Seeing the light

Walking along the trails through the lush greenery and seeing a glimpse of the sky or the water through them is so refreshing.

This morning, we saw the fire department's suburban parking in a little parking lot by where we walk--the one by the boat ramp into the river. They were joined by a fire department pickup truck pulling a trailer with a boat on it. When we left the area, they were backing up down the ramp and it really looked like they were trying to get to someone to rescue them. Not sure what was going on because the river isn't even very full--lots of sandbars sticking up all over. We would have stayed and watched (a grizzled old man spryly hopped off his bike and plopped down on the edge to watch), but there was another man there who I'm wary off. When Brownie tucked her tail between her legs and pulled me away as hard and fast as she could with me at the end of her string, I went with her. I don't know if the noise the trucks were making bothered her or if that man was emitting some type of vibes towards us (not the grizzled old man--he was quite friendly).

The man I'm not sure of we often see sitting (or reclining) on the bench closest to the river. He has only been there for the past three weeks and what is odd is that he can be there as early as 6:30 am or as late as 9:30 am. I don't get good vibes from him and I find his behavior odd. Odd because it is too hot to be sitting out there that long and it feels like he is waiting or looking for something. Now I've seen lots of people on that bench, but this guy has been there for the past three weeks and it has been every time we've been there, no matter what time we seem to get there. With the grizzled old man on my tail, we walked down by the edge where he was (because he was also watching what was going on) and when we walked down there, he got on his cell phone and made a call, speaking so low I couldn't understand what he was saying. After he got off, I asked him if he knew what was going on and he said he didn't know. I looked at his bench and he had a bottle of water with him and that was it. Now why would you be out there, sitting on that bench for three hours with only a bottle of water and your cell phone? And if you go to commune with nature every day from that bench, you sure wouldn't be sitting out there for long in this 100 degree heat with high humidity. I think next time I see him, I need to deliberately pick my nose in front of him to turn him off (and it goes without saying to eat the imaginary booger) in case he has been sitting there noting the comings and goings of people for some purpose that isn't good. Per a self-defense seminar I attended when I was in 4-H, the fastest way to break an "attraction" that someone has focused on you (with intent to harm) is to pick your nose and eat a booger. That will turn anyone off. Now, if this man has no intent to harm and I pick my nose and eat a booger, he will just think I'm gross. Either way, I don't really care what that man thinks of me. All in all, I'm going to avoid that area for the next four walks or so and keep varying our walk times so no one can get a handle on our schedule. This is when carrying a taser might come in handy.