I originally began this post with the intentions of posting pictures only; however, I'm reconsidering including some writing with these photos in order to explain the what and why I took them. The theme for this set of photographs is Around the Town. I have favorite places I like to walk to near where I live, and they never cease to impress me. There are many photos of these places in my collection, but it always seems like every moment seems to have its significance: A lot of the same places, but different inspirations. One of the favorite places I like to walk to is the little pond in the park that is only a few minutes away from me.
This fun little park is great walking area with a playground for children, a tennis court for athletes, picnic tables for those wanting to eat outdoors, and many walkways to stroll throughout. One of the walkways circles around this pond. It is quite small, but large enough to have a flock of ducks reside there nearly year round. Other birds and animals with occasionally appear also. I know it has had a swan and several muskrats show up. Early in the summer mornings sometimes hummingbirds will appear nearby also. I particularly like this pond, because as small as it is, it is still able to pick up the reflections of not only the surrounding trees and brush, but it also picks up the reflections of the mountains in the background.
There are many plants that grow around the edges the park, many of them are still wild, but it gives it a nice little contrast from the obvious landscaped park of the park within. Some of those wild plants have their own variety of beauty, and there is a numerous variety to look at. One of the most vibrant wild plants in the area are the wild sunflowers. They can be found almost anywhere in my area where the land has gone undisturbed.
There is a large open area next to the park, which I believe is still privately owned, where there are many horses that feed off of the weeds and grass in the field. I love to go over and watch them for a few minutes. The field is large, so most of the time these horses are far away, but I have had a few times when the horses came within feet of me. There is a chain linked fence that keeps them from getting into the park, but the last time I walked there, about three horses came up to the fence to greet me. My hands are small enough that I was able to get part of them through the gaps in the chains and touch a nose or two. They are extremely friendly.
The park neighbors a high school, so there are many facilities available for exercising within a convenient distance. The track is open to the public, so many times you'll find people there in the evenings walking or running around it. On Saturdays, you may find a sports program for youth using it for practice in some sports community programs. I'm not fond of the monotonous running around the circle for a number of times, but if I did it, this would certainly be a great place for it, since the surroundings provide something more interesting to look at besides a set of colored and lined tracks. It's surrounded by mountains, and it doesn't matter what time of year it is, those mountains provide a great picturesque view.
One of my personal favorite walking paths runs along the side of the creek that is near the school. It is a small cluster of trees that separates the individual on the path from the nearby playing fields. The running water of the creek is calming and sometimes it's a nice corner to wander off to when you are looking for that more natural and quiet setting. It sometimes has calmness one can get in the mountains, depending on if the fields are being used or not.
There are other places I have discovered the pleasures of walking, but since this is the closest to home, it is the more frequent path. There is another I may share later that goes up to the nearby neighborhood that has a great overlook of the valley.
I originally began this post with the intentions of posting pictures only; however, I'm reconsidering including some writing with these photos in order to explain the what and why I took them. The theme for this set of photographs is Around the Town. I have favorite places I like to walk to near where I live, and they never cease to impress me. There are many photos of these places in my collection, but it always seems like every moment seems to have its significance: A lot of the same places, but different inspirations. One of the favorite places I like to walk to is the little pond in the park that is only a few minutes away from me.
This fun little park is great walking area with a playground for children, a tennis court for athletes, picnic tables for those wanting to eat outdoors, and many walkways to stroll throughout. One of the walkways circles around this pond. It is quite small, but large enough to have a flock of ducks reside there nearly year round. Other birds and animals with occasionally appear also. I know it has had a swan and several muskrats show up. Early in the summer mornings sometimes hummingbirds will appear nearby also. I particularly like this pond, because as small as it is, it is still able to pick up the reflections of not only the surrounding trees and brush, but it also picks up the reflections of the mountains in the background.
There are many plants that grow around the edges the park, many of them are still wild, but it gives it a nice little contrast from the obvious landscaped park of the park within. Some of those wild plants have their own variety of beauty, and there is a numerous variety to look at. One of the most vibrant wild plants in the area are the wild sunflowers. They can be found almost anywhere in my area where the land has gone undisturbed.
There is a large open area next to the park, which I believe is still privately owned, where there are many horses that feed off of the weeds and grass in the field. I love to go over and watch them for a few minutes. The field is large, so most of the time these horses are far away, but I have had a few times when the horses came within feet of me. There is a chain linked fence that keeps them from getting into the park, but the last time I walked there, about three horses came up to the fence to greet me. My hands are small enough that I was able to get part of them through the gaps in the chains and touch a nose or two. They are extremely friendly.
The park neighbors a high school, so there are many facilities available for exercising within a convenient distance. The track is open to the public, so many times you'll find people there in the evenings walking or running around it. On Saturdays, you may find a sports program for youth using it for practice in some sports community programs. I'm not fond of the monotonous running around the circle for a number of times, but if I did it, this would certainly be a great place for it, since the surroundings provide something more interesting to look at besides a set of colored and lined tracks. It's surrounded by mountains, and it doesn't matter what time of year it is, those mountains provide a great picturesque view.
One of my personal favorite walking paths runs along the side of the creek that is near the school. It is a small cluster of trees that separates the individual on the path from the nearby playing fields. The running water of the creek is calming and sometimes it's a nice corner to wander off to when you are looking for that more natural and quiet setting. It sometimes has calmness one can get in the mountains, depending on if the fields are being used or not.
