Along the Westside Highway

      This walk was not outlined in the book, it evolved out of a desire to introduce my Grandkids to their new neighborhood. My husband and I packed up the baby in the stroller and with the other four set off up the Cove Road hill. I thought we would walk up to Columbia Lane and take the U shaped road back to Cove. I always wonder at the unique school bus shelters around town. This one was cozy and inviting as our two lovely summer days had given way to a cloudy, drizzly day.

                                                                As the road turned around two paths opened, one going back to Cove Rd and the other, well I was not sure exactly where that led. My husband seemed to know that it led to the Westside Highway but I felt turned around and reluctantly set down the hill with the stroller. The walk put us on well traveled roads so we kept watch for cars. The Westside highway offered some interesting observations. The first one being the little stream running along the east side of the road. It made a lovely sound as it tumbled over rocks. My grandson noticed the huge plants that suddenly appeared because of the marshes created by the water. They were so different from what we had been looking at. A shed was built along the road and right in the middle was a hole with a cascading stream of water.
  "Why is that water coming out of that house?"
   I could not explain but ventured a guess that this structure must have been built to channel water off the hillside.
   "Grandma, there is a pipe with running water coming out of the bushes!"

                                                            These questions made me aware of how much I did not know about water, run off, water sheds, and generally about how our town manages the water we receive in the form of rainfall. Nature was alive with the task of benefitting from our most prized resource.
 I finally recognized the road back up to my son's new home. I was getting tired. On the west side of the street a huge Maple tree caught our attention. It was covered with thick veins which, upon close inspection, were ivy branches. These vines were old and seemed to grow into the tree with the newer vines way up above. How long, I wondered had this tree hosted the ivy?

                                                                           
                                                                       Decades I am sure.
  "There is our driveway", the children shouted. They started to run when just a minute ago they were dragging. How can they call up that sudden burst of energy?
  "Youth may have energy, but we own the wisdom to keep going slow and steady." Wise words from a kind Grandfather who is spending his vacation with his favorite companions.

The Walk Around Christensen Pond

  My husband and I were supposed to go on a road trip this week.. We were going to drive 800 miles in two days. Instead we jumped in the car and drove 4 miles to enter a small hole in the trees just off the road. The reasons for not going had to do with car trouble and lack of faith that the car would get there. It did make it the five miles to the woods.

  

This is hike No.2 around Christensen Pond. I am using a book just out which describes some family walks around my town. Hike No.1, was through the middle of the Burton Peninsula. This was a short one, perfect for my young Grandkids, .7 miles long. The trail wound around a little pond. 

The farther into the woods we went the more quiet every thing became. I could hear the bees and flies and the sounds were settling instead of jarring. The closer we came to the pond the more birds we heard.

 The pond itself was abruptly visible. The water shimmered with early morning sunlight. It was a mirror to the trees and sky above.

  

There are so many woodsy areas around my town that I have been desensitized to the beauty of the woods. I found myself intent to see the uniqueness of this particular place. On the last walk the children focused on berries. They were less plentiful here.

There were many more berries on the east side of the pond. 

Thimble berries and wild blackberries have a very different flavor. Thimble berries have a drier, woodsy taste. The most purple ones are the ripest.

I was interested in some yellow lichen growing on a stump. it had the appearance of little flowers.

This trail had a little bridge to cross. I will tell my Grandkids to look for it along the way.

This little adventure was the perfect bridge from the disappointment of one plan lost and another option opening up. I will miss the opportunity to visit with family but I look forward to having adventures close to home.

Last Zoo Trip

   Oh no, my zoo membership is expiring. Did I use it as much as I thought? No, but I have used it three times this summer.Our first trip was in June followed a few days later by another adventure with the second group. I finally talked S. into going. He has been resistant due to feeling sick last year and hating the experience. Hurray, the zoo trip was great for him.

 He eagerly took a camel ride, all by himself.

The camel was quite a show-off. 

Getting on and off was just a step onto the platform.

Having a membership affords the family a closer relationship to the zoo. We rarely go through all of the exhibits and this allows more time to observe and wait for something to happen. 

I enjoyed watching the polar bears.They are so massive and the windows allow for a close up view.

This bear was pushing around barrels with his head.

Two tigers in the background and two brothers in front. We had a chance to see two snow leopard cubs napping in a pile.

My wish was for this last grandson to come with me and he had a good time.

What Yoga Has Ruined For Me

I read a post by a blogger who writes about her yoga practice (Grounding Through The Sit Bones). She had an interesting premise. She recounted the things Yoga had ruined for her. What a turned around idea.   It made me think.
Here are some things that Yoga has ruined for me.
1. I can't buy shoes for looks anymore After feeling the earth under my feet and learning to interlace my fingers through my toes, I can not force them into shoes of torture.

2. I can't use the excuse that I am naturally clumsy. Yoga has increased my awareness of balance and helped me sense where I am in the space around me. Balance becomes more important the older I get. Balance originates in the core of the body and if the muscles surrounding our body are toned and working, balance is possible.

3. Yoga has ruined my excuse that my back hurts. I know how to alleviate back soreness and if  I experience some and I don't take care of it, my complaining is disingenuous.

     So, it is back on the floor again for me.

A Walk in the Woods

   I had charge of my five grandchildren yesterday while their mother was having a much needed break. It was cool and the rain drizzled on and off. I wanted to have an outdoor adventure but the weather was not cooperating. Without too much thought to how the weather might turn out, we piled into the van and I began driving.
 "Where are we going Grandma?" "I am not exactly sure, but we are going to take a family walk in the woods."
  

 I headed for a trail I had visited with my own children years ago. I wondered how the trail had changed in twenty years. This trail ran through the middle of a peninsula where homes skirted the perimeter. As we parked on the side of the road, I searched the van for jackets or sweatshirts because the rain was spitting again. Olea waited patiently as I rolled up the sleeves of her brother's shirt and hefted her out of the carseat. We started up a dead end road which looked like someone's driveway.
 "Are we going to visit Aunt Kathy?", Alvin asked.
 "No, Aunt Kathy lives in another state. We are going on a trail through the woods." I said.
 The driveway ended at the house and off to the right a path opened into the trees. The children squealed with excitement. They liked nothing better than to have unknown adventure. Olea sensing the enthusiasm walked with determination far beyond her years.
 "Grandma, will there be bears in the woods?"
 "Let's wait and see."
  I said very little as we walked on the narrow path. The sounds of our town became muted and natural stillness increased. Trees above became denser which held off the rain. The older children ran ahead leaving me with the toddler who marched like a little trooper. I warned her about picking up her feet to step over roots with bulged out of the ground. They must have seemed like speed bumps to her. When the path descended downhill she voluntarily took my finger to keep from falling.
  We heard the older children coming back to us and their voices increased in volume. They were finding berries along the trail. Thimbleberries peeked out from between branches just at a child's eye level.

 These berries were like tiny, dark purple thimbles, the kind my mother darned socks with. Shea brought some for the toddler to share. She pushed them into her mouth and held out her hand for more. My grandchildren know more about wild berries than I do. They rehearsed to me what berries were edible and I hoped inwardly that I could trust their information. Their mother had taught them and I hoped their eagerness would not overcome their knowledge base. Seven year old, Shea, presented some new berries in his hand. Their small red, round shape looked scrumptious but I was suspicious. When giving them to Olea, I cautioned him by asking what they were. He said they were Huckelberries and that they found them often at a friends house.

 Dancing around the baby he offered them to her one at a time. She ate them eagerly, grunting for more. He put some into her front pocket and scurried ahead down the trail. We walked a few steps and she stopped, digging deep into her pocket to bring out more berries. As she found one she would grin and begin trudging again with a satisfied expression. This continued for some time until the berries were gone. As she extended her hand, I showed her that I had none, so she surveyed the bushes around her. She would have to forage herself. The waxy, thick leaves were heavy with drops of rain. Brushing between leaves she found nothing. I started ahead hoping she would follow, leaving her exploration behind. The voices of her siblings pushed her forward and she laughed out loud as she picked up the pace to join them. I asked the older children if they had found the end of the trail and admonished them to stop and wait when they did because I remembered the trail opened up to a road.
    The woods opened a little magic to us that day. It seemed like magic because for almost an hour there was no squabbling, no murmuring of boredom, and I yielded to the power of nature to teach us how to be. Nature invites us to be present. It parades before our senses, beauty, which can hold us fast in the now. My own children responded readily to the lure of nature and I remember the peacefulness which surrounded us on the way home from the beach or the woods. I feel so renewed as I now accompany my grandchildren into similar places. For a few hours I am thirty again, shooing my chicks under my wings. How is it that they hold more knowledge of natural things than I do? Perhaps I have not walked enough trails since my own nest emptied.

Oh, What Do You Do in The Summertime?

    Do you march in parades? Amazing Grace did, just this last Saturday. Her Karate Dojo marched in the community summer festival parade. Yes, Amazing Grace has become a Karate Kid.

The Parade was colorful and the spectators were enthusiastic. Several bands marched and played with pizazz.

    Then over the hill we spotted the little group, all dressed in white. Amazing Grace was front and center walking with poise and confidence.

How cute was that?

They all posed together at the end of the parade.

So what are you doing this summertime?

My Beauties

    I don't have much of a yard to talk about, or a garden to admire, but this year I have a few beauties to share. These beauties are alive today because the deer have not found them. I do not have a deer family wandering through this summer. 

   The strawberry patch, planted by Vanessa years ago, made it without losing to the deer. We have picked many bowlfuls. 

This is S.'s shirt filled with the summer delights.

Another garden feature is my rose bush, just outside my back door. It usually gets pruned by friendly deer but not this year.

You should smell this rose! It has a citrus fragrance which is heavenly to the nose.

And a purchase from my grocery store has given me weeks of enjoyment,

I was asked to lend this to an outside event. I did not charge rent but I missed it while it was gone.

Lastly, I picked up this beauty to neighbor the hanging basket. 

Pretty good basket, eh?