A couple of weeks ago my international student and I planned to do archery today. Everything is closed because of the pandemic. My back-up plans were at the library ... but that is closed as well.
For the last two weeks, my walks have been in my neighborhood. Mainly a variation to the eye doctor and back. I needed to get out of the hood while maintaining social distancing.
Yesterday I talked to F and she didn't want to walk. She's afraid to go outside. She has self-quarantined in her dorm. So I decided when I got up this morning I was going to walk on the D&L alone. My only question was whether I'd drive over and walk to Allentown, or walk from the house to the trail and only do a bit. Bonus, maybe I'd see turtles.
It takes about 45 minutes to do my eye drops. So I began the series and opened Facebook and I saw this:
After watching the video and seeing all the new things at the Art Trail I decided to go there. An instant later I thought, hmmm, maybe Angel and the teen want to come. I totally forgot she had an injured foot. Of course, we'd keep a social distance. The trail is right by their house. I emailed Angel and she ultimately said yes. We had to wait for the teen to wake.
The last time I was on the trail on the Winter Solstice walk sponsored by the KSAT. I thought I went back shortly after but I couldn't find a blog post. The last post I saw was from 2018. The things that were new for me were the bridge to the silk mill, the labyrinth, and the qi gong area called the Eight Pieces of Brocade.
Our first stop was the pedestrian bridge to the renovated Silk Mill complex. Then we took the nature trail along the creek back to the path. When we returned to the path I could see the red stones of the labyrinth as we neared the dog park. I knew what it was from the video.
Angel explained to the teen what the labyrinth is and what she does while walking one. I think it is the quietest I've ever seen the teen.
Labyrinths are spiritual. I am not. I believe in nothing including myself. But I enjoy walking them, and this one was a different configuration than any I've walked before. My stone is actually a broken clamshell, the little white one on top. Angel's is the stick that looks like a ducks head. I don't know what the teen put down.
It is fun, yet scary walking with the teen. She reminds me, of me, when I was young. She's got quite a spirit of adventure and is fearless. Once she slid over a downed tree onto a large rock/foundation in the creek and then onto another old piece of the foundation. Another time she walked down an erosion line to the creekside.
I've seen this drawing bench before. The sign talks about nature journaling. I never knew there were supplies inside. The teen comes back up thru the woods, goes to the back of the drawing bench, opens a door and pulls out a sketchbook. There were colored and regular pencils back there as well. They really want you to journal. It's cool. I kept a journal and put the pencils back. Maybe I'll start posting sketches instead of photos.
The trail was busier than I've ever seen it. But people were respectful and kept their social distance. Unless of course, they had a dog. Then the teen greeted everyone at the end of a long leash.
Once we reached the red arch we turned around and came back.
I wonder how Angel's foot is doing.
Miles/Steps: 3-ish miles
Weather: Low 50s, sunny, breezy
Wildlife:
I heard birds and the teen tried to take a pic of a squirrel.
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