On Sunday, for the first time in months, Zen-Den and I went to the Nature Preserve intending to wander around the flat easy path that connects the herb garden to the old farmhouse.
‘Tis a pretty path any time of year, and knowing what I was getting into, I wore shoes for that kind of leisurely walk. A stroll.
However, somehow [let’s blame it on curiosity], we got [shall we say?] off course and ended up on a moderately difficult path that took us half a mile down a steep hillside to a creek, along the banks of the creek, then back up to the parking lot.
From this experience, I learned three valuable lessons:
- I will always in the future, regardless of what we say we’re going to do, wear hiking boots when going to the Nature Preserve;
- I will always in the future take one of the free maps, readily available in a display in the parking lot; &
- When descending uneven, seemingly never-ending limestone steps down a hillside, my mind thinks about the worst that can happen. In this case, it flashed to the scene in Grace and Frankie [Season 4] when we get a glimpse of Grace’s icky knee, complete with stitches and a long bloody-ish incision, after knee replacement surgery. Oy vey.
And on that angst-filled note, here are some photos of the path we took at the Nature Preserve as we walked, trudged, and then climbed our way around it.
• • •
Oh so pretty in late winter! Must see more.
• • •
What a charming little path. I wonder where it goes?
• • •
My goodness, this path suddenly looks old and not tended.
• • •
Well, at least that little stone bridge up ahead looks sturdy.
• • •
Oh look! What a nice flat rustic wooden bridge over a little dry creek.
• • •
Oh dear, this uneven path just keeps going down, down, down to a large creek.
• • •
Finally! What a lovely, relatively flat, stoney path by a large creek.
• • •
Yes! Look at these civilized wooden stairs leading back up the hill to the parking lot. Hallelujah!
THE END
I’ve joined in a yearlong monthly event called 
THE SPECTACLED BEAN 