There are a lot of benches in Florida parks.

I am up to something and even the title of it is a dead give away, so I won't tell you just yet. What I can say, is this past weekend I finally started phase one of it. I visited roughly four or five parks in search of the perfect one. These parks although beautiful didn't fit what I need. They are just enough of nature for us who city folks.

They are paved with clear walkways. They have informational boards and limited to no wildlife. While walking through them I did start to wonder about real adventure seekers. The ones that march through nature without fear of spiders, bugs, or worst of lizards. The brave that sleeps in tents. That seek to be one with the wildlife. More so, that find peace in the lands mosquitos call home. Such brave souls they are.

I wonder if they mind the smell. Some of these parks smell off. A smell of man-made and nature clashing, is that a thing?

Captivated by the walkways. You'll see them below.

Before you marvel at my photography skills let me share my notes with you. These may not make sense now, but one day you'll understand why they were important. So, don't die until then!

• Not enough trees

How can these parks be so beautiful, yet lack so much dense trees? They are thin and look like they are dying. Is that normal? I can see why people would like these locations for wedding pictures, but it seems off that there aren't more trees around. Also, the walkways are so narrow that I would hate to be the photographer hired at this location. I wonder if people take that into consideration before a photo shoot. Some of the angles would be impossible unless they were Tarzan or Spiderman.

• The smell is too strong

I don't know about you, but I am very distracted by funky smells. Depending on the event, if the place smells odd then it will not improve. Especially if you mix it with people, food, and rain. It was raining the day I went and I wonder if that played a roll in it.

• Slipper floors

I was wearing flip-flops which aren't ideal for walks. However, if I could have slipped that means others might too. Best not to subject someone to that kind of accident if we can avoid it. In that sense, I was grateful that it rained. It allowed me to see what I would be facing if when the day comes how the location would look with rain. Most of the parks I visited looked beautiful. I wonder if anyone has ever hoped for rain?

• Connected to a community center
• Parking
• No outside food or drinks

I started to realize that not all parks are created equal and I may need to do more digging on what is and what isn't allowed. Most of the parks are protected, which I didn't realize was a thing. Most were really small. The entire path was less than 200 meters in distance. If you live nearby and was going for a run it's perfect, but if you want to go for a walk it is too short.

I wonder if they purposely place these parks near residential homes for that reason. No need for a ton of parking if it is intended for those that live nearby. Plus, there are a ton that are really small parks connected to community centers. I found that to be odd. When I lived in Missouri all the parks went on for at least a mile or two and were nowhere near a public place. You would think in Florida, near the ocean, and the Everglades it would be the same. It isn't.

• I saw a raccoon and the raccoon saw me.

Let's just say we both lived and I would like it to stay that way.

Walkway 4

Walkway 1

Walkway2

Walkway 3