Ms. Nancy's Nook : A Walk in the Woods

Who would believe it? Just 8 miles from the hustle and bustle of our nation's Capital, historic Washington, D.C., there exists picturesque Loftridge Park in Alexandria, Virginia, complete with a paved walking trail. I hope you enjoy your walk...

We set off on our walk on a brisk autumn morning, the last day of our recent trip to visit our son Joshua and his family. Joshua had only recently learned of this park which is in walking distance of his front door, but he was not alone. He has since learned that some long-time residents were also unaware of the park's existence.

I was amazed by the quiet - you could hear birds singing and chirping in the stillness. We saw some squirrels scampering about, and I was later told that occasionally you can even get a glimpse of a deer. The trees that lined both sides of the trail were so tall it looked like they were "brushing" the sky as they formed a canopy overhead.

The guys (my husband Charlie, son Joshua, grandson Lucas, and dog Cody) walked ahead, taking in the scenery while I "lagged" behind taking pictures.

If you look closely, you can see a creek that makes trickling, melodious sounds as it flows downstream over large and small rocks.

A spectacular morning has "broken"!

I spotted some grapevines, but I restrained myself from swinging on one and playing Tarzan again! I don't want to repeat that experience!

Grapevine swinging anyone?

We saw several interesting paths and wondered where they would lead us, but our time was limited, so that adventure will have to wait until another trip.

Where does this path lead?

During the first half of our walk, we saw a very nice playground on the side of a hill. Unfortunately, it was too wet to venture there on this day due to recent rainy weather.