A Walk in the Park: Photographic Short Stories, Volume V

For your viewing pleasure, I have a new series of photos that will span a few posts.

I took these this past weekend while out with my wife. We have been taking regular trips to parks and nature trails over the past month and this little gem provided us with a nature trail through the forest, a house and barn from an old 19th-century orange grove, and a waterfront view with a pier.

The weather on this day was pretty nice. Temperatures were in the upper 70s with a fairly strong breeze ahead of some rain that came later that evening. There were a lot of people walking around, so it was difficult at times to keep them out of the shots, but I was quite successful, as you will see.

The first series of photos (this post) are from the nature trail. The images of the landscape will improve as the photographic journey unfolds. Since it’s January, the wooded areas are not very lush, so please forgive the dullness in some of the images. I wanted to capture the scenery as it is, nevertheless.

Enjoy!

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As we approached the start of the trail, this was our view.

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The trail was paved, so I guess you can’t really call it “nature.” But these were a couple of shots as we made our way into the winter-esque wilderness.

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Here are a couple of views into the jungle from the path. We were reminded by some signs along the way to not venture off into nature, so as not to disturb it. I guess the paved trail through the woods was disturbing enough for the park managers.

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Here we have a live oak. Hopefully the conditions do not change, otherwise they will need a new sign.

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These are some of the exotic plants that can be found in this wintry jungle. Or...maybe not.

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There were some exotic clover-looking sprouts along the trail. They did not have their own signs, however.

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My wife and I debated about whether or not this was in fact exotic. My opinion was that it is not. What do you think?

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Shamrocks.

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Everything looked so dead. But the fungi was alive and well. Mostly.

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A sign of civilization! We were obviously not the first explorers to set foot on this pristine land.

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After a quick rest on the bench, we were on our way. The views were a bit underwhelming. This was another typical sight from the trail.

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Then, out of nowhere...

Another sign of life! A boardwalk in the middle of the woods? How is this possible?

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We walked on, rounded the corner, and...

Saw nothing ahead, so we turned back.

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On our way to the old house and waterfront, we spotted some new life rising up through the dead jungle floor! A little bit of green in a vast sea of brown.

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Just ahead...twins?

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Finally! Some color!

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And then more rotting woods.

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As we exited the trail, I took one last shot of the trees. The ground view may not be so nice, but I have to remind myself to look up once in a while. Then I remind myself again that the forest scenery in these parts is a bit lacking.

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And I’ll leave you as we approach the grove’s main house. A little teaser for what is to come in the next post.

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Make sure you come back for more. The next few posts will be brighter and more colorful, with some fantastic views and images of property and the waterfront. You’ll see beautiful flowers, an old tractor, some driftwood and moss, a pier, and even an abandoned train!

Thanks for stopping by and we’ll do this again soon!

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All images were taken with my iPhone 6S

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