Finally outside again

It's been a month and a half since the weather let me get out into the woods. That is a long time for me. So today, eventhough it was chilly and damp, I decided to take the walk. I'm really glad I did.

When I left home I had two companions with me. Tom, my husband Richard's  Blue tick coon hound, and Porky, our owns-the-household Beagle. Above is Tom, not long before he abandoned me. See, Tom is an almost 4-year old, with the energy of a year old pup. He will start out the walk with me really excited, ready to go, but I bore him. When Richard heads up the old logging road he goes on his 4-wheeler, and that's more exciting to an energy to spare hound. I'm boring. I stop about every 3 minutes to take pictures of look at a tree or leaf or something. So as soon as he figures out he's stuck with me, he high tails it back to the house to look for Richard.
And this is King Porky.

He wasn't a chubby dog when Richard named him as a tiny puppy, but every winter he gets his "winter layer" and lives up to his name. It's amazing, within about a month from now he will be slim and trim again for summer. I wish I new his secret. Anyway he is faithful. He stays close to me and goes into guard mode to watch for anything that moves to protect me. Or not. He's actually just looking for something to run.He'll go ahead of me and stop, turn around and look for me as if to say "will you come on, already?"
I've been on this road countless times over the last 14 years. During all seasons. Every year something different shows up  that I haven't seen before. Depending on the weather, dry or wet, cold or hot, and all combination. Truly amazing.

This is the same road, in about the same spot, as the  Forest road and green ferns photo in my Etsy shop.Quite a difference!
I got some nice shots of some fungi that are already coming up, and some different kinds of tree bark I have an idea of turning into backgound papers.
Spring is coming, it's almost here!