Good Friday, Redwoods, and Krishna

One must always be open to a new adventure. Today I took one of my usual walks around the lake at Riverfront Park. I have blogged on this park before and it is one of my regular walks. Please note that the photos in this adventure are not my own. My camera was not at hand, and I don't post photos of children unless it is with very specific permission.

It was lovely, just after the rain yesterday. Lots of birds, not much people. Walking all the way around the lake is usually impossible in rainy times, but with the drought and all the creek was not a problem.

On the way to the car park, I walked thru the picnic area, I was not surprised to see a group of people playing volley ball, a church group as it turns out. What was less typical was that they were from India or Pakistan. (My discernment was not good enough to decipher which, but it was both as it turns out.) The church is a Krishna group from Milpitas, about an hour and a half from here.

The taller people were playing volley ball, and the smaller folk were playing kickball in the parking lot. And I was scoping out which was the person to talk to about riding herd on the wee ones so I could back out without squishing someone.

That is when I saw the girl, 6-8 year old with beautiful thick pony tail and gold painting on her face. She had found a bit of redwood bark, you know the stuff that gets fluffy. She thought she had found a small animal. She was curious, some of her friends were “EEEWWW” And of course this triggered a full blown case of Granny of the Trail in me. I showed here how it belonged to the tree, and we looked at a tree and she asked me if the holes in the tree were from the bad bugs. No that is where there was a small branch. These were city kids, with parents that do not know the local trees.

We found an appropriate tall person to accompany us as I took them over to a stand of 70 year old trees, with the accompanying tree growth. We discussed poison oak, and how to not touch it. And what the new growth on the tree looked like, and felt like. And what the clicking sound in the trees was. And how they should walk all the way around the lake after lunch.

I came away with some new friends, and a book about Krishna.

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