River Walk – Along the Way

My neighborhood has a path along the river and lakeshore. I live on the river, but I love wandering the pathway to see the ever-changing views. The terrain includes sheltered paths with high wooden fences, open river, white water, a picnic area, lake, swamp, creek, woods, tall evergreens and maples, and the surrounding mountains – not to mention a few people, dogs or other wildlife I might encounter. Most often it’s just me in the woods and maybe one passing dog-walker. I can easily walk roundtrip in 15 minutes, but usually spend .5-1.5 hours strolling, letting my mind run over waves or placid lake surfaces or ride on high clouds to hover around misty peaks. And I breathe.

These images are part of a series posted chronologically from one river walk on Jan 13/18. I wanted to take you along on this beautiful winter day and share what you might have stumbled upon if you were walking in my shoes. To take the whole walk, use the Search tool at the bottom of the posts. Search for Along the Way to start at the beginning and use right arrow or Older Posts button to scroll through them all. I’ll keep adding images each day until the we wander back home.

Controlling ivy is a constant fight, but for me it’s a constant source of delight. I love the repetition of form in its leaves getting smaller and smaller, and the way it climbs and sprawls. The low angle sun of the winter afternoon gives warm highlights within the double-sided fenced area where we enter the pathway to walk along the river.

Snowberries and blackberries also forever threaten to smother our yards here in Western Washington, but they have their own beauty. White snowberries are beacons of light in the dim winter weather, and the wild thorny blackberry vines are natural sculptures carrying the promise of the delicious aroma that pervades the air when colorful, juicy berries ripen in summer. I soak in the contrast of dark and light.