One of my favorite things is walking in Allen Park in my hometown of Jamestown, New York. I love the outdoors and even on the coldest of days I sometimes venture out. Yesterday I took a walk with my 13 year old son, Skyler. We brought along the camera for some digital pictures of the freshly fallen snow. I don't know about you, but I love to be outside. I feel close to God and all things good when I can get out and see nature at its best.
First, we walked three blocks to the store to get the necessary batteries for the camera and then we proceeded to walk the three blocks to the park. The merry-go-round was the first to get its picture taken, then to the teeter-totter.
and the swings. A park bench sat void of lovers holding hands or parents watching children play.
We noticed there were animal tracks of some sort in the park. At first we thought they might be from a deer or dog. But, on further examination, we concluded it was squirrel or rabbit, because they seemed to hop or jump from place to place. Tree squirrels do not hibernate entirely; they are somewhat active in winter.
The tracks were probably from a squirrel because one such set of tracks seemed to go over a fence and another went around a tree truck. I've never seen a rabbit do that! On a nice calm, sunny, although, cold day like we had, squirrels come out of their warm nests apparently to get exercise or hunt for food. We saw more of these tracks throughout the entire park from one end to the other.
My mother's heart could not help take a picture of Skyler as he played in the sandbox, making gloved hand prints in the snow.
After more pictures of swings and slides,
we walked down to the gorge and the creek that flows through it. Once down in the gorge, we came to a bridge on the path and I let Skyler take a picture of it.
It turned out to me one of my favorite shots because the path looks so peaceful and inviting.
When we came to a tree, probably oak or maple that had fallen over the path, I thought we would have to turn around go back, but after thinking a few seconds I decided we could go under its branches. Skyler took off ahead of me as I grabbed the camera for a shot of him and the fallen tree.
After I put the camera away in its pouch, I took one step and bam! Down I went. I got myself up and looked to see what I had stepped on to take me down so fast. There I saw a branch, slick as ice in the snow. All along I told Skyler to walk in my footsteps because he outgrew the only boots he had and he was wearing sneakers. I should have followed Skyler's footsteps that time! Oh, well, I brushed myself off realizing I hadn't broken anything, only bruised my hip and my pride.
Next, Skyler spotted a place in the creek where the water could be seen flowing under the ice. He asked to take a video of it so I handed over the camera and showed him how to take a video. Before climbing up out of the gorge, I took a picture of another big maple or oak that had fallen over the creek. 
Its huge branches sprawled over an area about 30 or 40 feet.
I thought to myself, even the mighty can fall, thinking of great men or women who let their weaknesses get the best of them and they do something they wish they hadn't. Then, because they are mighty, or at least well-known, everyone knows about it. Such is the curse of being famous.
We finally came to the end of the park and we climbed up out of the gorge and headed toward home. Our bodies were half frozen, but our hearts were warmed by the time we had spent together. We made a stop at my favorite fast-food joint for hot-chocolate, which turned into lunch of chicken sandwiches and fries. Who can turn down a sweet kid with an empty stomach?
We finished our lunch and walked the rest of the way home. Once in our yard, I took one last photo of the young pine tree my husband, Merle, and I brought here from the small town of Randolph where my parents use to live; its one of the trees that my dad planted in his yard before he died this month, seven years ago.
It reminds me of him and the good times we had. He would be proud of his grandson and daughter getting some much needed exercise together on a cold January morning.
