A walk in the park...

Most people have local parks in their neighborhoods. In Thompson, Ohio (just about 10 miles from where I currently live) I grew up with the Thompson Ledges. Throughout the years the park didn't change but for those of us growing up with it, as our age changed, our opinion about the park changed.

When we were little and first introduced to the park, it was just like being in the woods (as most of Thompson is either farms or wooded areas). Oh, and yes I was standing on the edge of the rock at the bottom of the picture, most of what you see is a good 40 feet down or so.

When we got a little older it was a scary place with lots of jagged rocks and older kids scaring us with stories of trolls or goblins or something to that effect.

Then while in High School (which is right across the street) many "walking field trips" were taken here for science or art or to escape the classroom for a bit. Then it was interesting and curiosity peaked at this time. Attempts to make our way through tight ravines to get to remote areas of the park only acceptable if you travel through one of these tight spaces like this one:

Yesterday was the first time in years I had a chance to go back and walk around, just me and the crazy chipmunks and squirrels and the trees. The moss that covers everything is amazing in itself. At times it's so cushy you feel like you're walking on marshmallows.

There's a spot where you can see for miles - literally. If the sun is out and visibility is endless there is a church in Pennsylvania that you can see the steeple from this spot. (The church is probably close to 50 miles away or so) This picture does not do it justice, the visibility was good, but not enough sun to see the steeple.

So why have I been talking about this for so long now? I had a slight ulterior motive to go to the park yesterday. I have been patiently waiting to do a photo shoot for the latest quilt, but it's been raining here for what seems like eons now. It did rain yesterday sporadically, but while I was on my walk, it didn't rain but everything still kept it's wet appearance. It was chilly and the air was still damp it's going to take awhile for things to dry out, but it was the perfect opportunity for a few minutes outside. This quilt was just begging for an outdoor photo shoot, and the timing is perfect. The leaves are just starting to change color, maybe in another week or so another walk through the park will be on the schedule.  Here's a sneak peek of what I accomplished yesterday:

I enjoyed it so much that I stopped at another park along my travels home  from work that I had been meaning to visit. (more on that later) Once I had spent a couple hours outside in the cool and damp fall air, I came home and made a pot of homemade broccoli cheese soup to warm my bones. To top that off I finished my book and relaxed. Not a bad day considering it was a cold, rainy, Monday of all days...