Skating Rink

My mind is always on ice skating this time of year. Next week I'll be watching the U.S. Figure Skating Championships on TV. But already there are skaters to watch. I lingered one evening at the outdoor rink near my house. Round and round they went; Adults taking wobbly steps till their legs remember how to glide, children scooting tall plastic buckets in front of them---training wheels for beginning skaters. You can tell who has had lessons. They skate backwards, spin or launch themselves off the ice in a waltz jump. I set my camera on the railing and tried to capture the moment. A blur, a whirl, a cold breeze created by the skaters.