Spring Equinox

My camera, aimed at the increasing sprinkling of Spring signs seen along the trail today as we walked, captured daffodils and heather blossoms in the flower beds throughout the neighborhood we pass to reach the trailhead. Spring is everywhere!


Spring is clearly visible upon entering our trail by the leafing out and delicate blooms on the bushes along the railing leading down to our main trail.


It seemed as if I could almost watch the leaf buds opening, right in front of my eyes, in the sunshine today as we walked along.


This tree, with its found glove, appeared to be pointing, not wanting me to miss that little bunch of just-opened Spring leaves.

Everywhere, Spring is giving the woods a new shade of green.

Walking up the trail to the top of the hill where there is a cluster of benches, we stop and chat with a man, a local retired doctor, who kindly posed for a photo with his little dog as he rested on his bench. I could not resist inquiring as to why he called the bench "his".

~~~~~

He shared with me how when that trail was very new, he had a different dog. Every day he would walk that trail with that dog. Then one day the dog collapsed several times while they were out for their walk. Taking his dog to the vet, an aggressive cancer was discovered and not long after, the dog died. In honor of his dog, and since his dog first started showing signs of ill health on that very trail, he donated monies to put in those benches as a memorial.

~~~~~

The other benches along that stretch of the trail are named for other members of his family. He explained to me that one is even named for his granddaughter. Only six years old now, he thought that someday she might wonder what kind of guy that grandfather of hers was. He said that maybe she could walk that very trail, pause to sit on one of those benches and learn a little bit about her grandfather.

~~~~~

He told me that his wife came home from the Humane Society with this new dog for him one day. He thinks it looks like a mop, but he takes it walking on that trail every day, often stopping to sit for a bit on one of his benches.


This year, the Spring Equinox falls on March 19th at 10:48 p.m., Pacific Daylight Time. Interestingly enough, the Spring Equinox falls on March 20 at 1:48 a.m., Eastern Daylight Time; at 4:48 a.m. in London and at 6:48 a.m. in mainland Europe. I feel special that our Spring is first.

~~~~~