Nature walk smack dab in the middle of town

Last year I took the kids out to a lot of different parks to explore. This year is different. I still can strap you into the stroller, but you certainly don't want to stay there. No more lounging on a blanket under a shady oak.
Lately we've been walking around our own neighborhood. Mostly with your dad. The other afternoon we went without your dad, and we checked out a new section of the 'hood. I was pleasantly surprised. There were some nice trails - and not 10-15 minutes from our front door.





There really is something about this time of year. Renewed energy. Change. Metamorphosis.

Speaking of, we saw some butterflies on our walk. And what was notable to me as that you two were tracking it. You SAW it and watched it float around in front of us ("fly!").




We also saw ducks and as we crossed over a pedestrian bridge I heard a splash. Off to our right was a HUGE turtle diving into the water. And then another. You two missed it, but I was excited to see them. Somehow I missed the whole nature thing when I was a kid. Or I've blocked it out of my memory. Do we have some traumatic nature stories Grandma Jane? Am I protecting myself from a memory of a vicious squirrel attack? ;)

I have been thankful for our walks. Your dad and I get to talk, which is really, really nice. We've been able to see our neighborhood in a different light. It's not ALL a total wasteland. There are some people who care, there are some houses that are kept up. So we're motivated to make it pretty too. Your dad gets the fun of putting up vinyl siding sometime in May. Woo-di-hoo.