Back to the Usual

It's been almost a week since I mentioned anything to do with Sam and I going for a walk. I figure I've shown enough restraint (plus I have nothing else going on) so let's take a look at a few of this week's pictures, shall we?

Sunday:
Once again we went to the farmlands of a week or so back.
Less mud = more dirt flying around = less manure smell.
Better? Worse? You tell me. 

Note the oncoming cloud of dirt and silt behind the trees.

Monday:
Bad weather = no walk = no pictures. We can all take the day off.

Tuesday:
Another walk through Neighboring Town Number One (or is this Neighboring Town Number Two? It's hard for me to keep track). Then, on to walk the path which follows the canal. I took a grand total of two pictures this day, one of which is this photo of a graffiti strewn rock.

Sam and I have passed this rock many times before but this is the first time it's been decorated with a declaration of... what exactly, I'm not sure.
I feel like there should be a big heart drawn in between "D Dog" and Jessie - and I mean more than the little heart she (presumably she) has put above the "i" in her name.

I have many questions about this.

Why are these names written so small and tentative? Is this is the beginnings of a budding romance? Does Jessie 'heart' D Dog? Does D Dog 'heart' Jessie? If so, where's the friggin' heart? Will there be a heart drawn in here at some point in the future? How will all of this inevitably end? Will this rock eventually end up painted over, preferably in black, maybe with something like, Jessie and/or D Dog Sucks written all over it? (Only a suggestion.)
Time, maybe, will tell.

My second photo is also of a rock (albeit, one embedded in a foundation)....

This is even more cryptic than the first rock. What is "Turn Side"? Who is "We" and why do "we" need "Turn Side" bad enough to have the exclamation point at the end of this powerful statement? And maybe most importantly, is any of this related to Jessie and/or D Dog?

This kind of stuff is becoming too much for me. I expect these walks to be physically exhausting. I am not prepared for them to be mentally exhausting, as well.

Onward...

Wednesday:
It was back to the Quabbin for us. Thankfully, unlike our last visit, the wind kept the black files at bay.
I won't bore you with a lot of redundant pictures (other than this first one)...

Here's one of Sam following a trail we happened along. Note how his arms aren't flailing in all directions as he swats away at black flies. Thank you wind (which was strong enough to give me a wind burn).

The trail dumped out at the backside of the dam. It's hard to convey the scale of this mound of dirt you're looking at - which, by the way, braces the aforementioned dam and which is all that stands between all of that water (in picture number one) and me hoofing it (sort of) up this trail.
(I didn't notice any water leaking through this massive dirt mound - and believe me, I was looking.)

Thursday:
Thursday, it was back to Jake's old college (sans Jake, unfortunately). Not much to look at here but I'll stick in a couple of obligatory photos...

Pretty, right?

Friday:
Today, it was back to the rail yard for a prolonged walk through the woods, across the Bridge of Death, past the odoriferous sewage treatment plant, then through a couple of winding roads, across the main street then over to the far end of the above mentioned canal side trail. You've been with us before so I'll only post a few photos...

You've only seen this view about a million times. But it's a view I love - so expect to see it about a million times more. Sam and I have bets on what they're planting this year (and when I say "bets", I mean, we're only wondering). So far, in years past, it's been either corn, strawberries, or pumpkins. Any guesses? Whatever it is, they mean business this year. For the first time, they've laid in what looks to be some heavy duty sprinklers.

Here's a view that I haven't posted before (I think). This is well past the Bridge of Death, as well as past the sewage treatment plant which, on this seventy-plus degree day, with no wind, had one of us (not me) dramatically coughing well beyond what was necessary. Anyway, the point (not mine) was well made.

Here's a photo taken at a picnic table we came across, about two and a half miles from where we started. This meant, of course, that we would have to walk another two and a half miles back to get to the car. If you do the math, this means ... we walked a lot.

So there you have it. This concludes this week's walking log (except, possibly, for tomorrow). One of these days, I'll post some coordinates for you to plug into Google Earth. Then you'll be able to join us. Or at least, pretend to.