Around Town

Today’s smattering of rain reminds me again about the challenge of finding dry places to enjoy the outdoors in early spring.   Quite often, my hiking partner and I opt to walk around town this time of year.   Gail and I have started near the Capitol and walked on one of the quieter streets to the downtown area.  After a break for lunch at the Parrot or Benny’s, we like to resume our walk by heading to one of the oldest residential areas of town.  We walk up South Rodney and walk around the Cutler, Pine, Division and Sparta Street areas.  Even though the homes in this area are not built in the grand style, the historic markers are full of little-known facts and information. Maybe this walk doesn’t sound enthralling, but we are over fifty and, therefore, easily entertained. 

One year when I had school children home for spring break, I had the brilliant idea of taking everyone roller skating on the sidewalks in my old neighborhood.   This activity was fun as long as we skated along the sidewalks east to west.  When my brain went backpacking and I led everyone down a North/South street with a steeper incline, our fun came to an abrupt halt.  We came out of the ordeal with a few skinned knees but no broken bones.

Another spring break when we were hemmed in by mountain snow, the kids and I toured cemeteries.   When I mentioned this to my older sister, her mouth dropped open and she favored me with her, “I’ve long suspected your elevator doesn’t go all the way to the top” stare.  Maybe our family is odd in a Dr. Frankenstein sort of way, but the children enjoyed going to cemeteries where their ancestors were buried.  Since we could visit on week days, groundskeepers were available.  We found that groundskeepers are geniuses at quickly finding the graves that we had spent hours unsuccessfully trying to locate on weekends.  We took pictures of the graves to preserve our “finds.” 

With a little off-beat thinking and snacks, the outdoors are fun even during the icy, muddy spring.