Walk, Think, Blog

While walking in the park I notice an interesting cloud formation above. If I was a conspiracy theorist I would have seen malicious human influence. I just enjoyed the view and took a picture.  Then I pressed the "Lens" icon on my Android phone and it immediately performed a visual search and I learned that particular formation was called altocumulus. (Later at home I researched more on it). After all, technology might not necessarily be a distraction. It depends on how we use it.  The sun was getting ready to set and through and shining through this cloud formation it created a wonderful view. I took another picture.  I remembered the basics of photography. Always make sure the source of light (especially the sun) is behind you. Taking a photo not only toward the sun but actually directly of it would have required most expensive cameras and a masterful photographer. Nowadays, anybody can do it.  I thoroughly enjoyed my walk and the wonderful views and my phone did not distra

 One of the reasons for my twice-a-day walk is to escape from the information overload. I walk in two parks. It's a routine. There are just a few things that are different on any of my walks and I try to focus on them. Today when I entered Robsion Park I noticed that the City of Lyndon had removed the most of the tree that fell the other day leaving only a stomp. On a usual day where that would be the only new thing, I notice that would be enough for me to contemplate and write a blog post.  But the late spring is finally awaking and not in a way we portray in fairy tales when suddenly everything starts awakening and growing and everything goes forward. It is more like one step forward, one step back, two steps forward, one step back... They say if you don't like the weather in Kentucky don't mind, tomorrow will be different anyway. And it changes even more frequently. I'm walking all alone in the rainy park at noon and then with many people in the sunny park in the aft

 No rain today. Finally. Just as it was forecaster. People are returning to the park. Finally. I've seen even some joggers and runners.  Yesterday was raining. Not just a drizzle like the day before yesterday but real rain. I just saw two persons (possibly a husband and a wife) walking their dogs. They wore raincoats and stayed in the park for just a few minutes.  I was stubborn with my daily routine. I knew I could skip a day and the following day would be dry but I did not.  Birds were still singing. I could not clearly hear every single melody. The hoodie on my waterproof jacked was muffling them. However, I could hear raindrops falling on my hoodie. They provided rhythm to the harmonies created by birds.  The sounds of raindrops hitting my hoodie awoke some memory. My wife and me sitting in our car in some Kentucky or Tennessee state park in really heavy rain.  It was around fifteen years ago. I was working overtime. I spent several weekends working. Finally, it was the 4th of

I've recalled a scene from my early childhood. We were about to travel somewhere. My father's car was parked just steps from our front door but it was raining. "It's raining. I'm going to get wet" I said. My mother said "You are not made out of sugar. You are not going to melt" When I went for my usual noon walk today it was raining very lightly. I did not even feel a need to take an umbrella with me. I felt just like mist in the air. The park smelt beautifully. The drizzle did not prevent birds from singing their songs. Something was missing. People.  I was the only person in the park. Birds and squirrels liked it very much. They were left alone. I did not mind either. I enjoyed my walk. Last Sunday had beautiful weather and the park was full of people and their dogs. Are we really so alienated from nature that a small drizzle is such a big obstacle? Are we really made out of sugar?

 Calendar spring has come but I cannot recognize it yet. The weather yesterday seemed we could finally experience what we love about springtime. I opened the window but had to close it shortly after because the wind was getting stronger and stronger and it finally turned into a storm.  This morning I checked my home and I could not see any outside damage. During my noon break, I went to a nearby park expecting to see some damage there. All I could see were some fallen branches.  After my work hours, I went to a larger park with more mature trees, and there I saw a fallen tree. I stopped shortly to observe it and I took a picture of it.  The park was empty. No children at its playground. Not too many people want to be outside when the mercury in a thermometer stretches only to 43 degrees Fahrenheit (6 C). Even the birds are silent. No happy birdsongs. No pecking by woodpeckers.  Even in such weather and in an empty park one can observe a lot if they pay attention to details. A guy appea

 While walking in my favorite park I've noticed a man entering it. I could not have missed him since he had some wearable but quite a loud radio speaker with him.  He walked some twenty to fifty steps behind me and I could clearly hear the radio broadcast he was listening to.  It was a political broadcast. The guests were giving sound arguments and I actually agreed with them.  While I agreed with the guests I still hated the fact I had to listen to them in the park. While in the park I prefer to listen to birdsongs and the cacophony of noises coming from children playing, people talking, and sporadic happy dog barks. Other people prefer to listen to the radio, or stream music from the Internet but they wear headsets and do not bother others.  If I, who had similar political views to the radio guests did not like to listen to them what would someone with opposite political views think? Fortunately, I am a fast walker and the loop in the park is large enough so I was able to make en