Into the Woods

The other day Sean and I went for a walk in the woods.

A wholly unremarkable statement, you say? Au contraire, gentle reader. If you were familiar with the area I live in, you'd be just as shocked as I was to discover that there are actual woods smack in the middle of this strip mall-infested, overdeveloped slice of suburbia. Presumably these woods have been here my whole life, and I demand to know why their existence was not brought to my attention sooner.

It was heavenly. I'm not a hiker by any means, but I love strolls through natural settings. This little trail was perfect for a walk with a 3 and a half year old -- just a few gentle inclines, with enough ponds and fallen trees to engage his interest and plenty of tree stumps for him to jump on and off of. Sean seemed fascinated by every sight and sound. And he only asked to be carried once!

Every now and then, the silence was broken by the whoosh of the commuter train line that runs along the edge of the woods. I took the intrusions as a reminder not to get all misty-eyed and romantic about our little tromp through the forest, but for a while I did in fact feel like I was someplace far from home.