The wife and myself have a new residence as of the last couple of weeks. We are still getting settled into the townhouse, though things are coming together nicely. Still a lot of things to be done to get everything put away, organized, and especially decorated, not to mention the downstairs/garage area where I get to have my shop again. That all being said, one of the biggest reasons that location appealed to me was the park in the backyard and the general outside environment.
This past week we have actually gotten to have a few minutes a couple of nights during the week and have taken to getting in some walking. It is a good thing for me from an exercise point to be sure, but it is also a very relaxing bit of time that allows for some wind down from the mental demands of the day. It also allows for some quality sharing time with the most wonderful woman who puts up with me in all things.
Of course Bitzer enjoys the walks. She gets just darn right excited if you open the door anyway thinking she might be getting to go for a ride somewhere, but reach for the leash before you open the door and Bitzer will practically melt with excitement and anticipation. She loves taking walkabout. As an added bonus, in addition the exercise she gets (which she needs as well, especially starting to be a slightly older dog by most accounting) the paved walking track helps to keep her nails in check. She really hates getting them trimmed but this is the semi-natural solution.
Enough of my blithering about various seemingly random topics. Right out our back yard there is a park – Lake Mingo park. The only negative I can point to is the fence that is at the back of our townhouse property between us and the park, especially as it has no unlocked gates. Fortunately we are less than a half a block walk down the front of the street and less than fifty yards from that corner to the park.
You enter at the parks main feature, Lake Mingo itself. Honestly calling the large pond (that is probably slightly less than an acre) a lake is a pet peeve, but I will let it slide. The pond is semi-regularly stocked by the Fish and Wildlife department with both trout and catfish. The first time I saw the sign I was so excited by the trout I missed what the second stocking was, which catfish is one of my favorite fishing types. Additionally there are several groups of ducks and both native and Canadian geese present. On our walks there were at least three native geese on the nest with several eggs each and clearly several young ducklings just a few weeks to a month or so old by my guess. Of one minor note, there are no fish stocked that one things of has plant eaters and the moss like plants extend ten and twenty feet from the bank outward in most areas of the pond.
There is a one mile paved walking track that goes around the park. On the East side of the walking track it runs mostly in and out of the shade of various trees and wooded areas. Amongst those trees is one of my favorite fruiting trees, the Mulberry. Of course some of the fruit is just starting to turn at this point and that excites me. My dismay, that which is turning is all just out of hands reach and so the birds are enjoying them much to my chagrin.
While walking the track the other day, someone yelled, “Four!” My mind paused for an instance before it occurred to me that the park also has an eighteen hole professional holes Frisbee golf course. In the pause for registration, the swoosh of a Frisbee hitting the ground near to us was heard. I am going to have to definitely give this a try soon, on my own if I can not find someone else willing to give it a play. Sure is different then the course we had a Transylvania, where the ‘holes’ were various landmarks, like the third telephone pole from the corner on the other side of Broadway.
Coming on around the walking path there are several picnic areas, a couple of playground areas with appropriate equipment that almost always seem to have kids enjoying them, a couple of basketball courts and skate park that I am guessing is just awesome if that is your kind of thing.
One last thing I will mention, though not at all part of the park. Just outside our front door we have a Magnolia tree. I was so glad to see that shortly after we moved in it started budding out and just this week is popping out blooms. Of the flowering trees, I suppose I show my tendency toward things Southern – as I think this may be one my favorites if not indeed the top of my list.
Enjoy some pictures from the park and of the Magnolia tree.
