Sunday, May 31, 2020

Parks Are Open Again



A few weeks ago our parks were re-opened. First the parking lots remained closed and only people who live in the vicinity of a park could access it by foot or bike.

My favorite parks are not in walking distance from my home. While I could access the lake by bike, the ride there is no fun at all on busy roads with no bike lanes. Even riding along more quiet neighborhood streets can't avoid the busy intersections.

But the old rural cemetery is close to our neighborhood. It was also closed, but now finally we were able to access it again. Of course there were rules in place, all of which make perfect sense.


There was also another sign that was less comfortable...


We live in cougar country and they have been spotted in our neighborhood, so I was aware of my surroundings and avoided the most remote parts of the cemetery.

After the long closure of the parks and the complaining of the people about it I had expected that the cemetery was crowded because people were so eager to get outside and enjoy some nature. But to my surprise I was almost the only one wandering the trails.



A small section of the cemetery had been turned into a native plants garden years ago. It was a bit overgrown but there were still beautiful flowers to discover.

Calycanthus occidentalis (Spice Bush) 

Lepechinia clycina (California Pitcher Plant)

Of course Lathyrus latifolius, the perennial peavine, could be seen everywhere.

After walking for quite a while I found a bench where I sat down for a while, listening to the birds, breathing in the wonderful scent of the old trees, feeling the sun on my skin, hearing the whispering of the soft breeze in the leaves, watching busy little squirrels and just enjoying being in nature.



Only a week later the parking lots were opened as well while beaches at the ocean still remain closed (except for coastal residents). But I'm still weary of crowds and avoid the more popular parks. I find all the peace and calmness of nature in this old cemetery where time seems to stand still. This is enough for me right now.







10 comments:

Valerie-Jael said...

What a beautiful and peaceful place you visited. I love going to the old cemeteries here, too. Have a good, new week, it's a long weekend here for Pfingsten. Hugs, Valerie

Cheri said...

We like solitary too! Jay & I went for a walk on our bike trail at 6 a.m. yesterday. It was deserted! Perfect!

Elephant's Child said...

HUGE thanks for this heartbalm.

My name is Erika. said...

This is a lovely park. Your photos are wonderful. I like the slightly overgrown look. IT makes it seem so much more wild. And isn't it amazing how so shortly we humans pull home how quickly nature comes back out. Mountain lions do sound a bit scary though. Supposedly we don't have them in New Hampshire but I think there is a still a few occasionally coming through, and I wouldn't want to meet one. Stay safe but enjoy your walks. Hugs-Erika

Michelle said...

Parks are starting to open here in KY. We all need nature!! Especially at this time.

Jeanie said...

This is a beautiful park. I'm glad they have good signage and hope people follow. They recently put up signs on my ditch for one way and I feel much better about walking now.

Lowcarb team member said...

Such a lovely park, your photographs are lovely to see too.

All the best Jan

Iris Flavia said...

Wieder vergessen, den Botanischen Garten zu checken, ob wieder offen!
Schön, das hier zu sehen, hier in BS ist es eh zu ungemütlich....

Elli Fant said...

Dear Carola,
I am writing in English so that other reader can understand it, too.
Your photos of the cemetery looks like here exept the warning of the
lion...:-))
It looks like a very old cemetery.
When er are on holiday, we often visit the cemeteries, for examples
on Amrum, the little island opposite Föhr,or we often were in the south of Great Britain, in Devon and Cornwall, there cemeteries are very interesting, old stories are told about the people.
By the way,thank you very much for your email, I was very happy to hear from you .
In Germany we are now allowed to do a lot of things, but I am not so happy about it. Too much too fast. Okay,the current figures of people, who are sick with Corona , are very low, but a lot of European countries open the frontiers and the Germans begin to travel to Spain, Italy,Greece, Turkey and so on.
I am worried about all this. But we will see.
What about your teaching digital?
Have you got summer holidays soon?
Best wishes
Iris





Beatrice P. Boyd said...

Cemeteries are also in my opinion wonderful places to walk because they are generally very unpopulated and even better are also very quiet. There is a very large one not too far from our apt and I have spent a few afternoons there in months past.