Number 1 - Ault Park in the spring
...and the summer, and the winter, and the fall...
I love Ault park. When God gave me this house, I had no idea that there was a little hiking trail from my neighborhood that connected to Ault park and the hiking trails there. I can imagine God in His abundant love sitting back and thinking..."Oh man, she's going to LOVE this!"...and I do. I really, really do.
I have spent many hours hiking through those trails with Tucker - sometimes crying my eyes out, sometimes praying, sometimes crying and praying...sometimes smiling, sometimes with incredible peace, sometimes just talking to God, and sometimes absolutely amazed by His beauty and creation. Sometimes I walk with friends, sometimes I jog, sometimes I sit on logs and just think. Sometimes I meet people, sometimes I run into neighbors, sometimes I run hills, and I've even sat on benches and journaled.
I hike in the snow, I hike in the cold, I hike in the blazing heat, I hike in the mud, I've been in the rain...I've even hiked there with a broken foot :)
Often a latte is in my hand.
I remember the first time I walked through the trails and came out onto the clearing on a spring day and realized that the entrance to this park has about 40 weeping cherry trees lining both sides of the road. They nearly take your breath away when in bloom. I was unsuspecting...the green grass, the blue sky, and this field of trees with gorgeous light pink blooms draping down can almost bring you to tears.
Just yesterday I hiked up there and realized they were in bloom! I saw a person trying to take a picture and I wanted to yell "Don't even try! It's not going to come close to capturing it!" Instead I walked up towards the trees with Tucker and marveled at this little piece of heaven on earth. When I started towards home, I decided that instead of taking a straight line, I would walk under every single blooming tree on my side of the street...so I meandered from tree to tree counting as I walked - 21 trees.
