Do you have favourite walks? Or memories from particular walks?

In an article from The New York Times, Walking New York, readers share memories and stories from their favourite walks. This inspired me to write about one of my walks and the exercise is a good addition to our list for the visual journaling workshop, Once Upon a Time: Photographs have Stories to Tell.

In my hometown of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Lake Ontario pulls me like a magnet on my walks. I live six blocks from the lake and about block four, I start to smell the water – fresh and cool. One more block and I start to hear it, either slowly lapping the shore or roaring against the rocks. Finally, I arrive and get my first glimpse of that expansive blue (or white, or green, depending on the day).

I can walk to three different lakefront parks from my house and the photograph above is from one of them. This park in particular is a tiny oasis, the one with no name, right next to the golf course. It sits high above the lake, and is sheltered with trees and inviting benches for sitting. Down below, the solid rock wall lives in constant relationship with the incoming waves.

The water, the air, the light is never the same from one day to the next. It’s the perfect destination and place for contemplation. This particular day was Christmas Eve, just a few days ago. It was an unusual and record-setting warm day. There were several groups playing golf on the course, not too many at the park. I had my choice of benches for sitting and spent some time down on the rocks, watching the water. When it felt right, I returned home to begin our family time together.
 

Why not try writing about one of your memorable walks?

The Art of Wandering

Wanderlust from Rebecca Solnit via Brain Pickings

My short video – compressed photo walk to the lake.