice, one more look at the snowy scene around me, and it was time to head home.  A beautiful night, indeed!