Conjuring Days of Yore....August 10, 1999

Conjuring Days of Yore....August 10, 1999

Within the city centre is one of it's most valued treasures, to me at least: a park. Yet it is no ordinary park. To me, it is a shrine.

Spanning acres, and spreading from downtown to the commerce section uptown, it is a vast forested area that once belonged to a church, having been donated to the city aeons ago. It remains largely unchanged since the grounds were originally landscapped in the late 1700's. With playground equippment, a deer pen, duck and geese pond, and numerous picnic areas, complete with outdoor cooking parephrenalia, this park appeals to all.

Most appealing to me are the park's hiking trails. There are several that make their way through the forest, twisting and turning and intersecting as one makes his way from the bottom of the hill, where the park entrance is located, all the way to the top, just behind the busy, bustling commerce section. It is easy to get lost on these trails while a novice, but given their appeal, one becomes an expert in no time.

Just one traverse through this park, and one is hooked. The paths, carpeted with a combination of the last few years' fall foliage, pine needles, and cedar shavings, walled in dense oak, maple, cedar, poplar, pine, and spruce, wainscotted with shrubs of diverse variety, and enclosed with a grand canopy, eliminate any evidence that modern city life exists a few hundred feet in any direction. Indeed, it is almost impossible to hear the drone of passing cars, the shrill of honking horns, even the cackling of playing children (unless they are on the trails themselves). Combine this with ancient rock formations, babbling brooks, wooden bridges, stone steps, abundant squirrels, raccoons, and rabbits, and one instantly feels transported back into time, to medieval days of yore. This spiritual nostalgia is exacerbated by the chance encounter of a horse rider coming from just around the corner (the park has a stable).

I love spending time in this park, on these trails. So does Reekie, and now Moo. Standing still on a path, deep in the forest, eyes closed, letting a gentle breeze caress the body, breathing deep scents of pine and maple, listening to the chirp, chirp, chirp of birds, the rustling of leaves, and the critter crackling of branches, seems to awake a deep yearning in my spirit. My soul seems to lift up, break free, and glide on that soft breeze, mingle with those scents, ride the notes of birdsong, dance on those rustling leaves, chat with those critters, until drunk with serenity and joy so as to return to the physical healed and at peace from the inside out.

Reekie and Moo, permitted to run free, race each other down the trail, burst into the wood, spring forth from it, and repeat the process perpetually. For a time, they seem to exist on the threshold of domesticity and the untamed, revelling in the ability to let their spirits, too, invoke ages of old and long past. So seldom do they seem to exhibit such sheer, intemperate joy.

After spending the usual two hours trekking, happening upon the park entrance again seems anticlimatic for us three. Reekie and Moo have to go back on their leashes, repressing the beasts within yet again, and I have to return to some semblance of reality in approaching the car.

Nevertheless, the essence of the experience remains, allowing for a sense of quiet contentment that lasts the day through. It also permits a deep afternoon slumber for the pups, and sometimes for me, too.

Such is how I spent my morning today, in this park, on these trails, with Reekie and Moo. It was such a good day.

....Blessed Be