ann arbor

 It’s a pretty standard nature trail except on this section they place mulch along the path. The ground can get a little soggy in spots so perhaps that’s the purpose of the mulch. This is a trail at the Matthaei Botanical Gardens in Ann Arbor Michigan. It’s at the far end of a path leading to my favorite place where there’s a pond and a bench. The pond is a secluded spot where I’ve only seen a couple of people venture to. It’s a long walk but a spot I almost always go to where I sit and relax, think and take pictures.

I’ve taken my kids here several times too. They like feed the fish. It’s a ‘no fishing’ pond but they do have some nice sized blue gill in it and I’ve seen a decent sized bass or two. This always leads to a conversation about when we might be going fishing again. It’s been a couple of years since I’ve taken the kids fishing. I’m not sure why that’s the case as it’s something we all enjoy so much. I think this summer most of our time was spent visiting Ypsilanti (our favorite restaurants) and nature preserves like this one.

Today I am going to drive past the botanical gardens on my way to and from a job site and am thinking about walking the path but I don’t know, it’s cold out and we just got a few more inches of snow with more on the way. I’d have to dress really warm and wear winter boots for the walk too but the boots are in the garage, I could throw them in the truck before I head out this morning. I wonder if the pond is frozen over and what it looks like now? I’m certain the pond is frozen over considering the cold weather we have had this year. I’d like to find out for myself.