Jesup Path in Summer

Soft as the Dryad steals
Seeking her hidden tower
Within the wood, so spirit comes
to rest one hermit hour.

All leaves be silence-locked
To the wind; draw not near,
Bird or beast: so reverence
The pale sprite couched here,

Who will bathe in a gloom
Pure as all streams that flow --
How lovely within a wood is thought,
That is itself shadow!


"To a Green Thought in a Green Shade," by Anne Young


The morning began with thick fog which discouraged me from getting an early start. When I finally did head out I had no clear idea where to go, and ended up driving clear across the island. I had to concentrate on not being annoyed and upset about my indecision. 

I ended up walking around Sieur du Mont, including the Strath Eden Trail, which I had not been on for quite some time. Coming back along the boardwalk, the scene was not quite as idyllic as the photo and poem might suggest. On the west side a group of about twenty young park volunteers were spread out and wading through the long grass and ferns, apparently looking to eradicate invasive buckthorn. However, on the other side, some way back from the trail, there was a doe quietly making her way between the trees. With her was a spotted fawn, occasionally peeking out above the grass and hopping over some fallen trees with a little frisky kick of the heels. Not something you can really capture with your phone, but it was fun to watch.

By the time I got home the fog had burned off and it was hot and steamy, so I spent most of the day relaxing on the porch (represented by the extra!).