Monday, August 8, 2011

Deep In The Hundred Acre Wood

   Some years ago the Dilworth trails were just around the corner from where my son and family lived. As I remember it, I took the first walk into this wooded paradise and called it the "Hundred Acre Wood".
                                                                                           


 "Deep in the hundred acre wood, where Christopher Robin plays, you'll find an enchanted neighborhood, of Christopher's childhood days."                                            

   I was reading "Winnie the Pooh" by A.A. Milne to my Grandkids, aged 4 and 1. Not the Disney version, but the original, with very few pictures. My granddaughter, ten years old now, found little openings in the forest where she thought the characters lived. We found an old broken off tree for Owl, and tiny opening in the thicket for Piglet, and a sheltered bush for Pooh's house. So this family walk has always been called Christopher Robin's forest.
  Things have changed drastically from year to year. The logging area has grown back, the damage from the windstorm is hardly noticeable, and new trees are 10 feet high. The kind property owner is still mowing the trails and it is so fun to go looking for old landmarks.
  Today we enjoyed the arches across the trail made from blackberry wines.
                                                         
 They were like entrances to someone's private garden. We were on the lookout for a favorite fallen tree stump where we remembered sitting and eating a little something. You must bring a little something to sustain you during your "expotition".
         

                                                           
 Once we left the open mowed trail the trees got denser and the path went down toward a deep ravine. We heard water rushing but the trail ended with a steep drop off. The trees rose up from the ravine floor and surged into the sky. I can't even guess how tall they were.
  

                                                                                 
There were berries there and will be many more in a few weeks. The salmon berry is my favorite of the wild variety. I love the orange color and the delicate taste.

                                                                              
 There was color on the forest floor as we saw a little snake slither through the grass and a slug slide slowly between blades of green.

                                                                                       
If you take your imagination along on your family walk you may find your adventure heightened and the memories enhanced.

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