Favorites...

That picture there - to the right of the entries...it's my favorite place.

In the middle of the city, surrounded by highways, freeways, offices, shops and homes is this lake. It's oblong and wanders through a couple of buildings, under a couple of bridges and over to the marshy end. It's not very deep, maybe 4 feet. it's home to fish, birds, ducks, geese, frogs, rabbits and other small animals.

Towards one end, in the wide part of the lake is a fountain. It's on a moving platform that bobs and swirls and slides from side to side. It makes the fountain jump and twist and rock back and forth in the wind. At the other end of the lake you can rent paddle boats or pay the gondolier to push you through the water in a long black gondela for 30 minutes or an hour. In the winter the lake is drained to about 1 foot and frozen. Your shoes slip and slide along the ice and skaters glide past you gracefully. The kids giggling and they fly by.

All the way around the lake is a walking path. Some of it close to the lake on dirt, gravel and low. Some of it higher and on the pavement. One of the bridges is steep steps up and over the water. it lights up in the night to twinkle it's presence. The other bridge floats on the water and heaves back and forth when you walk over it.

On the path are the swings, benches and tables with chairs. The benches are hard and sit under trees that have shade during the summer and gently falling leaves in the fall. The swings are large wooden things that creak and squeek when you push them.

This is my favorite place. I've spent countless hours walking around this lake with the man I love. Spent many an afternoon or evening sitting on one particular swing at the end of the lake. Giggling, talking, laughing, crying, discussing, arguing. It's the place we go for relaxation, conversation and just to 'be'. It's generally quiet and a wonderful place to people watch. I've seen it in the first rush of spring when everything is just beginning to bloom. I've seen the hot summers where people on the paddle boats dare to go right up to the fountain. I've seen the icy winter frozen lake. And I've sat and watched the leaves change colors and fall to the ground slowly.

It's my favotire place.