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Come Walk with Me July, 2003 Do you have a few minutes to spare? Come walk with me while I get my exercise down at the lake. I usually park here so I can see my car from anywhere on the walking trail. Gives a good sense of confidence that the car is still there and that, if any of my bodily parts give out, my security blanket is not far off. Also notice that even from here you can see almost all of the 22 benches available along the six tenths of a mile walk. Right here in the shallows is where I saw the great blue heron the other day, waiting for his breakfast to swim by. And look up there just ahead of us – see the fishes tail sticking out of the water? Several big fish come up here in the shallow water feeding and their tails flop out in the air. By the size of the tail fin, that lunker must be around eighteen inches! Here comes a new hatch of mallards – five little ones just a few weeks old working there way up right next to the shore as momma walks along on the grass and papa stays a short distance out in the water to fend off the snapping turtles that get many of the young'uns here. And right behind them is the other new family of geese, the eleven goslings now several months old. The park ranger says that the parents disappeared right after birth and this gander adopted the chicks and has shepherded them around ever since. See this pile of white feathers and down here along the sidewalk? I though it was the scene of some rivalry or pecking order fights, but it's not. It's just where the three swans come every morning to do their preening and leave behind the discarded feathers. That thing out in the middle is a water fountain that will get turned on a little later. I wish they would run it all night because it would be a pleasant addition to the morning walks. These weird ducks coming across the road are year-round residents. They all have distinctive variations of color and shapes so the grandkids have given them all names. Careful where you're walking along this stretch – it's pretty full of droppings as the geese go back and forth between the two ponds right here. They are all pretty much used to us walkers and step aside as we approach, but occasionally will hiss and make aggressive moves, causing the goose bumps on my arms to rise. Sometimes, on my bad days, I have my cane along with me. It is aluminum and adjustable and if I drag it along behind me and tap it sort of sideways on the sidewalk it makes a sound similar to a duck. The ducks and geese look up at me as to say, “Who is that weirdo, the AFLAC nut?” This close group of 12 white ducks is always together. Notice there are six males and six females – they never get more than a foot or two apart from each other. In a minute you'll see Mom and Pop, a pair of mallards that I always find right in this area. Oh, there they are – up ahead, just coming out of the weeds. They seem to have a nest in there. And here is my friend Dumb Bunny. How he survives, I’ll never know, because he hangs out here in plain sight of all the hawks, and is so used to the walkers that he doesn't hide at all, just keeps a few paces ahead of us. Listen! Hear that chatter? It's not a bird – look up on that broken branch – it's a squirrel letting us know that this is his territory. Ah, the sun is getting up to just the right height. Look ahead up there – you can see the sun's rays streaming down and illuminating the air just over the water. That's where I saw the miniature water spouts. But notice as we get closer to it, it seems to disappear. You have to be at just the right angle and distance to see the action taking place. But I carry a small camera with a zoom lens in the car now, so the next time I see the phenomena I will try to record it on film. See this branch sticking up out of the water’s edge? This is where I spotted a kingfisher the other day patiently waiting for some unsuspecting minnow to swim by. Here we are coming around the final turn and approaching the car. See the stone marker in the ground? It says that this is a measured six tenths of a mile walk. When I am walking I don't bother trying to keep count of laps or watch my elapsed time. I just put five coins in one pocket and every time I pass the marker I transfer a coin to the other pocket. When the coins are all transferred I have done three miles and it is time to go home. Thanks for joining me on my walk. Written in fond memory of my Aunt Helen Louise Murdock who took us on many walks like this. |
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