I have been waiting for this day since we returned to Michigan. I drank my morning coffee as the sun was coming up to a cloudless day. The sky was crystal clear blue and the air was still so I put on my new walking shoes, winter coat, pulled a red hat down over my hair and ears, and put on my red gloves. I grabbed my camera and was off.
I didn’t know how cold it was but knew it was cold because my eyes watered and burned and my nose got really cold. I later learned that it was 20 degrees F but I didn’t care because I was out to explore a new path that I saw yesterday when I went through the neighborhood in the opposite direction. I have been walking this neighborhood for four years and never noticed it.
That little sign on the left says something about no hunting or trespassing. It didn’t stop me – I figure that at my age and with a camera around my neck I could talk my way out of any mess I get myself into. The beginning of the path is like a drive – it goes between the houses that face the street and some houses that are built way back from the road with other drives.
I’m not sure what the purpose of this path is but the walking was easy and the first thing I noticed was fresh deer tracks in sandy soil – unusual for here because we have lots of heavy clay.
The walking was easy because of moss underfoot…
Until…
This was the end of the groomed trail but I easily climbed over this and found all kinds of delights as I walked on down the path.
The walking became more difficult as I had to watch for fallen limbs among the leaves. I finally came to a point where there wasn’t a trail and the walking was too hard so I turned around. On the way back, the sun was high enough to cast beautiful shadows across a mossy lane that seemed to go to the back of someone’s home.
I hated to reach the road and leave this natural trail and all its treasures for the well-manicured lawns of the neighborhood. But there were other treasures to photograph and I’ll share those on another day.
I was taking a few last shots in my yard when my camera stopped working – the memory card was full. I had been gone 2 hours and had taken 275 photos. What a fun way to spend a late November morning.
What a lovely series of photos–made me just a tiny bit homesick for Michigan.
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Pat – Great post-Thanksgiving note. A nice long walk to work off the stuffing and pumpkin pie. It’s amazing how we can pass by something many times and suddenly, or finally, discover it. Looks like you’ve got a Michigan version of my ancient cobblestone to meander about. Forge ahead and take lots of pictures.
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Wouldn’t it be horrible to not have interesting things to photograph. I seem to think that it wouldn’t be a problem with the environment but instead with the person in it. I love the fact that we can show each other our corner of the world – which forces me to see mine in a new way. Life is great – thanks for sharing it with me. Oh, and I think my stroll this morning didn’t take care of the Thanksgiving damage.:)
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That was fun! Thanks for taking me on your walk!
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So glad you could come. Life is always more fun when we share.
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Beautiful walk and photos! Your part of Michigan looks very much like my area in Ontario.
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Thanks. Probably the same glacier visited us a few years back. I absolutely love Michigan. We have visited Ontario many times and love it, too. My husbands father was from the Owen Sound area.
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I love walks like the one you took. And what great shots you had to share of it.
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What a neat little adventure! It always feels a little special when you find a hidden treasure that was right in front of you the whole time.
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Yeah. I hadn’t thought about that, but it is now a very special place because it is right close, a thousand miles from the neighborhood an eighth of a mile away, and “discovered” only by me. Thanks, Nicole.
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Great pictures!
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Thanks, it was a great morning. And I thoroughly enjoy them when they come. 🙂
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