Johann: I got a picture of some trees along the entry to the woods. Someone has been busy!

We all needed a family outing where we felt like we were getting away, at least for a few hours. We decided to go to Pequot Woods Park and check out the trails there. Johann and I had just gone there with some friends from the homeschooling group, but our trip there was cut short when the boy fell into the pond. We followed them home so he could change clothes and did something else together, which was a nice afternoon, but we still wanted to go back to the woods.

Eric: Tammy at the end of the path, except it wasn’t the end of the path just two days before, when the pond was still covered in ice. Unfortunately none of us had on waterproof hiking boots (since none of us own them) so, crossing would be a bit more challenging this time.

We also wanted the opportunity to walk the trails at a slower pace, so we could see signs of animals, maybe even spot some, and have time to notice things like moss, lichen, fungus, interesting tree roots or rock formations. Too many people rush through and don’t notice anything.

Johann: In the shadows there was a lot of fuzzy moss carpets.

Johann: I thought the blanket of moss on these tree roots looked like a moss sandwich.

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Johann: I’ve been studying about molluscs a lot lately, and I have found a new one – the tree clam. Ha ha.
I liked how these fungi looked like clam shells and Mommy thought they look like a fairy ladder going up the tree. I agree.

Eric: In this area that is so marked by the glacial processes that formed the coast of Long Island Sound, a sight like this is not unusual, but it still makes me stop.

Eric: Johann shooting the fungi growing under a fallen tree.

Johann: These fungi reminded me of chips or conch shells from the color and the way they rolled up.

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Johann:Whooo, Whooo, Whooooo is there with that big camera?

Eric: With the melt-off and the beaver’s industry the low spot along the pond edge became the new brook course. I love the power of water. It finds its way always. You can see from the left and right edges of the image that it is moving pretty swiftly too.

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If we could have gotten further away from civilization, I think it would have been more relaxing. The background noise of cars speeding by on the highway made it hard for me to completely relax, but I did feel more rejuvenated when we got home. We decided we need to invest in good hiking boots for the whole family so that we can do a lot of hiking while we are still here.

Eric: Interestingly, this beaver lodge is not in the middle of the pond, but hard up against the shore.

Eric: This was the best we could get of the beaver. At this point it was really too dark to get a good shot of it, but I figured a grainy shot was better than nothing!