This morning was my third time identifying snow geese among a huge crowd of Canada geese.  These snow geese appeared relaxed, as evidenced by some funny faces they made, and by taking a bath in front of me (of course, with clothes on).  Once again, the rule of discovering something new in every visit of the park proved itself.  There were three snow geese instead of two this morning, each wearing an outfit with a unique color pattern.  One was light, one was dark, and the other was mixed.  They tended to stay close to one another, although they seemed to mingle well with the Canada geese.

It was quite cold and I was in the park for more than an hour.  Being able to capture the moment of snow geese taking off with Canada geese made the wait worthwhile.

 My wife and I used to live in Santa Monica, California, when we were graduate students and on our first jobs.  I once said to her, although owning a place in Beverly Hills was anything but a dream, we actually own more than the rich people and celebrities could ever have.  Just think about it, the Palisades Park (https://laist.com/news/california-incline-set-to-open-befo; and https://pixels.com/featured/palisades-park-bluffs-and-sm-pier-david-zanzinger.html) where the movie "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMOb8NCtjFs) was filmed, was our backyard, and we also had the Pacific Ocean as our swimming pool.  What else can anyone ask for?

After moving to Westfield, New Jersey in 1988, I often had dreams in which I was walking in Palisade Park and on Santa Monica Beach.  It was a shame that I did not discover Brightwood Park till the breakout of the Covid pandemic.  I fell in love with the park since the first time I went there.  Now I told my wife that to me, the park is like an illustration of what the Garden of Eden was like (before Adam and Eve were kicked out of it) and a preview of the New Heaven and New Earth to come.

Ever since then I have been going to the park at least once a day, even in rain and snow.  I enjoy  being a self-appointed park ranger.  Every visit has been an new adventure, and my excitement of discovery cannot be contained.

A few days ago I saw two light-colored geese amidst more than a hundred Canada geese.  I thought they were genetic mutants like albino animals.  After a Google search, I identified them to be snow geese.  I thought it was a coincidence.  To my surprise, this morning again I saw a snow geese couple.  These two did not appear as timid as the ones I saw last time.  From sleeping soundly to waking up and doing morning exercises, they posed and allowed me to take several photos.  Before I thought the male one was all white.  This time I found that the goose was covered with handsome mixed colors.  The female one was wearing a dark-colored coat, looking beautiful and noble.

Compared to Canada geese, snow geese cared much about the cleanliness of where they stay.  After climbing onto the ice, they constantly check to make sure they are not stepping on poop left by others.  

 It was a very cold morning.  I went to the park for a walk.  The jigsaw puzzle in the pond was loaded with a huge goose family.  Interestingly, the big birds seemed to have some sense of art appreciation.  For the most part, they stayed away from the beautiful pattern of ice.

Underneath the bridge, the ice formations are my favorite objects to photograph.  Observing the reflection of morning sunlight and its glow almost cost me a fall over  the slope.

I highly recommend you to check out the wonderful world of ice.  As long as you bundle up well and carry hand warmers to keep from freezing.

I went to the park in mid-afternoon.  The clouds were dancing with the sun.  I took a couple of shots and did one more by zooming in to the sun.  In the evening I tried to take similar shots of the moon for comparison.  The moon appeared to be prettier to me.  Do you agree?  Still, I have a lot to learn in the skills of recording the beauty of nature at night.

 The snowfall last night decorated Brightwood Park in a special way.  The ice crystals and the frozen pond were like ladies refreshing their makeup in the middle of a celebration banquet.  Geese were there to perform music and dance.  I was impressed by their remarkable 3-dimensional dancing skills, but less with their singing voices. 

Starting around 9:30 AM, it snowed for about 4 hours today. After the snow stopped in early afternoon, I took a walk in Brightwood Park.  To my surprise, on the pond the thin layer of ice formed last night formed a large area of jigsaw puzzle.  There were also areas with holes on ice in shapes like stars or more like neuronal cells in the pictorial illustrations of biology textbook.  In one place the holes lined up to form an arch.

Geese flying by appeared to appreciate the beautiful pattern on the pond, and restrained from landing to disrupt it. 

In addition to the jigsaw puzzle games on the pond, there are photos of a downy woodpecker and a red-bellied woodpecker having their lunch.  The two birds behaved like gentlemen.  The red-bellied waited till the downy finished, and came to the same table to enjoy the food.  There seemed to be plenty of good stuff, that the second one got stains on the beak while eating. ​

Winter in Brightwood Park invites encounters with a number of interesting scenes or images that can trigger wild thoughts and interpretations.   As I was watching the geese. I felt like I was being stared at by someone.  It turned out to be an abandoned fishing tool that appeared like an alien with a colorful eyeball.

The outdoor temperature dropped below freezing point last night.  In the pond, some of the newly formed ice was hanging and remained solid in the water.  Some grew into flat chunks with irregular edges.  The water flowing underneath created patterns like works of modern artists.c

 When I was little, I wanted to be a pilot.  Although the wish never came true, I became interested in flying objects, including aircrafts, birds, and UFOs.  Of course, other flying objects such as mosquitos, house flies, and cockroaches were off my list.  

Brightwood Park has become an ideal place for me to watch airplanes and observe birds.  This morning I raced ahead of sunrise and got to the park around 7:15 a.m..  The pond was filled with Canada geese.  I roughly estimated the number close to a hundred.  Like military jets, they were in good order and coordination.  One group after the other took off to start their daily routine.  While listening to the noise of wing flapping, subconsciously I felt as if I were flying, too.

I went back to the park in late afternoon.  A few mallard ducks were using the space for training.  I tried to capture the moment of landing and successfully recorded it once.  While I was focusing on the ducks, behind me a tiny bird made a noise for my attention.  I turned around and found a tiny cotton ball-like bird on a nearby tree.  On the back of the bird I saw three red buds of the tree, organized in a pattern like a tail propeller.  I googled the name of the bird and found it to be a dark-eyed junco。

On New Year's Day, I walked into a party in Brightwood Park and was greeted by mushrooms, a red-bellied woodpecker, mallard ducks, and a goose.  These friends decorated the park with all kinds of beautiful color combinations.  I visited their booths, watched their performances, and then how they waved hands to say "Happy New Year!" to one another.  I hung around the park for more than two hours, and did not feel cold at all.

The day's chocolate?  Snow Geese!
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