I emptied another camera and added more pictures to gallery of fall pictures from our camera carrying walk at Green Lakes a few weeks ago.
Tag: Green Lakes
My wife and I so much enjoy walking at Green Lakes State Park. Green Lakes is such a gift to all of us. Monday morning was a beautiful early fall day for such a walk. Yes, I know it was technically still summer, but here in Kirkville the feel definitely changed to fall a week or so ago. The smell in the air, the crisp mornings with fog hanging over the corn field across the road from my house, the alternation of clear blue days and soggy gray ones; all tell us that it is September.
Walking and praying go together
Even though Monday was perfect for walking, not many people were out so I was mostly left to my own thoughts. I love to pray aloud as I walk and I did. Holding a conversation with God while meandering on a woodland trail is refreshing at multiple levels. I’m relaxing; I’m breathing fresh air; I’m getting some exercise. I’m also unloading my cares to God and listening for his Spirit’s still small voice of counsel in return. I’m participating in the spiritual work of intercession for others too. There’s something about being out in nature that rejuvenates us all. There’s something about personal times of prayer that does the same. Doing both together is like working a team of horses, the result is more powerful than the sum of the parts.
I’m a nature observer
Another joy of Green Lakes hikes are the nature observations. Being a bird watcher, I’m always on the lookout for rarer birds, especially pileated woodpeckers which are not really rare at Green Lakes. I didn’t see one Monday, only a hairy woodpecker. But, this past summer I saw a male scarlet tanager, one of the few times I have seen one of those in my life. However, it is not just birds that get my attention; I also look at the ferns, the fish, and the fungi among other things. Okay, so I’m a nature nut. I have numerous guide books and sometimes actually look at them too. I prefer to think of myself as simply a good observer.
It was a beautiful morning for a walk as JoAnne and I took our morning exercise at Green Lakes Park today. We usually walk in the hills for an hour or so to get the blood moving. I always enjoy the translucent teal water of Round Lake, the soft mulch-padded path, fresh moist air, bird sounds, shaded lanes, and the mammoth old-growth trees. But one of the great joys of being outside is to watch for a serendipity, something beautiful and/or unusual that arrests my attention. I react with unspoken wonder, or maybe with a audible, “Wow!” or a trademark, “Cool.”
This morning there were at least three. First, on the curve just below the camper dumping station, I saw a smallish raptor, sitting very upright. I had left my binoculars in the car since I was supposed to be focusing on exercise. But I still stopped to get a closer look. (When I got home I looked him up- a Merlin- one of the few times I have seen one.) Then as I headed up the hill at the far side of Round Lake, I heard the familiar clunk clunk that could only be made by a Pileated woodpecker at work close at hand. I looked but could not see him. Soon he flew and as I continued to watch he returned and let me know where the pair were working. They were under some loose brush pecking away at an old decaying fall. The food must have been abundant because they were still at work when I returned 20 minutes later. To top the morning off, I met a very friendly giant schnauzer, glossy haired, taller than Plato was and jet black. She was a gem and she enjoyed a dog-lover’s attention too.
I guess being alert for small moments of joy like those is just another moment by moment way of counting my blessings. It provides joy along the path of life, lifts one’s spirits and sparks gratitude to God for the day.