meanderings

We have mostly a blue sky this morning, with a little haze. One of the tv chat folk encouraged people to wear sunglasses because the last time we had a weekday morning with bright sunlight, there was an increase in automobile accidents. Or so they say.

One effect of all our recent rain is that everything outside appears washed off, sidewalks, streets, buildings, the effect of one big dusting effort.

This morning the air is cool, and while the ground is too soft to garden, it is a perfect day to go on a particularly long walk. I won't be out walking today, but in my mind ...

An alibi or excuse for walking is usually the noble purpose of either getting exercise or reaching a destination. But frankly, I just like the slow sense of moving and at looking at things. I like to meander.

Some of what I look at is what I've seen hundreds of times. And sometimes, when I wander and head off in a new direction, I discover something I've never seen before.

Once at Waycross, the Episcopal conference center in Brown County, Indiana, I walked down a gravely road and came across hundreds of large black butterflies (or moths), with a small blue spot on their wing. Their wing span was enormous and they flittered about unconscious of me walking among them. There were more of these winged insects than I've seen in one of those butterfly rooms at museums or botanical gardens.

Some cities are great for aimless walking, too.

When you read Pepy's Diary (linked on my sidebar), you read how he walked whereever he was going in London. The man got a lot of exercise, saw a lot of colorful people. (drank a lot of alcoholic beverages -- the water wasn't very safe).