Posted in Oregon, photography, writing

A Walk in the Park

Posted on by D. D. Syrdal

I’m really bad about doing much of anything when I’m on vacation. I’m like a Vulcan, I want my time off to be truly time off, with as little activity as possible. I spend so much time on the road commuting to and from work, and frantically rushing around to get things done when I am home that the greatest thing for me would be to have a single day with absolutely nothing to do. Like a Vulcan, I’d rather meditate and not use up more energy.

However, this is not good for the body or the mind. We need daily exercise for the body, and sitting around the house for days on end can, quite frankly, get depressing. So yesterday when the sun peeked out after some heavy rains I hustled and got my brand spanking new walking shoes on and headed over to the park by the library for a quick walk and some photo ops. No sooner did I park the car and hop out than I saw this:

RainbowAll righty then, good decision so far. I got sprinkled on just a teensy bit, but not enough to drive me back to the car. I had hoped it would be all frosty and snowy there, like it was the last time I was there even though there had been no snow at my house, but this was not the case. Perhaps next time. In the meantime, here are a few more shots of What I Saw At the Park Today:

fountain bench duck on one leg ducks

wood duck horseshoe stream wide Pond and birches2 top of stream

It must have worked because I did a couple of writing sprints last night with a Twitter buddy and cranked out about 2600 words in less than two hours. Not too shabby.

Live Long, and Prosper. \\//

Author:

Writer of vampire stories and science fiction. First novel, "Revenants Abroad", available now at Amazon. If you like a vampire you can go out drinking with and still respect yourself in the morning, I think you'd like Andrej.

19 thoughts on “A Walk in the Park”

  2. Thanks, Angie 🙂 I hear ya on the snow. As an East Coast native (New Jersey and New England) I’ve seen my share. Loved it when I was a kid; as an adult, not so much. Happy New Year to you, too!

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  3. Such beautiful pictures, DD.

    I walk as much as I can. Keeps me fit, lifts the spirits, and as an added bonus- the money I save by not taking the bus can be used to buy fun goodies. 😉

    I’ve been meaning to write a post about the relationship between walking and writing. Shall do so when I return to blogging in a bit.

    Congrats on your great word count!

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  4. Thanks, Tasha. 🙂

    I normally try to walk a lot more, but this time off has been jealously guarded for other things. I figure I’ll be back in the routine soon enough, and be once again lamenting my lack of time for anything other than working, commuting or sleeping. I do like walking in the park though, all the ducks and geese are fun to see.

    Hope your writing is going well!

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  7. What a delightful post! I love every point you make about vacation being the polar opposite of work. A wise woman once told me that “rest is not idleness.” Although quality idleness has its place. 🙂

    Those pics are both sign and inspiration for the new year, too.

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    1. It’s been such a treat not to have to rush out the door at 6:00AM everyday! It’s going to be hard to get back into it now. Oh well, I am grateful I have a job to go to.

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  8. Calls to mind the Gershwin song “I Got Plenty o’Nothin” – your attempt to do absolutely nothing yielded LOTS! What a lovely start to your year, DD. I LOVE the rainbow shot.

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  9. I love looking at your pictures. It truly look like a beautiful peaceful day fill with serenity. Glad you got out for some air and intertwine with mother nature. Also great job at writing 2600 words in less than two hours…nope not shabby at all. Good job!

    I am a Trekky fan too; therefore, I have to give you back the fingers: \\//

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  10. These pictures are beautiful. The ducks, awwwwww. And a rainbow.

    Days off are mandatory. Took one yesterday. I laid in bed all day in my pajamas and read. It was heavenly.

    S

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    1. wow, that’s my idea of a perfect day. Was the book good? Were they nice new pj’s you got for Christmas?

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  12. What gorgeous photos! They alone made it worth stopping by your blog, but I enjoyed the post too.
    Wow, 2,600 words in less than 2 hours. Kudos! This Twitter writing sprint idea sounds great. Will have to try it sometime.

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  13. Thanks Chris, and thanks for stopping by 🙂

    Yeah, when I put the thumbscrews to myself like that, it’s amazing how much that kind of focus can do for word count! If you want to do a timed sprint with me sometime, just let me know.

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      1. Oh, all you do is send out a tweet saying you want to do a timed writing sprint, starting at whatever time (on the hour, half hour, quarter hour, you choose) for however long you want to do it (usually people shoot for an hour, but you could say 30 minutes or whatever works for you) and see if you get any takers. Anyone of your followers who’s a fellow writer and has the time and desire to join in can respond. Then when the clock strikes the appointed hour, you go for it, and check in with eachother at the end, see how everyone did. That’s pretty much it 🙂 I’m usually game if I’m online.

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