When I take off for an outing; an essential piece of equipment for me is my walking stick. I prefer a nice sturdy stick, about waist high and comfortable in the hand. I know some people prefer a longer staff or some of those high tech new walking sticks....but not for me. In my area, the landscape would be thought of as flat farmland, but when you get out along the rivers and their tributaries; there can be some quite rugged terrain with very steep hills. My style walking stick is a great aid when climing a steep hill, providing a means to pull yourself up; or also helps when descending the hills, by providing a means to dig in and control your descent. That length is also very useful for knocking brush and weeds out of the way....and is also sturdy enough that it could be a defensive weapon, if for some extreme circumstance that need arose.
My walking sticks all become more and more comfortable in the hand the more I carry them and they become fitted to my hand...and I have certainly had my favorites over the years; which brings me to my sad story. Earlier this year I lost one of my very favorite sticks. I had made it from a walnut sapling that I cut out from along the driveway. When taking pictures and changing the camera lens; I laid it down and did not miss it till about 100 yards away. I searched quite a long time without finding it. Yesterday morning I went to the same area...a very interesting site with Native American ceremonial mounds about 1,000 years old....oriented for the summer and winter solstices....but to continue; once again I searched and have finally given up. (I believe I have pictures of some of the mounds mentioned above in an earlier post.)
The walking stick I carry now, is made from the same sapling which comes back big enough about every 2 years about the right size to cut and trim.
To continue.....It is a great time to get outdoors. Fall colors are showing up here. The experts say that the colors will be more subdued this year because of the drought, perhaps so, but still showing some nice color in my opinion.
The date is wrong on this as well as a couple of others..but I am not going to change them now.
My dog Emma was in the river, just outside the picture to the left and provided those nice ripples.
Emma was in a hunting mood. Something of great interest to her had been on these logs. She investigated quite some time.
I had about a 3/4 mile hike back to the car yesterday. Along the way, I saw three groups of people riding horses on the other side of the river. I was glad they were over there, as Emma might not have given them the best welcome. About halfway back, I came upon two young guys sitting on a log fishing and stopped for a brief visit.
I came upon this nice clump of mushrooms. With a bit of research, I could probably identify these. My guess is that they are edible, but not certain.
I got back home a bit later than planned, but it was a good outing...as they all are....
Thanks for stopping by...
My walking sticks all become more and more comfortable in the hand the more I carry them and they become fitted to my hand...and I have certainly had my favorites over the years; which brings me to my sad story. Earlier this year I lost one of my very favorite sticks. I had made it from a walnut sapling that I cut out from along the driveway. When taking pictures and changing the camera lens; I laid it down and did not miss it till about 100 yards away. I searched quite a long time without finding it. Yesterday morning I went to the same area...a very interesting site with Native American ceremonial mounds about 1,000 years old....oriented for the summer and winter solstices....but to continue; once again I searched and have finally given up. (I believe I have pictures of some of the mounds mentioned above in an earlier post.)
The walking stick I carry now, is made from the same sapling which comes back big enough about every 2 years about the right size to cut and trim.
To continue.....It is a great time to get outdoors. Fall colors are showing up here. The experts say that the colors will be more subdued this year because of the drought, perhaps so, but still showing some nice color in my opinion.
The date is wrong on this as well as a couple of others..but I am not going to change them now.
My dog Emma was in the river, just outside the picture to the left and provided those nice ripples.
Emma was in a hunting mood. Something of great interest to her had been on these logs. She investigated quite some time.
I had about a 3/4 mile hike back to the car yesterday. Along the way, I saw three groups of people riding horses on the other side of the river. I was glad they were over there, as Emma might not have given them the best welcome. About halfway back, I came upon two young guys sitting on a log fishing and stopped for a brief visit.
I came upon this nice clump of mushrooms. With a bit of research, I could probably identify these. My guess is that they are edible, but not certain.
I got back home a bit later than planned, but it was a good outing...as they all are....
Thanks for stopping by...
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