Salem Lake Stroll

Salem Lake Park - Winston-Salem, NC April 12, 2006

So this is my first official photographic entry on my blog of a park in my new town. The theme, as you can see, has not strayed much from where I left off when I was living in Tampa. Parks, nature, trails, and just walking with a camera is all a part of what it means to just lose focus of the day's events and slow down.

Slowing down is a natural occurrence here. Considering there are more people in Hillsborough County than the three cities together called the "Piedmont Triad", somehow I think this place suits me. Homeowners tend to their lawns and carefully, but quietly and in unspoken fashion, compete against their neighbors for curbside appearance dominance. Not too long ago I walked into a fast food restaurant and after only a few moments of waiting on a batch of fries the manager came over to promptly apologize for the time it took to get me my order. I was puzzled. Yesterday I used my blinker to change lanes and low and behold - they let me in. Strange.

Today's outing was a practice in just walking, looking, and absorbing. The park I chose is relatively ho-hum and kind of yawn inspiring relative to the rest of what N. Carolina has to offer. I cannot wait to have a chance at photographing a night sky while camped someplace out in a valley. The famed "Biltmore Estate" and the five hours distance between here and Washington D.C. have me itching for longer weekends and shortened work days. I cannot wait to see what this state has to offer me. Complacency in my newfound home has not yet settled into the routine of waking up and going to work daily. A simple task such as the need to trim my growing hair reminds me that my barber since the fifth grade will no longer be nearby. The car I sit in and ride to work in no longer rolls down the same streets. The rearview mirror is no longer a self defense mechanism. Rather, it is more of another view to check out the new surroundings. I am reminded that life in a new place truly means that life here will be with new faces. The military taught me a few things about new faces. The ones I have encountered here have been friendly to me.


Today I watched this older guy pull off of the road and onto the should to find his way into a side entrance to the park. He had no dog nor human companion. He quickly pulled a nice sized kayak off of the roof of his modest Ford Taurus and carefully rolled it down the gravel path on a cleverly designed set of wheels. Something tells me he has done this before. I couldn't tell if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders or if he was just eager to get on the water. I carefully snuck a photo of him paddling away. I did not want him to see me. Some part of me thinks that him noticing me would have ruined his experience as if I was some intruder on his private early evening cruise. He did me the favor by not looking over at me - you know how people do with malcontent and evil curious eyes.

The park walk was nice. Watching the sun as it set down through the forest was a nice end to a busy day and something that will never age. I look forward to my new house and for Shanti to join me near the end of the month. Exploring a new place with someone else is always rewarding. We have lots of exploring to do and many more parks to visit. Thanks for stopping by.