OK, Canadian friends, YOU might not think 25º F is particularly cold, but my hands were so numb I could scarcely move them! Note to self, wear warmer gloves. Today’s walk seemed colder than yesterday’s by far, and with the heavy overcast we’ve been having, no brighter. I headed to the east side of the park looking for interesting scenes to catch and climbed the berm at the NW corner of the Kingshighway/US 40 interchange. It is the highest point on the east side and affords a good view of the park, but the late afternoon gloom was hardly conducive to spectacular images.
Cypress trees by Bowl Lake, posterized in Photoshop
Still I persevered, concentrating on this small corner of the park, with its stone bridge and pond full of American Lotus stalks, withered and brown in the dead of winter. I tottered about on the rocks by the stream, whose flow has been shut down for the winter, met a girl named Fleur, who asked if it was alright for her to unleash her dog near me. I almost said “Does your dog bite?”, but it growled at me and ran off, so I figured that was enough conversation for the moment.
Oh, the clouds in the sky and the trees on the berm and the green grass grew all around, all around…
So I parked myself on a rock by the bridge, after checking carefully underneath for trolls, and rejoiced that other than my nearly immobile hands, all the rest of me was quite warm, thanks to double everything.
Trollsbridge and the Witchy Tree on the shore of Acursed Lake.
Tomorrow, the weatherperson assures us, holds forth the promise of Icarus’ Bane, the farmer’s friend and the only constant source of photons in our solar system. And not a day too soon!
Would you like to join the fun and walk with me in Forest Park? Check here for our upcoming open walks!