Surprise! Another gorgeous after-work walk. 14,488 steps. 24C AND it’s a long weekend!! This will mostly be a photo post. It’s been a long week, and it’s always so rejuvenating to head out after work into the river valley, which is still sporting so much colour.
Met a little friend on my after-work walk to Tom’s – a Spotted Tussock Caterpillar, also known as a Woolly Bear Caterpillar also known as a Tufted Teddy Bear Caterpillar! They are not uncommon, but it’s always nice to see one. They look like they would have nice personalities.
My camera, if I use the wide angle setting, can give really interesting effects, but it also distorts on the edge. Trying to get as much green in my photos as possible as we head into Fall. Once again it was windy but it got up to 21C. 11,773 steps.
We’ve had some coolish temperatures in the last couple of days and a few, yellow leaves are blowing around on the ground. I am not looking forward to Autumn. It’s beautiful, and in the thick of it, I love it, but it’s always too soon. Always. We never get a full August without some hint of autumn in the canopy. And once it starts, it’s so quick. As I have said before, September (along with May) is the most changeable month. It starts out summery, and by the end, it is almost past-peak fall.
The day started off very grey and cold, but by the afternoon the sun was shining. I had planned on making some pies with a huge bag of Tom’s apples, but the draw of the summer afternoon was too strong.
It was very cheering to walk into the river valley via the Victoria Golf Course and be surrounded by deep, deep green and full, swaying foliage. There were lots of golfers and some physically distant activity happening on the grounds, with the sound of laughter wafting through the trees. It was all so…normal. Kind of a gift.
Once I was past the golf course, I walked along river road and then up into Glenora via the paved trail. It really felt like summer. I then met up with Tom and we walked back into Oliver via the museum, now a favourite route. I ended up with about 15,000 steps. The temperature never got above 18C, but that was OK. The good news? It’s still summer.
These photos were taken on two separate days, one bluer than the other. My iPhone camera died for some inexplicable reason half way through my first official river valley walk home in the new ‘hood last week. I think it was just too damn cold. Today, I walked the same route and my camera was warm and compliant.
I have to say, it’s not a great commute but it’s a commute, on foot, and that’s what matters. The problem is that it’s mostly in traffic. Down Saskatchewan Drive, over the Groat Bridge, up Victoria trail and then a set of stairs to 121st. It takes 40 minutes and less than 10,000 steps. This, I think, will be a walk I take in the winter and when I need a good, but not a great walk home. Once the river valley trails melt, I’ll take the woods. I also need a new pair of running shoes. I used a really old pair today because I threw out my shoes from two years ago that developed toe holes and were basically unwearable (or so my toes tell me). I usually try to get a new pair of running shoes every year, but I just didn’t last year.
I am not sure I feel settled. I haven’t landed yet in my new place, if that makes any sense. It feels like a home, and a nice home, but not my home. I don’t know why. I think I need to walk around more, get acquainted with the access points to the river valley. I kinda know them, but further east (Strathcona) and further west (in Glenora), not Oliver. I think it will come. I hope it will come.
The weather in April and most of March has been horrendous. Until today. It was above zero for the first time since the beginning of the month. I haven’t walked much, or really, at all. This weekend, I think the book dust from the boxes set off some sort of reaction and I was woozy all day Sunday. I walked to the grocery store, and the blue sky and warmth-averse sunshine felt great, but I had to make it short. This is worrisome. Am I just dead dog tired of packing and unpacking boxes (yes); am I really allergic to dust (probably not); or am I having some sort of psychological reaction to my acquisitive book habits that seem less of a good thing now that I’m having to sort, shelve, recycle and possibly re-home them? I feel overwhelmed, and strangely antagonistic to my horde.
But I digress.
I feel much better today. I hope this is the beginning of…or the return of…a new walking phase in my life. And possibly fewer books.
5C/4:53-5:40ish
Well, I finally launched myself out of my sister’s basement (hoisted might be a better word) and moved back into a walkable neighbourhood. It took six years, most of them very happy but largely unwalkable (from a commuter standpoint). I’m not going to belly gaze too much on that one. I already know I’m prone to inertia when it comes to major life changes, and the location in south Edmonton with my family – furry and non-furry alike – was just comfortable enough, and my career, at times, too precarious to make any sudden moves.
And so, six years later…
Instead of moving back into my familiar haunt in Old Strathcona, however, I’ve opted for downtown, in Oliver. It’s even more walkable, but alas, it is not two blocks from my beloved Mill Creek Ravine or ten minutes from my (also beloved) Whitemud Ravine. But, what it lacks in immediate ravine access it more than makes up for in walkability to work, amenities and the river valley. I just moved in last week, so between a spare room half-filled with boxes (mostly books), and building new bookcases for said books, I’ve not had much time to explore the ‘hood, although I am vaguely familiar with it.
I walked home once last week, and it was great. Not through the river valley, but across the High Level Bridge and then along the path that snakes around the edge of downtown above the river. It took about 45 minutes. Eventually, I will take the various river valley routes home, but it’s just been too busy. I don’t feel that relaxed at the moment. Far from it. There’s always a thousand things to do, in the evening, at work, and especially at home. I need a week off to get everything sorted.
It’s strange to be on my own again, which sounds crazy coming from a person who has done just that for most of my adult life. I am only about a 20 minute walk (or five minute drive) from Tom, and my sisters are short(ish) drives away, but when I come home, it’s just me. No Molly. No Maggie, or Stella, or Wanda. I might have to cat up. It’s awfully quiet.
I am looking forward to some actual leisure time that’s not about opening boxes or frowning at the visible consequences of my acquisitive book habits. Wandering in the neighbourhood. Walking instead of driving to stores. Walking to Tom’s. Walking in the river valley. Discovering new routes and pathways. Being in nature every day. Watching the river. Watching the seasons. Ending my work days in the woods, not underground waiting for the train.
Of course, there have been hundreds of walks since I moved in with my sister, and many of them have been in the company of either Maggie, or Stella, which has been a wonderful gift. I’ve learned the intricacies and intimacies of Whitemud Ravine, a total joy. And even with Tom, I’ve “discovered” the beautiful trails in and around Glenora. What I haven’t done, and what I’ve missed terribly, is my commute at the end of the day, on foot. It’s taken a big toll on my life, mentally and physically. Yeah, I periodically managed to find a way, but nothing sustainable over six years.
Oliver is my doorway back into the thing that dramatically changed my life for the better almost 25 years ago. Walking.
Walking home.