Let’s go for a walk

Crepe Myrtle leaves

Walking shares with making and working that crucial element of engagement of the body and the mind with the world, of knowing the world through the body and the body through the world.

~ Rebecca Solnit

A rough map

Let’s go for a walk.  We might not get far.  It is hot.  It is humid.  It is hazy.  And although the insect population is not as annoying as it was during the peak of the summer months, there are still chiggers to contend with so it’s best to dress for them by wearing long pants and a long-sleeved shirt.  Hiking boots are probably a good idea, too.  You never know what you might encounter around here.

Green berries

Let’s start by making our way up the driveway, past the two tall Crepe Myrtle trees whose leaves are now almost the same shade of red the flowers were just a month ago.  To the left is a hedgerow of sorts, filled with trees, shrubs, marsh grasses, honeysuckle, trumpet vines, and things I haven’t identified yet, all intermingled to an extent that it is hard to tell where one plant starts and another ends.  Some of the trees and vines have berries on them now.

Red leaves and berries

There are green berries, red berries, and orange berries.  I’ve seen some blue berries, too, but they are not blueberries.  Just blue berries.

Orange berries

Someday we’ll learn the names of the trees and vines and berries, but we won’t worry about that today.  Instead, we’ll just admire the shapes and arcs and colors.

Butterfly in the meadow

To the right you’ll see the largest of the two meadows.  The meadows look like desert areas on the rough map I provided, but in reality they are stuffed with plants, shrubs, and small trees, almost overflowing with life and color.  There are large patches of white asters interspersed with large patches of different varieties of goldenrod, sea myrtle shrubs, small trees, and tall grasses.  Bees are humming.  Butterflies are flitting and flying and dancing.  Two bright yellow butterflies meet in mid-air and do a little samba before separating and moving on.  Seeds float on the breeze.

The hedgerow to the left gradually begins to turn into a wooded area, and there’s an opening that you might miss without someone to show it to you.  Look closely.  Among the trees and vines there is a path winding into the woods.  Let’s turn in there and follow the path to the graveyard.  Once through the almost hidden opening, the path is easy to find.

In the graveyard

The path through the woods and into the graveyard needs work, and you have to duck here and there to avoid the vines hanging from the trees.

Mary Beauchamp’s tombstone

Let’s pause here for a few minutes.  It’s cooler here in the shade of the forest.  Even though it’s October, the sun feels brutal today, and the shadows are soothing.  I think this is one of the most peaceful areas on the property.  Take a few deep breaths.  The trees are mostly pines.  Although the air is humid, there is a dryness that stings the nose.  It’s been quite a while since we’ve had rain, but I think it might be the scent of the pine needles covering the forest floor that causes the prickling sensation in the sinuses.  The impression of dryness to the nose and humidity in air always reminds me of a visit we made to a redwood forest near the coast of California several years ago.  I like the way scents can sometimes transport me to another place and time.

Under the pines

As we make our way back out to the driveway to walk along the meadows, look up.  I was delighted to discover today that there is mistletoe growing on one of the trees.  It is WAY up there, near the sky, so I doubt we’ll be climbing up there to pull some down for holiday decorations.

Mistletoe

The Virginia Creeper is putting on quite a show at the edge of the woods on the left.  We will have to get in there and cut it down eventually because it’s not good for the trees, but for now we can stop and admire the vivid redness of the leaves as they mix with the greens of the pines.

Virginia Creeper hiding in the pines

Out here on the dustiness of the driveway, you can smell the sweetness of the meadows.  I don’t know what is perfuming the air, but it smells good.

Autumn colors are in fashion now.

There are trails blazed through the meadows.  The one to the left runs alongside the outer edge of the woods where the graveyard is located, and then curves around at the edge of the property line, heads out in the direction of the street, and then curves back towards the driveway.  The trail in the big meadow to the right is not finished yet and dead ends somewhere in the goldenrod and asters.  We’re still working on the pathways.  We’ll skip both trails as it’s too hot today to wander around out there where there is no shade.  Instead, let’s go back and make our way out to the dock.  We’ll have to go through the loblolly pine forest to get to the dock, and there’s usually a nice breeze blowing through the trees, especially as we get closer to the water.

Not all of the trees are pines.

Ah.  Here we are.  At the dock.  The bench is comfortable, the breeze is lovely, and even the sun doesn’t seem so bad out here.

Today’s view from the dock.

I’m going to sit for a while and watch the water.  It’s high tide, and the water is still coming in.  I’m going to wait for that moment when the water seems to be still, the gap between tides (the Madhya, or still point between two phases of movement).  You’re welcome to stay as long as you like.  Or, if you grow restless or tire of the sun, walk back and explore the woods.  There are all kinds of things to see in the woods, including the skeleton of a deer.  If the sun is at just the right angle, a shaft of light lands on the skull, making the bright white stand out among all the browns of the pine needles.  There are butterflies to follow and berries to admire, too, if bones are too gruesome for you.

Watching the cool blue of the waves on the creek.

Thank you for joining me.  I know this is an exceptionally long post so if you made it to the end, I doubly thank you.  I’ll try to make the next walk shorter.

Be good, be kind, be loving.  Just Be.  🙂