Day of Footfalls and Fellowship at Ridley Creek State Park

Sixteen Common Grounders -- vets and newbies -- assembled today for a Nature & Nurture Walk in hopes of invoking spring. It was a beautiful day, cool but with little wind. The sun could not break free from its prison of clouds, but the day was still bright and clear. After assisting some of our friends via cell phone to the obscure corner of southeastern PA that is Ridley Creek State Park, we began with a brief meditation of the presence of the Divine within nature (see separate blog entry). Then we set out.

The trail was hillier than we anticipated, but the company was friendly and engaging, buoyed by the lively presence of three intrepid hiker girls (ages 4 - 11) who kept their eyes peeled for the yellow trail blazes. The conversation topics were diverse: recent movies, the qualities of different dog breeds, energy and auras, the economy, the new Common Ground website, weight loss, and even the characteristics of various cartoon dogs on TV ("Ruh Ro, Reorge").

After the hike, most of us adjourned to a nearby restaurant to continue the fellowship and evaluate the ups and downs (literally) of the hike, and of course, to chow down on delicious lobster quesadillas, fettucini bolognese, and crab salad.

In all, a very pleasant day of friendship amid the beauty of Creation.