Scenes from a Stroll

Before I get into what I have seen on my strolls along the river, which, let's be honest, that is the proper term for what I do, there are a few fun things to bring to your attention, beginning with my awesome little bird call whistle that I found at a darling local spot called, Rare Bird. You blow into it and lovely little sounds are your reward.

They do coffee and bagels, tiny donuts which our pickleball friend Braedon makes before coming to play, along with all manner of adorable merchandise. Some of it useful. Here's a funny story about that place. Imagining that I could find a really special birthday card there for Matthew, who turned 47 (!) btw, I found what I thought was a card. Except that it wasn't! Haha. Opening the package, I discovered that it was a print instead. Oh well, back to the cards that I brought with me! Fortunately, I was able to fit it into the envelope although it took forever to reach London! While we are on the subject of mail, we have had none if you do not count the Father's Day card from Jonathan. Have I already mentioned this? Did I tell you about our visit to the Murphy post office? The super friendly staff assured me that our forwarding request had gone through. Now, while we don't get a lot of mail, we do get some. At home we know our mailman, as does everyone because he is so friendly, thus, I asked David to inquire about what was possibly going on. Mike was quick to say he would look into it and I am finally feeling confident that the mail will one day arrive! The mail carrier here is a very friendly woman as well. 

Check these out!!!

Rummaging through the stuff at an Andrews thrift store this set was just too cool to pass up. Aren't they just so fun? For $10 I bought a neat piece of history which I learned about in this article from a long time ago. How long ago? Well you could click on the link and discover something new and interesting but should that not be in the cards, the answer is the year we were married....1973!! I used them when I made macaroni and cheese for us. I was thinking of making that dish when Hank came over for dinner, however, I went with mashed potatoes instead. He and Bruce doing the grilling thing. So good having a grill again!

Thinking about cool chinaware, while visiting with Karen and Jim there are so many cool collections to peruse including this very small selection of her larger collection of tea pots. 

I am in full agreement with that sign!

Here is an update you all have been waiting for---the hummingbirds like it!! 

Alrighty then, let's go for a stroll along the lovely Murphy River Walk, shall we? As I return to the parking area, this scene makes me happy. Because I have no experience with lilies, I have no idea how much longer they will be around. They are featured a lot around town, but it seems to me as if their number is diminishing as summer is here.

Not only am I on the paved portion but I am dodging Canadian Goose poop, something I was familiar with from our time in Vancouver!

Other parts are different surfaces including this wooden boardwalk,

along abandoned railroad tracks,

gravel,

and more gravel.

A long section that I have only just begun exploring has dirt underfoot.

Every once in a while a seat is provided.

Green, green and even more green! What will all of this look like in fall, or winter, for that matter? 

Every now and again another color presents itself and in this instance some berries which may or may not be edible. I have seen some that are larger and look like blackberries so maybe that is what they are?

Because I meander I notice a lot of things, mostly that are unfamiliar to me. For example, I've never seen a button bush before.

I've already forgotten what these tiny beetles are called, but I assure you they are only about the size of your thumbnail.

When you think about it though, why do I even need to know what all this unfamiliar flora, fauna and bugs are? With my memory, it serves little purpose because no sooner have I looked it up, then I forget what I just "learned"! That said, it normally doesn't stop me from checking. :)

A little cutie on this tree, adjacent to the park war memorial as you can see the flags in the background.

Allegedly that is a Song Sparrow. So, how many of you are using that cool feature on your iPhones? You take a picture, say of a bird, and a little icon appears over top signaling that if you click on the little starred i underneath, it will lead you to knowledge of what you are seeing. Pretty darn cool, right? It is also probably a tracking device, but what isn't these days? 

For now the dragonfly will remain a mystery unless of course, you want to take a picture of my picture and find out for yourself.

Continuing our stroll this very large plant comes into the frame.

I was imagining that these were cones of some sort, but upon closer inspection, well, take a look for yourself. Lots to learn about Sumac which you can do so here. 

After looking into it on my computer it seems like I will be keeping my eye on this plant because those little berry looking things may just turn fuzzy. I will keep you posted.

On this part of the walk it was very damp the day I was there. Damp=bugs. 

I hustled my way through that and by golly I came out one of the entrances, and landed here. Yes, a neighborhood with a house highly anticipating the 4th of July.

Another wet day I found myself here. 

What so puzzles me is, "what happens next?" Do the plants get larger? Do all of the little flowers disappear?

In our first two weeks or so there were lilies blooming everywhere around town including these on the hillside adjacent to part of the walk.

Do the Canadian Geese stay here all year long?

Sadly, according to this from North Carolina Extension Gardener, the Persian Silk tree is now considered invasive.

Yet another example of what once seemed like a good idea and turns out later to not be so. Happens a lot doesn't it? The same goes for Kudzu, the scourge of the South is what I call that invasive plant. Here is one writer who called it the plant that ate the South. No kidding as we have seen it everywhere, particularly in our drive across Alabama and Kentucky when we were returning from Vancouver. Sadly it is here as well and the other day it was a double whammy with one invasive plant taking over another.

Yikes!! 

Aside from the one above all photos have been taken on my strolls, one of the best things about Murphy is this river walk. It took some smart and dedicated folks to make it happen for whom I am grateful. I feel as if we are living in a mystery novel and barely following the plot. What will we see next??

your friend,

Gail