Sunday’s howling wind, light snowfall and sub-zero temperatures didn’t stop residents from visiting Spencer’s Run dog park in Waveny.

The wind whipped across the Waveny athletic field blowing snow and a bitter chill that brought temperatures down to zero degrees Fahrenheit Sunday.

As I sorted through my closet for my warmest winter cap, the one with the fur ear flaps, I felt a tingle of anticipation at the prospect of a walk through the wintry landscape. After calling a few friends who were at home lounging Sunday away in pajamas and complaining about sub-zero temperatures outside, I thought surely I would be alone.

To my surprise Spencer’s Run had visitors! There were a dozen canines running about, their owners throwing tennis balls, frisbees and chatting as if it were any other Sunday. One of the greatest things about this day in the park; No one was complaining. I can’t tell you what a joy it was to be outside. After 20 minutes socializing in Spencer’s Run, I clipped up the leash and went for a walk over the Waveny trails with my pooch.

A friend called – the coldest moment I experienced was holding that phone without a glove – he and his daughter would meet us with their dog. …and that’s how we spent our Sunday afternoon in Waveny. We walked for almost two hours. When our conversation turned to hot chocolate and the warm fire at home, we turned back toward the cars and called it a day. A beautiful day in Waveny Park.

It was zero degrees today. We saw cross-country skiers, kids sledding, dogs playing. We saw interesting stones in an old stone wall and some neat looking trees. We kicked snow piles and crunched frozen puddles. We joked around and had a family good time. We put on a jacket and took up adventure in Waveny today.

A primary example of irony was revealed when we realized that the smooth new asphalt path in the woods of Waveny Park was completely impassable. We followed other people’s tracks along the side of the path. The family in front of us and undoubtedly those behind us walked just far enough off the man-made path to get traction on the slightly irregular surface of Nature. Funny isn’t it? The prodigious cost of the path in dollars, plant and animal life, and the permanently altered environment in the name of making life “better” and it was impossible to walk surefootedly.

There were several children in front of us truly enjoying the unpredictable and slippery slope, sliding their way along the icy paved section, but the adults and even the dogs kept off the path.

Cold wind blowing, the crunching snow, the swishing sounds of so many layers of clothes, the hat and scarf around the ears; the heightened alertness from the quieting layer of white: increased line of sight, an echoing stillness out of the wind.

Being warm under all these clothes, plopping down in the snow for a rest. How could this make me feel so good? Taking off one glove and setting it down, careful not to get snow inside, reaching into a pocket to retrieve a chocolate, mmmm and getting that glove back on quickly, then rolling over on my stomach in the snow over the grass on the cold earth…. for some reason… because I can; because I’m warm inside, because I’m happy, because I’m not afraid to lie on the ground – outside.

I’d rather a path than a road, a field than a lot, a meadow than a lawn even a cabin to a castle. It’s a new year for this world and my weekend walk in Waveny Park reminded me that I am glad to be alive. I am hopeful for the world and for our Nation in the years to come.

A wish for a prosperous and healthy 2009.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.
It’s officially winter in Waveny Park.
For some it’s because of the weather and for others it’s despite the weather, either way plenty of folks visited Waveny this past weekend. Offering both challenge and excitement, a winter storm left our park blanketed in beautiful white. Skiing, snowshoeing and plain ol’ trudging through the snow was cheek chilling and fun both Saturday and Sunday. Even Spencer’s Run was open and the dogs were thrilled to play in the cold powder. What a great park we have! The greatest beauty is found in Nature.

November 1st 2008 I took pictures of the paving of our woods. No wonder they’ve been storing crude oil resins where deer used to live, no wonder they killed everything on both sides of our trail in a murderous swath through the park.

No wonder they crushed the little stream that ran along the path. They have made a road complete with drainage.

Effective drainage is critical to the stability and longevity of any road. Road ditches lining the asphalt installation allow road run-off to percolate below grade and the new culverts allow traveling water to run below our new roads through the woods.

What was once a Nature trail is now a grass-lined asphalt road system. Bravo!

From my perspective this is a shameful act and an outrageous destruction of Natural habitat that will have a lasting negative impact on our Park’s ecology. My favorite place in the world is being turned into urban sprawl. This is a real bastardization of our privilege to use this land as our park.

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On my walk today I came across some beautiful sights. A few other sights too, but we’ll get to that. And yes, conservatively speaking, I’ve walked the Waveny trails 2028 times in the past decade or so.

In general the trees are just starting to turn but this one, shown last week, is really looking brilliant. The fields are still green and chirping, buzzing and crawling with fauna.

In the main field there lives a tree that’s taken such a beating, for years only the lower half remains. Today I caught a photograph of this tree that is appealing. It makes light of a rather creepy looking tree of which I have many other photos.

I know I’ve mentioned the debris behind the pond already but for some reason I can’t resist walking past this area and taking a few more photographs. One of the things that is left from this kind of land abuse is shown in this photo taken along the edge of our walking path. It shows heavy oils, ceramic, plastic and other imported materials lining our pathway.

symmetrical litter:
I walked passed some litter on the side of the path near one of Waveny’s construction zones. I noticed a Marlboro box and a Bruegger’s coffee cup but I didn’t associate the two. I continued walking and not 20 feet away on the other side of the road lie two identical pieces of litter, one marlboro box and one large Bruegger’s Bagel coffee cup. That is weird. I have walked this park over 2000 times and I have never seen the exact two pieces of garbage symmetrically, yet apparently randomly, tossed into the grass. I wonder if it’s illegal to litter in Waveny. I wonder if you are “working” at Waveny, what exactly is considered litter.

Moving along, The grasses at the Walled Garden Gate are looking splendid. I’ve been meaning to take this shot for a week. The sun in the afternoon cast a beautiful light on Waveny House, the fields, plants, trees and buildings. It’s a wonderful place to get away from the world for a few minutes and it’s all right here in our front yard, free for New Canaan residents to enjoy all year round.