Here is your first warning sign that you should notice when going to Hermann Park in the second half of April. It’s close enough to Earth Day that all the schools from all over everywhere bring gaggles of children to appreciate nature. Yellow buses line the streets.
It appears as though the children gather in packs. Each group is identified by their colors. Is this similar to a bunch of gangs? I did not get close enough to find out. The group in this picture is heading for Miller Theater. I could hear music playing until all the munchkins got seated for some type of program.
Another batch of gaggles also were observed heading into the Museum of Natural Science. This picture was taken from the top of a hill in the park. I made sure to keep my distance, in order to ensure my safety. I did not venture anywhere near either the theater or museum. Fearless adults communicated with all of the multicolored T‑shirts by bullhorns. That was very brave of them and I think worthy of combat medals.
This is the mountain I climbed up to view the hordes while staying out of harm’s way. There were even safety rules for this vantage point. They included: No bicycles. No swinging from the rails. Please stay off the plants, and most important for today situation: Mind children and dogs. On the way up, I did not see many other people so when I reached the top, I could bask in the fact that it was a cloudy day, and did not swelter in bright sunshine. I didn’t even need to wear my sunglasses.
Walking the trail that wound around this mountain was quite pleasant and since there was a waterfall on one side, much of the noise of the school-age gremlins was literally “drowned out”. This worked for some time until some other grownups discovered my sanctuary. It was at that point that lots of people showed up who actually had the audacity to enjoy a fun-filled conversation amongst themselves. How rude. My silent haven then turned into a party venue and I decided it was time to move on back down the hill. More and more people were heading up to the top of the hill and I apparently made my escape just in time.
There was one last sign that should have clued me in. Even the ducks were aware of what was going on today. These two are far from their normal pond habitat. I found them trying to hide amongst the bushes and trees so the children would not find them and chase them.
In the end, I escaped safely and am able to write this blog. I wonder if my next ghost story will include groups of ghost children in matching t‑shirts marauding around the park at midnight under a full moon. That’s a story idea with possibilities.
Until next time.….….
Happy Earth Day!!! Since the weather was clear and cool, I couldn’t resist going out into the wilds of the Houston Arboretum and visiting with some of my favorite plants, trees and animals. As soon as I arrived, Mr. Squirrel met me and beckoned me on. It looks as though all of nature decided to sprout, blossom and show off just for this particular occasion. What Mr. Squirrel was trying to tell me here was that there were many other nature elements waiting for me just inside. While this isn’t exactly a yellow brick road, I wasn’t hoping to meet any great wizards either. Not to worry, though. I always have my own flying monkeys if they are ever needed.
As always, there were many turtles. During this particular visit, I toured as many of the different ponds as I could find. The majority of the ponds were home to a wide variety of turtles. This particular reptile was most happy to sit on his favorite log and chat with me a while. He was also enjoying the fine spring weather. We both agreed that we were dreading the heat of July which was sure to come. This gentleman also made mention of the fact that there were many more turtles in the arboretum now than there used to be. More ponds, more room for more turtles. I wonder if the real estate market for arboretum wild life is as volatile as it is for us humans. I can understand birds wanting a nice high rise in the trees, but I don’t see that for four-legged creatures.
Next, I met Ms. Rabbit. She was most polite about sitting still while I took a good picture of her. Actually seeing a series of animals all sitting very still made me think. I began to envision a “union” of arboretum animals. Their job is to show up everyday just before sunrise and entertain the humans. Their duties include, but are not limited to, posing for pictures, looking cute and trying not to scare small children. At the end of the day.…say around dusk.….they all punch their little animal time clock and go home. Over dinner, they talk about the humans they saw that day just like we discuss our adventures in the arboretum.
Finally, I saw this beautiful egret. She stood very still admiring her domain. Then she did a bit of a dance where her neck went in one direction while her head and body went in another direction. Yes, I was very entertained. I wonder if this was her version of an “Earth Day Dance”?
her home. She assumed it was maybe a squirrel or a raccoon or something small. At some point the sounds got louder. This was an animal with large feet which made Sue wonder what the animal could be. Guess What? It was a