Tuesday, June 18, 2013

A rainy walk

Every Tuesday my intrepid friend Suzy leads hikes in our new town forest.  Last week, it was pouring so I called to say I wasn't joining her, but she went anyway - alone.  This morning, it was overcast, but 12 people, including 5 kids, joined us.  It was fun, especially with the kids and all their enthusiasm and energy.  One little boy even brought a notebook and pencil because he wanted to write down what we said about the geology of the area.  Unfortunately, we are more into ferns and flowers, but I suggested he come again on Sunday morning when our leader will be able to answer geology and animal questions.

Half-way through the walk, it started drizzling, and by the time we got back to the parking area, we were all pretty wet.  Here's a photo from Saturday's walk.  It did NOT look like this today!
The number of old quarries one encounters is just amazing, as are all the grout piles.  "Grout" is a Scottish word for waste, and that's exactly what the piles are - waste granite, since only 15% of what's quarried is of the quality needed to make statuary and gravestones.  

Over the month that I've been walking in the forest, I've noticed new and different plants every time.  Today there was a profusion of pale green moss along one trail, and all the forget-me-nots and violets are all bloomed out.  We heard a hermit thrush, though, which was quite unusual for a morning. 

I'm almost finished quilting that nine patch quilt.  It will be a cozy project for this afternoon.  Tonight is our last guild meeting until September - pizza and lots of show and tell are on tap.

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