Aman Park

Yesterday I unexpectedly got half a day off of work, so Chris and I went over to Aman Park, a city park just a mile or two down the road for a long walk.

Aman Park is a place that has become very close to my heart over the past two and a half months. It's called a city park, yes, but it's not all manicured and lame like most city parks. Really it's just a chunk of land donated to the city that just has hiking trails and a couple of bridges. Surrounds a section of Sand Creek, which in Texas we would call a river. 

February snowball fight

This park is perfect. I've been going at least once a week (sometimes multiple days in a row) since we moved here, and I've seen the snow melt, the trees bud out and the first flowers start growing. I've pulled garlic mustard when I don't feel like running. It was there that I got the phone call from my mom that my beloved dog, Snickers, had finally passed away. I was so happy for the opportunity to be walking on the trails there while trying to accept the fact that she's not waiting for me to come home anymore.  

A picture I didn't take of dutchmen's breeches

Right now, the large-flowered trilliums and virginia bluebell blanket the flats near the creek, and the redbuds are dropping their tiny pink flowers into the water. The mayapples are in bud and dutchmen's breeches are poking out of the brush. 

And jack-in-the-pulpits appear to those who study the forest floor for a while, which is what I was doing when I spotted my first morel. 

I didn't take this picture either, because sometimes I forget to charge my camera. 

Morels! Little delicious morsels of earthy flavor. Okay, to be honest, they're not my favorite wild mushroom (that honor would go to the chanterelle, which is also the only other wild mushroom I've ever tasted). But they are still delicious and a rare find for those of us who don't have a lot of experience mushroom hunting. We ended up finding about a pound of them, so we took them home and made them into a delicious mushroom and pea risotto. Even our roommate Mark, who doesn't like mushrooms, said the risotto was good.

Anyway, more pictures that I did take coming soon of Aman Park. 

In other news, I got a tentative "class" schedule for this summer, and it's making me even more excited. "Day in Stehekin" is actually on the syllabus. So ready for June!