Simple Pleasures.

There are a lot of small lakes in a lava field nearby and now they are covered with thin crust of ice. The kids and I went for a walk there and unexpectedly found a new pastime. Throwing lava rocks at the frozen lakes, watching who can break the ice or hit the same spot twice proved to be vastly entertaining. (With utter amazement I realized that it was my first time indulging in such activity. Skipping stones – yes, of course I’ve done it, throwing them at frozen water – never before.) The rocks either skate on ice or cracked it and sat there half submerged in water, or simply plummeted through it down to the bottom. As soon as a stone hit the surface, white shapes of air bubbles and water appeared under the skin of ice and began quickly move away from the epicenter as if escaping danger. They started as perfect circles and went through a series of transformations before turning into nothing near the bank. Their floating movements kept us entranced for a good half and hour.