The sun is dappling the path that lies before us, creating a
mosaic of bright sunlight and dark earth.
Despite the oppressive heat, there is a cool breeze that glances off our
warm skin. One cannot help but be
transfixed by the green – so much green - a million shades of nature, all
blended together, trees crowded on top of each other, vying for sunlight, vying
for life. A spider spins lazily, the
sunbeams glinting off the silken strands.
Birds chirp, singing happy songs, guiding our way. We continue on, our steps relaxed. Squirrels,
chipmunks, we see it all. Something
rustles in the nearby bushes. Perhaps
it’s a snake, slithering through the murky, swampy waters that surround our
path. Perhaps it is something
bigger.
Fall is right around the corner, but only a few eager trees
give it away. We round a bend in the
trail as a deep splash ricochets off the solid trees and stops us in our
tracks. A small doe, quiet and majestic,
stands near, ankle deep in in algae-green water. Her ears perk, her tail flicks. She is silent and watchful. Her baby is not quite as cautious as he slips
tentatively from behind her, eager to continue on their course. We remain motionless, the flickering sun through
the breezy trees the only movement. Hesitantly,
she gracefully steps from the water, slowly, cautiously. Her feet touch solid ground and she is
flying, darting effortlessly among branches and brush, soon swallowed up by her
green world, once again invisible. Her
baby follows, a mirror to her grace.
They have vanished, the spell broken.
For those brief moments, we shared the same space, the same
hesitation. We move on. The sun still sprinkles through the canopy of
leaves. The air still smells of a damp
coolness. It is still hot. We are quiet, reflecting.
Just another day, walking our dogs
on our favorite cart path through the woods.
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I know I have mentioned before that we have tons of golfcart paths around town that are perfect for carting or for walking. Nearly every day this summer, Tony and I took long walks with the dogs down these paths, grateful for the shade and cooler temperatures in the woods. It's like our own private nature walk.
This is the view from our driveway:
That is the start of a cartpath - all we have to do is cross our street and we have access to miles and miles of safe and smooth paths. Lucky, huh?