…on the ice. I thought ice formed because the temperature dropped and the water froze, on its own. But no, significant help is lent to the process. The water where these birds-not-of-a-feather, are standing, is the old harbor opposite my front door. The reason ice is forming is not only because of the cold, but because the Harbor Master has closed the locks [sluis]. inhibiting the flow of water; standing water freezes. Yesterday as I biked past different canals, people were skating. No one skates on anything less than hockey or long-blade-Norwegian skates. Decades ago, my first winter here, the water in the canal beside our little house froze. Full of enthusiasm, I laced on my white figure skates and hit the ice running. My third stroke I fell flat out, hitting the ice full force. The blades on figure skates are neither long nor thin enough to deal with the rough-water ice. Now I know.
