August 14, walking home through West Park

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I took a different route home, on the 14th. I was going to walk west on the south side of Huron, but an opportunity came to cross Huron before the light at 7th, and so I crossed near Ann Arbor School of Yoga.

Then I decided to do something Really Different, and walk home through West Park.

On the way down Chapin to the park entrance, I spotted these seriously dangerous looking thorns. They are not only Large -- look at the way they are reinforced so they won't bend. Yikes.

Locust.





Virginia creeper.





We have seen the stone pillars marking the southern entrance to West Park (from Huron) before. Here are the stairs that lead from the park up to that entrance.





For your eddification, the plaque on the boulder visible above.





West Park is a pretty good-sized park. At the eastern end there is a parking lot and a kiddy play area. This shot looks northwest, from near the stairs shown above (about a third of the way into the park). You can see the yellow padding on the top of the fence marking the end of the outfield of the softball field.

The cattails in the middle are very tall. Much taller than I.





Looking east over the softball field and the parking lot, one can get a satisfyingly large look at the sky.

(for those of you ex-Ann Arborites in the crowd, the softball field is where the ice rink used to be)





There is another softball area, not full size, for kids. This area has appeared, from the other end, in several of my west park pics.

I liked that so many of the kids wore red, and I like the watercolor filter on this.





Another group of kids. These were 10-15 years older than the softball players, and were heavily pierced and probably tattooed. I have no idea what they were doing, but it looked peaceable, despite the enormous boots many of them wore.

They are enjoying the shade of a very nice large oak.





The path wends its way through the park, rather close to the jingly big kids, and thence past the band shell. The land slopes up toward Miller from the band shell, so you can sit on your blanket (or lawn chair) and enjoy a concert. If the bugs don't drive you crazy.





Near the west end of the park there are some old willows along the path.

They are mere stumps of their former selves, and it doesn't seem that they will be replaced (no young willows along here). You can't tell from this pic, but I'm showing you about half of the tree. There is very little branchification at the top....





An attempt to give you a sense of scale. My hand on the left-most of the lower set of burls. These oldsters are four or five feet in diameter, I bet.





Ok. Leaving the park, walking on into the neighborhood.

Remember I showed you a little volunteer tomato plant growing in a sidewalk crack? This tomato plant lives in the same yard, but in a proper raised bed.





I love walking by this yard. A glassblower either lives here or is good friends of the people who live here.





Here is the most excellent weed we looked at before. I need to try to catch one of these flowers when open.....









I think this is my very favorite unknown plant. The translucence. The spikes. The hairs. Too bad it doesn't dry closed up like this; I like this better than the open (slightly older) ones.



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