A Long Walk Home

Over the weekend my sweetheart asked me to call our auto mechanic to schedule regular maintenance for my car. Yesterday morning I called soon after the business opened and was told that he could work on my car right away. I wondered how to get home after I dropped the car off. He offered to bring me back home. No problem. He's a friend from church. I quickly got myself ready to go and then I had an idea. A good idea! It was a gorgeous, sunny morning. I decided to take my camera and walk home. It's quite a ways to walk but I didn't plan on breaking any records getting back. As I slowly made my way home I enjoyed capturing bits and pieces of the town where I live so I could share them with you. My first stop was at the new, little bus 'mall' where people come and go through the day. Being careful not to photograph people who might not want to be in my photos I positioned myself and waited for just the right moment. One of the latest additions to the little bus mall is this clock tower area.I always enjoy the sweet clock at the top.Large planters around the mall are filled with gorgeous flowers. Fall colors attracted my attention. A single flower. . .And bunches of flowers.Just a block away, more flowers. This time on every lamp post through the downtown area.Across the street you is another gorgeous display.Local businesses sponsor the flower displays in the downtown area. Automatic watering was added a year or so ago. The flowers are there from early Spring to late Fall. Looking down the street you can see how they add beauty to the whole area.Holly Street! My street. My house is on Holly Street quite a ways farther. (I couldn't get a photo of whole name without standing in the middle of a very busy intersection!)Another look down the street before I move on.A block away near the door of a long-time business I stopped to look at a small garden area. Photos of the entire little garden were not possible without standing in the middle of the street. I chose not to do that! Beautiful flowers. . .And a silly little creature.Just a few blocks down the street is the beautiful park that is the center of year-round activity. You may remember when I shared about the park here. I briefly talked to city workers who were working on a HUGE project. They were nearly finished wrapping and stringing little white lights through the trees around the park for the Christmas season. Yes, Christmas!!The park was quiet - the gazebo was empty. It's not always that way! You can read a bit about the annual Fourth of July festivities in the park here.As I walked through the park I enjoyed the sun and the shadows created as the morning sun filtered through the trees. Pathways lead you to each area of the park.Across the street, Fall has begun to decorate the trees.Just across the street from the opposite corner of the park you can't miss the office of a local dentist. It's not like any other dentist office I've ever seen. What's unusual? The corner has been turned into a beautiful garden spot for the enjoyment of the community. A garden at the dentist office? No, a dentist office in the middle of a garden! Beautiful Pampas Grass fills the corner by a very busy intersection.

Roses and a variety of other flowers completely surround the building.

They fill the area between the curbs and the sidewalks. Little pathways were placed throughout the flowerbeds to allow access from curbside parking spots to the sidewalk.

Beautiful flowers and trees make this corner special.

Roses, roses everywhere. Yellow roses. My favorite! Pale yellow. . .Bright yellow. . .Pink. Pale pink. . .Bright pink. . .Deep pink. . .Lavendar-pink. . .And red roses peeking through here and there.Right near the front entrance to the dentist office, a bit of whimsy. Garden art! Does it tell you anything about the dentist's hobby?Moving on toward home I stopped at the next corner to enjoy the sight of a steeple pointing high into the sky above the busy world below.Below the steeple, near the entrance to the church, a wooden sculpture carved from a big log, makes a statement. God's hand reaching down to man. Man reaching up to God!Down the street a ways is a little cottage that has been part of the neighborhood for a long time.Look at the sweet, little trim!And a few blocks away, another park. Just a tiny, little park. An odd-shaped little place of green at a point where three streets meet.Big rocks add to the beauty.And a bit of green. Beautiful green.At the corner where two major streets meet, a very big boulder. Comical, in a way. Does it look like a hippopotamus yawning? Or an elephant? I've watched mothers place their small children inside this rock and take their picture!From here I could look down the street and see the corner where I live. There was one more stop before I arrived home. A stop to capture the beauty of this gorgeous Dahlia.It seemed that the walk home was not long. It gave me a chance to see the world where I live up close. And to see things easily missed when traveling by car. More walks through neighborhoods nearby are planned. More chances to enjoy the fresh air, the friendly folks along the way and the special things that make my town a place I love to call home.