Kim and I headed up to Ithaca in early December to attend the CBDC's Winter Ball. I also got a chance to have lunch with David Kempe while I was there. And what trip to Ithaca would be complete without a visit to the Haunt (in absolutely freezing cold)?

First, feast your eyes upon Andy, looking lovely in my stunning purple cap. The three of us also dropped by Moosewood for dinner -- always a highlight of an Ithaca trip.

The dance was on Friday night. On Saturday, I walked around campus and took pictures. We lucked out! After days (weeks?) of gloom, Ithaca opened its skies for a day of dazzling sun. Ithaca in the winter with sunlight is a glorious place.

The first two shots are of the waterfall at the base of Beebe Lake, on North Campus. The berries are from a tree on the Arts Quad.

Andy and I walked down Cascadilla Gorge. It is a frosty, breathtaking place in the winter. When I lived here, I usually didn't take the gorge path path home, generally because I was heading home after dark and it isn't lit at night. But the other reason, in the winter, is the treacherously slippery stairs. Here you can see some of the frozen falls, crusted over with thick ice.

Did I mention that there's a lot of ice in the gorge? The rock wall is coated with icicles at one point. The second picture is of some pretty massive icicles hanging just below the bridge... and the third shot is of the same icicles, from directly beneath them. And in case you hadn't guessed... the swirling water is very, very cold.