Early September is typically gorgeous for weather in this area, so I try to get out and harass re-connect with nature in some way. Often by driving somewhere with trees and wandering around for a while taking random pictures. This involves time and gas that I do not at the moment possess, so I've been putting it off.
I decided to take a half hour walk this morning. Two hours later I got back. Turns out that near where I live there's a little nature park with trails. \o/
A person who was just walking could probably cover the main loop in fifteen minutes, but I'm a 'Choose Your Own Adventure' walker, so I had to go back to the last branch each time and take the other trails. Also, I stopped a lot to take lousy pictures.
So, lots of berries still around on the bushes.
Oregon Grape
Red Huckleberry
Blackberry
Assorted Berries
There were also Rose Hips and some kind of white berries I don't remember the name of that isn't in the photos. I think lots of berries means an extra cold winter, but that's from out-dated Girl Guide knowledge, so really I have no idea.
There were trees and shrubbery and trails and sunshine and more trees.
Blurry Woods 360 degree turn
Click to view
The... 'canopy' I guess it's called? Upper part of woods 360 degree turn
Click to view
There was also a blurry squirrel.
See the squirrel?
Click to view
All videos blurry because it's not actually a video camera. Also, I suck.
Here are some marginally better still pictures.
There were some exposed roots that looked completely innocent in the picture with the flash on...
... but went a little creepy and tentacle-y without the flash. So I made an icon of it *points upward*
And I played with the macrofocus thingy.
***SPIDER WARNING***
There was a full spiderweb across the path. Picture
through here, because I know some people are easily freaked by spiders. I did some creative limboing and avoided disturbing it.
If a spider is in my house, I have a problem with it. If I'm outside, I'm in its house, and as long as it doesn't do anything to me, I try not to do anything to it.
No, there's no pictures of me limboing. :-P
***END SPIDER WARNING***
All this is right next to one of the busiest streets in town. (Not being particularly busy in the photo.)
Also I discovered I have a hole in my shoe, just big enough to let in lots and lots of gravel. :-P
And of course I returned home to Chaos having evil thought-bubbles at me.
"Where have you been? You smell like dirt and plants. Why are you not lavishing me with attention and treats? Do you want the couch shredded?"
Not a huge surprise to find wildlife and woods in the middle of town; we do have wild deer roaming downtown, so it's hardly a metropolitan area. It just looks like nothing at all from the outside and goes in a long ways. I drive past it several times a week, but never explored 'til I was walking today. It was a neat discovery today and I wanted to share. :-)