On our way home from shopping the morning of July 3, She suggested we check out a place in the Summit Metro Parks called Furnace Run. We'd seen the sign at its entry but had never stopped to explore the park. As it turned out, it offers two miles of good foot trails and a fine little pond. The pond, of course, is home to turtles, frogs, dragonflies, and at least one big, black snake! We hiked only one of the two loop trails before the heat began to get to us, then headed for home.
We didn't stay all morning in the West Creek Reservation –the trail system is short, unmarked, and being developed– but thought we wanted a bit more hiking. So we headed south to the Hinckley Reservation and one of our favorite hikes — around the lake. Don't get me wrong, we enjoyed that long hike, but add that to the West Creek walk and factor in the day's rapidly building heat and humidity and we'd pretty much had it by the time we got back to the car. In fact, I think I suffered a bit of a relapse of my cold/flu/whatever and felt bad all evening.
Still, in all, it was great visiting new places and old, even on hot days.
The perennials planted by She Who Must Be Obeyed are thriving. Besides being well established now, the season's weather has provided adequate rain and plant-friendly moderate to warm temperatures. On my way out the door this morning I was struck by the beauty of the morning light shining through the centers of the deeply-colored balloon flowers (Platycodon Grandiflorum). Nearby the crop of yellow Asiatic Lily (Lilium Asiatic) blooms shined from the shadows as if by their own light. And then I had to head off to work.
PhotonStopper 