Just another day at the park

Even though Lily and I have a routine walk at about the same time of day in familiar places, we often come across things that we did not expect to see.  For example, Lily was at first scared of and then mesmerized by a streetcleaner.

Then we came across this circle of flagstones. 

It obviously hasn't been weeded all summer, but that's what I like about it.

Soon after, we noticed that several monarch butterflies were feeding at a nearby flower patch.  The butterflies were very active and shy, but I did manage to get this one picture...

I just had to wait patiently and allow the moment to arrive.  I'll try to keep this in mind during the rest of my day!

Thankfully, the temperature and humidity have eased up a little and so we have been able to spend more time outside.   This makes Lily very happy.

Here are a few surprises we came across.

 How did this get here?  There isn't even a wading pool nearby.

These Black-eyed Susans give me an instant shot of joy each time we pass them!

 

We almost walked right past this tree without noticing what was concealed in its canopy...

Let's go, Lily!  The morning awaits!

     These past few days have been less humid and much more comfortable, so our walks have been longer.  We've been exploring some new routes and have disovered some unexpected things.  Lily was particularly excited to come across this...

I explained that we would have to leave this for the owner to find again.

Later, we passed these chinese lanterns. 

Lily wasn't too interested but I was very happy to find them!

Yesterday, we felt a little closer to the ocean when we found this...

and so Lily did her best Loch Ness impression.

Have a glorious morning!

What are you looking at?

I never really know what we will see on our walk, and that's part of the fun.  Sometimes it's an intense colour that grabs my attention.

The crabapples here have not been cleaned up yet, but Lily and I don't mind.  For once her nose and my eyes are drawn to the same things!

Some days, it's the shape or the geometry of an object that I get excited about.

There is always time to play with pinecones!

Good and Bad Litter

Some things that litter the sidewalk or park can be pretty, like this...

or this...

On the other hand, Lily and I came across this litter that was not pretty at all.

The whole mess was pretty unpleasant and I couldn't help wondering who left it all behind.  Was it a few friends or a solo drinker?  The box at the top of the photo is an empty pack of Molson Cold Shots.  I cleaned it all up and Lily and I continued into the park.

As an antidote to that, here are some happier images featuring the colour white.

This flower reminds me of an origami water bomb!

Have a happy day!

Walking with Rocky

This is Rocky.  He belongs to my parents.  One day last week I walked with Rocky and my father.  It was a hot day, which made it hard for Rocky to breathe.  You can see he looks a little uncomfortable!

Although the walk was short, we still had the opportunity to see this large fern.

Here is Lily on our walk of the same day.  To me, she has the same shape as the fern!

Both dogs are happy beings who love people and the exciting adventure of a routine walk. They are grounded, optimistic and always show how much they love you.  For Rocky and Lily, every day is a great day.