Back in the Woods!

Posted byThe Fullers FourPosted inbelief in God, Sunset, UncategorizedTags:, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
It was mass confusion as the newly-hired “park security” tried to maintain order on Sunday afternoon at the park.

I know it’s been a while since I’ve written, but I just wanted you to know that we haven’t given up our lovely Sunday afternoon walks. We got some fun pictures this past weekend, so this is our update.

We met some chatty fellows who helped us understand what was going on.

Apparently, what we thought was a vacation by the former officers of Park Security was actually an abandonment. They went full AWOL, and have become permanent residents at the resort. They had no savings, but traded their formidable security skills for free dinners and unlimited possession of the lovely private ponds.

I guess I can’t blame them, but it left the others in a bit of a lurch. The chatty boys above told us that they have no choice but to swell the ranks of new recruits the old-fashioned way: Be fruitful and multiply!

Enjoy your leisure while you’re young! These ducklings seem hardy enough, and barely flinched when we walked by with the dogs.

As we drove around the ponds, looking for a good place to park, we saw some early training efforts.

Getting used to walking on pavement is a good first step. These little guys don’t realize how hot the blacktop can get when they slap their little flappy feet down.

We saw some late spring flowers along the way, and even some summer ones!

What’s that bright pop of color? It’s a wild geranium! These flowers love to grow along the shady forest paths, but this one was bleaching out in the sun.
The classic blue forget-me-nots are usually in the woods, and always next to water. They also tend to arrive a little later in the season. We found this one out in the open next to the lake growing near a brand new wild grape vine.
And on almost every stretch of the way, we found white wild roses. These are considered “invasive” because they grow so fast. I took some out of my yard earlier this week, and I’m already regretting it.

As we walked, I kept smelling the sweetest perfume, but I couldn’t figure out what was causing it. Finally, Jim stopped looking for the flowers and just followed his nose. He discovered that the wild grape vines were in bloom, and that was the source of the scent. The flowers don’t have much of a petal, and look more like a cloud of thread than anything else. I am sorry, but I forgot to take a picture. But I did see this while I was looking so closely at the tangle of grape foliage:

It was a tiny damsel in distress–er–damselfly! See how her little eyes are on either side of her head, a bit like a hammerhead shark?
Up close, maybe it’s not a female.
Is that a gray beard I see peeping out from under the chin?

All joking aside, aren’t these creatures amazing? God specifically created each one of them, along with the leaves upon which they rest. Notice how his tiny feet are grabbing the bristly hairs on the face of the leaf? It reminds me of a rock climber’s stance. All of this is a marvel of design. The more I zoom in, the more questions I have. (I’m really curious about that under the chin stuff.)

On the way out we saw this little guy sitting still as a statue. He was obviously well- trained, but seemed a little disappointed that the geese wouldn’t even consider adding him to the security detail. I bet he’s a good listener. And he probably wouldn’t talk.

The sun was going down as we headed out of the park. And it was such a fun day that we weren’t surprised to see a giant smile in the sky.

We all smiled back, of course.
It wasn’t until later that I realized that the rainbow was upside down, above the sun. Glad I got a picture.

Enjoy this beautiful time of year, my wonderful friends! That’s exactly it: I wish you would be wonderful–full of wonder! May God bless and keep you this week. He is the One who does it best. Much love to you!

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