©voyager, all rights reserved

One of the reasons that Jack and I started walking trails is because he’s allergic to grass. Walking on the stuff makes his feet itchy and he pick, pick, picks at them until they bleed. He takes allergy pills in the summer which help, but mostly we try to avoid the stuff once it starts to green up in the spring. That’s not easy when you live in a town where most everyone has a front lawn, so we took to adventuring on dirt paths and forested areas. Turns out we both love to traipse around and explore. We treasure hunt for stones and bones and pretty pictures. Sometimes we chat. Sometimes we sing, but mostly we just be together in companionable quiet. We’ve had so many wonderful times and it’s all because of those itchy feet.

©voyager, all rights reserved

We were overtaken by a swarm of mosquitoes today on our walk by river. We were nearly at the end when the cloud of them descended. Poor Jack got a belly full of  itchy, red bites. His mostly naked belly and groin are the only places the buggers can get to him because his fur is so dense. Little bastards got to me too, but my bites are more all over because I am handicapped by not having fur. I don’t know where we’ll go tomorrow, but I do know we won’t be walking beside this beautiful, serene, swampy breeding ground for pestilent, disease carrying, vampire insects who want our blood.

From Giliell, click for full size!

© Giliell, all rights reserved.

I am terrified of snakes. Intellectually I know that most of them are harmless, especially where I live, but that knowledge doesn’t really help when I’m confronted with one. My heart pounds, I find it hard to breathe and my body freezes. It’s ridiculous, especially for someone who likes to walk in wildish places. So I’ve recently started to watch snake videos in an attempt to desensitize myself and I’ve now gotten to the point where I can watch a whole video without closing my eyes or cringing (mostly.) Why am I telling you all this? Because today I actually saw a real live snake and stopped to take his picture. I feel so brave. I took several shots, but I was a bit shaky and only one turned out. There was some heart pounding and I’m pretty sure I was holding my breath, but I didn’t freeze. Admittedly this snake was sitting still and not wriggling, but I’m not going to let a little detail like that keep me from feeling good. So now, I proudly present the first snake that I’ve ever said hello to.

©voyager, all rights reserved

©voyager, all rights reserved

Today Jack and I walked an unfamiliar trail that wends along the Thames River and the place was positively mad with life. Wild flowers crowd the path and the plants and trees are huge and grow all jumbled together. Wild iris grows with forget-me-nots and buttercups and the Queen Anne’s lace is taller than me. And it wasn’t just a feast for the eyes. The air was warm and sunlight filtered in and out through the trees. We were surrounded by birdsong and the thrum of insects. I let the wild grasses tickle my hands and plucked a few tender shoots to nibble on as we walked. A light breeze carried the fresh scent of water and the deeper scent of earth. My senses were sated. This is the landscape where I spent hours wandering alone as a child and today its familiarity connected me to that forgotten part of myself. It felt special to share it with Jack and I’m pretty sure we’ll be coming here more often.