Corner Set

   During my daily three mile, three lap stroll around Stow Lake, I pass this northeastern section of the walking path, looking right as I walk counter-clockwise nearing the boathouse. In a picture it doesn't really look like much (and I've taken a few to try to capture how I feel when I see it), but as I near it, it begins to look like a theater set, with the sun-drenched trees acting as the backdrop, while the bright green in the foreground functions as a thin cutout at the lip of the stage. I should say that I don't generally care much for the theatrical, but there is something about the visual depth in this part of the park that I am drawn to. I feel like there is ample room for me to exist in that accentuated, seemingly artificial space, and the space there feels warm and peaceful. 

   I have tried, probably in vain, to describe the sensation that I feel when I pass this part of the park, but I think that I actually find it indescribable, and that sublime quality is wonderful to me.

Claws up!

   Beginning one month or so ago, I started seeing crayfish on or near the walking path at Stow Lake as I walked there in the early morning hours. About two weeks later, I would see them near daily, usually with their claws out in front of them till I would come near them, at which point they would raise their claws in defense, or to scare me, neither of which I found necessary. 

   Once, when I had finished my walk and was driving to work, I saw something small in the middle of the road at the last moment, and swerved to avoid it. I looked in my rear view mirror, and saw a crayfish, brick red, with its' claws up to defend itself from my car. I thought that one of the most beautiful gestures I have witnessed in recent memory. 

North Lake roosters

   My favorite place to walk in Golden Gate Park has been up to this point Stow Lake; in the early morning it is quiet, smells wonderful, and it is bathed in the light of dawn. Unfortunately, it doesn't have any roosters. As far as I know, the only place where these animals live in the park is the North Lake, and this is also one of my park spots. Obviously, they must have been introduced there by some person for some reason and seem out of place in this environment, they do appear to have adjusted, and at least one park visitor seems to feed them as I often see grain on a nearby rock when I go to see them. Besides the two roosters that I see at this part of the lake, there are many large raccoons, squirrels, and it is also popular with red-winged blackbirds, especially just before dark. 

   There is a small farm at my job for the residents of the nursing facility to visit, and it is here that I have come to appreciate roosters, chickens and their behavior. They seem quite inquisitive, playful, and enjoy each other's company, from what I've seen. Maybe I visit them to remind me of the things that are important to me, too.

Cortita

   On my daily walks around Stow Lake in Golden Gate Park, there are many wonderful things to see, hear, smell and touch, generally in that order of importance to me. I generally walk the same loop, around the lake and Strawberry Hill at around the same time daily (early morning), and often see a lot of the same people there, most of whom I recognize. Wildlife, too, are regulars, and of all the squirrels that I see daily, there is perhaps only one that has been easy to recognize, and I have named this squirrel, "Cortita". Also referred to by a fellow walker there as "Shorty", the stub of a tail is what makes this creature memorable, and for me makes it easier to empathize with. I used to call this unique resident of the park Cortito (a slang for short in spanish), but figured out later that it must be female, as I saw it gathering what appeared to be material for a nest one day, and read that this is generally the job for the female western gray squirrel. The uniqueness of Cortita (note the "a" ending connoting female in the spanish language) has allowed me to recognize when I do and do not see her on my walks, and this has given me the mental space to create a kind of imagined life for her in my head. When there have been periods of time that I don't see her, I've wondered where she was and if she was alright, and then when I'd finally see her, I would be very happy, and I found myself kind of rooting for her survival, and perhaps for her to even flourish in her short life. 

   It's been a few weeks now since I've seen Cortita, and I even asked the walker that calls her Shorty if she'd seen her, but she said that she hadn't. I imagine that Cortita is no longer alive, and I miss seeing her.