Walks with Jack

Jack is a little bit bashful, and I thought he would also be a homebody, but (like most babies, I think) he loves to be outside. A few times a week we take the stroller to the library. Many, many times a day, I pack Jack in the ErgoBaby, carry the sun umbrella, and we walk around the neighborhood while I ramble on about the purpose of Ash Wednesday or the time we hiked Mount Slemish. I know it's officially Spring, but it feels like Summer in the Bay Area, and our walks have been so so beautiful lately.

Our neighborhood is great for walking: it’s quiet, there are big trees, I can walk to the grocery store, the library, and a park, “would you be mine, could you be mine” and all that – but it’s a small neighborhood. I’ve canvassed the area hundreds, possibly thousands, of times. Last week my neighbors started making fun of me when I passed their homes for the sixth or seventh time that day.

Over the last few weeks I’ve been branching out. I felt silly about driving ten minutes just to get a change of scenery, but it’s been refreshing. We’ve tried a couple short hikes, a few new neighborhoods, and last week I decided to check out some parks. After a few minutes researching parks close to us, it turns out there are almost ninety parks within a twenty-minute drive of our house.  I printed out a big list, and for the last month we've been going to a couple per week. I’m pretty excited to start exploring new territory.

b perry