Walking in Nature

Summary

Sandy Barrett shares her experiences and reflections on the fifth week of the photo a day challenge, capturing the essence of nature in Georgia during late summer through daily walks in local parks with her family.

Abstract

Sandy Barrett's recent posts detail her experiences during the fifth week of the photo a day challenge, which involves capturing moments in nature. Despite the sweltering heat in Georgia, she manages to persuade her husband to join her for after-work walks in nearby county and state parks. These parks offer a variety of outdoor activities, including horseback riding, biking, walking, kayaking, and fishing. Sandy, who works from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizes the importance of spending time in nature for her well-being. She captures the beauty of the changing seasons through her photography, even finding humor in a squirrel's unique way of cooling off. Sandy also acknowledges her limitations, such as her eyesight and poor aim in frisbee golf, yet she continues to appreciate and learn from her surroundings.

Opinions

Sandy values the restorative power of nature and finds it essential for her mental health, especially while working from home during the pandemic.
She enjoys the company of her husband on walks, even though he initially prefers to relax after a day of teaching physical education.
The heat in Georgia during August is acknowledged as intense, yet it doesn't deter Sandy from her outdoor activities.
Sandy appreciates the diversity of activities available in the local parks, which cater to various interests and hobbies.
She finds beauty in the environment despite personal limitations, such as less-than-perfect eyesight, and embraces these challenges with a positive attitude.
The sight of a squirrel lounging in a birdhouse amuses Sandy, reflecting her ability to find joy in simple, everyday occurrences in nature.
She expresses gratitude towards Dennett for initiating the #photo-a-day-challenge and recognizes the contributions of other participants, indicating a sense of community and shared passion for photography.

Seeing signs of the end of summer, week 5 of the photo a day challenge

View of the pond ©Sandy Barrett 2021

This past week I was able to talk the husband into going back out to the park with me for walks after work. He doesn’t mind going and seems to love it after I talk him into it. But he is a phys ed teacher and is already on his feet all day so his default is to come home and relax. Where I work at home during covid on a computer and beside my lunchtime walk need to get out as often as possible. And as I have said in my most recent posts, if you’re not aware, Georgia is really hot in August, to put it mildly!

©Sandy Barrett 2021

We are lucky to have county and state parks within a short distance of our home. There are horse, biking, and walking trails, as well as areas for kayaking and fishing in some of the parks. I grew up in Florida and will always miss tropical surroundings but I cannot survive without being in nature of any kind for very long.

The clouds seemed especially clear and fluffy as we climbed this hill, I almost felt as if we were getting closer to being able to reach them as we kept climbing.

This park is popular for frisbee golf, my husband and son love to play each other. I’m a simple spectator because my aim is horrible!

Same park different day. A few weeks ago I wrote about my eyes not always being as great as I would like. The above photo is another example. But I still find the scenery to be beautiful.

Last week I mentioned that a squirrel had moved into a large birdhouse my husband made for me. This week I got scared because I saw this scene when I looked out my window, thinking it was hurt. Later I saw him running around. Apparently, this is how they are cooling off in the middle of the day, just hanging halfway out the opening taking a siesta! Funny how a squirrel can make me smile.

Walking in Nature

Seeing signs of the end of summer, week 5 of the photo a day challenge

Recognizing my Limitations

And yet still learning to grow