Randomness from my MP3 Player.....

Yesterday Gus and I took a walk in the park for about an hour. When it's just the two of us, I take my MP3 player, because Gus isn't much of a conversationalist. I like to walk while I listen to music, because sometimes I add in the challenge of walking to the beat of whatever song is on. Some are more challenging than others.

It can be hazardous, however. One of the first times I took my MP3 player, I rested in the comfort that Gus barks at everyone, man or beast, especially beast. I was tooling along through the woods near the back of the park, just me and my dog. A Pomeranian. Who can bark his fool head off, but isn't really much protection.

I was strolling along at a nice clip, burning calories and reveling in the glory of the day. You know how the lyrics of songs come through so much more clearly on ear buds? I was listening to a song, and toward the end of it, I thought to myself, "Wow, I've never heard those words in there before."

The words turned out to be "Excuse me." As in, "Get out of my way, you and your damn dog are blocking the whole path and I've been trailing along behind you for 15 minutes trying to get around." These words were spoken almost directly into my ear, and I jumped violently. Probably wet my pants. Gus looked up, moved aside for the man to pass, and never uttered a sound.

I have what I consider to be an eclectic collection of music on my MP3 player, and because it is set on random or shuffle or whatever they call it, you never know what you're going to get. Here are some of the songs that played during my walk yesterday:

"A Horse With No Name" by America
"James Dean" by the Eagles
"Brandy" by Looking Glass
"Run for the Roses" by Dan Fogelberg
"When You're Good to Mama" by Queen Latifah from Chicago
"Do It or Die" by Atlanta Rhythm Section
"Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" by Billy Joel
"Lay All Your Love on Me" from Mamma Mia
"Say Goodbye to Hollywood" by Billy Joel
Something by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, but I can't remember what.

It seems that just as I get back to the car, there's always something good playing that I don't want to stop in the middle.

But not good enough that I want to walk for another hour.

Fall is in the air...

Gus and I finally went to the park today, and there was just a touch of fall in the air. Those first crisp autumn mornings tend to fill me with either tremendous energy or an ache in my heart that I can't explain or describe. Today I was leaning toward the melancholy to start with, so the chill in the air made me a little morose. No, morose is not the word....introspective maybe. In addition to my heaviness of mood, the skies were overcast. Perhaps that explains the weirdness of the photographs I chose to take on our walk today.

I feel compelled to comment on that last one because it bugs me. Being both a biker (although I prefer the term "cyclist") and a hiker in this state park, I think I can offer objective commentary.

The paths in the park have been expertly designed to keep mountain bikers and walkers separated for the most part. Naturally, however, there are a couple of places where it is necessary for the different paths to converge -- like going over the bridge, for example.

Why should the cyclists yield to the walkers? It's much easier for the walkers to step aside on the path and allow the bicycles, presumably traveling at a faster rate anyway, to pass. There are some occasions when it is not only dangerous but darn near impossible for a bicycle to get off the path.

When I'm walking in the park, I step aside and allow the cyclists to pass. And they usually tell me "thank you." I think I would do that even if I weren't a cyclist in my other life.

A Walk in the Park......

I really believe I was meant to live on or near the water. We walk in this park 3 or 4 times a week, and I am always captivated by the water. When the path goes near the water, I want to stop and look at it every time. Or like Libby (our lab), jump in the cool water for some relief from the heat and humidity.


But I can't stop too often, because this is the view I see most often. Although the path is usually wide enough for us to walk side-by-side, I don't always keep up. Or I get distracted by the water. Or I trip over a root. Or I trip over a dog.

Like most labs, the lake is NEVER too cold for Libby. I've seen her jump in and swim when there was ice crusted at the edges of the lake. Gus, our Pomeranian, thinks he's a lab too. He's too dignified to JUMP in the lake, but he prances out and goes swimming right along with Libby. And then he's not quite so cute. And he has to ride home in my lap. Yuck.