happiness is a dog
running free on 10 green acres
out in the elements
playing with the others
water bowls for all
in a huge fenced park devoted to them
and their people
walking and talking
benches and trees
waiting for them
when they tire out
while the dogs
just keep on smiling and running.
“dogs have boundless enthusiasm but no sense of shame.
i should have a dog as a life coach.”
-moby
—
swift run dog park, ann arbor, mi, usa
autumn is my time.
i am most radiant and full of energy
when the leaves are falling
and
there is a ghost of change in the air.
-author unknown
—
still walking
as october begins
and
the parks and i
change with the season.
(now at 120 and 30-some to go)
—
north lilley park, ann arbor, mi, usa
“the best way to resolve any problem in the human world
is for all sides to sit down and talk.”
-dalai lama
—
miller nature area, ann arbor, mi, usa
(110 parks down – 50ish to go)
“september tries its best to have us forget summer. “
-bernard williams
—
leslie woods park, ann arbor, michigan, usa
(now deep into the 90’s of the 160 parks adventure)
i parked along a beautiful winding road
walked a few hundred feet
to find this unmarked path
winding its way in switchbacks
all the way up to the top of this park
with natural steps made of roots and branches
and proceeded to climb
in my new shoes
1/2 size larger than the 1st pair that i’d worn out
now a size 6 1/2 instead of a solid 6
it was my first time out in them
and quickly found that
i was not yet used to the extra bit of shoe
suddenly it felt like i was walking in
giant slippery clown shoes or snorkel flippers
it was awkward
i kept kicking things
lots of near misses
almost tripping over things
until i finally really tripped on a large tree root
way up high
and found myself sliding
all the way back down to the bottom of the hill
like a scene from an old spaghetti western
i’m sure i yelled out something
and
stopping again right back where i’d started
near the beautiful road
where a cyclist happened to be riding by
who stopped to see if i was okay
just a bit dusty and surprised really
i stood up once more
and used my giant paddle feet to climb again
this time making it all the way to the top and into the park
none the worse for wear
and i am happy that i was not hiking in the grand canyon.
—
“here at the fountain’s sliding foot, / or at some fruit tree’s mossy root, /
casting the body’s vest aside, / my soul into the boughs does glide.”
-andrew marvell
—
kuebler langford park, ann arbor, mi, usa
bird hills park
dolph park
dhu varen park
eberwhite woods park
—
loving all the forts, both big and small that i’ve discovered as i continue my journey through the ann arbor parks. forts are very sacred places. lots of heart and hard work go into the making of them – special spaces to meet and hang out with your gang.
(i’m about half way through the parks now -through the letter ‘i’)
– 80 down and 80-ish to go! –
onward.
—
“i have a lot of growing up to do. i realized that the other day inside my fort. “
-zach galifianakis
a beautiful morning walk
sharing earhart park with this lovely creature
an evening spent at the first and second sister lakes in dolph nature area
“when we begin to see land as a community to which we belong,
we may begin to use it with love and respect.”
– aldo leopold
—
*i’ve now walked 60 of the ann arbor parks,
(all of the way through the letter ‘e’), only 100ish more to go-
i hope to have found and walked all of them by halloween, october 31
as i look forward to the beauty to be found in the change of seasons.
swimming off of belle isle in the detroit river
with the city keeping watch in the background
—
belle isle is the country’s largest city island park; at approximately 948 acres, it is larger than new york city’s central park. both were designed by famed landscape architect frederick law olmstead. the island officially opened in1845, when it became known as belle isle. in 2014, it became michigan’s newest state park and is being lovingly restored to it’s original splendor.
—
“detroit is big enough to matter in the world
and small enough for you to matter in it.”
― jeanette pierce
—
https://www.belleisleconservancy.org
see the mermaid bathing in her pool, as fairies scamper through the woods. -jack horne -- *still walking the 150 parks, into the b parks on the list now more beautiful discoveries every day shot above taken in bird hills park, ann arbor
treasure discovered during this week’s adventures in the parks.
—
“you can either be a victim of the world
or an adventurer in search of treasure.
it all depends on how you view your life.”
― paulo coelho
