… live like it’s Spring” ~ Lilly Pulitzer
I need an oversized broom as I am in a hurry to whisk February away and welcome in March.
This is the time of year I begin to dream of long and leisurely walks sans boots, hats, scarves and gloves, especially that first day when I leave the house in a jacket without all those cold-weather trappings, then return home with that jacket looped around my waist. I look forward to watching the blah landscape come to life, with the early blooming flowers poking their heads up through the still-moist earth. Gorgeous flowering trees will be a treat for Winter-weary eyes and the scent in the air will be fresh as newly cut lawns and recent rains stir my senses.
Aah, a girl can dream ….
In conjunction with losing all the layers and all the above delights, I always wonder what memories that first long walk, or any long walk, will bring in the days, weeks and months ahead.
Time travelin’ back to Spring’s first long meander.
On that warmish, sunny day, I decided it would be a three-park stroll for me. I mused it would feel like I was finally really and truly retired. The first two weeks of freedom from wearing a watch had been filled with temperamental weather like high winds, lots of rain, or temps not conducive for long walks … or even short walks.
But, on April 15, 2024, all was well and I gleaned five miles (eight kms) of steps from visiting three parks. It was 49F/9.4C when I left the house, but 70F/21C by the time I returned home that day.
First there was a quick stop at the Park …
The first leg of my journey was at Council Point Park, still in its glory, before the huge amphibious bulldozer had yet to wreak havoc on the Ecorse Creek shoreline. I was on the lookout for goslings and found none, but breathing in deeply, I enjoyed the fresh smells of Mother Earth awakening from Winter’s dormancy. The Spring Beauty wildflowers were clustered beneath trees, the grass was long and lush and the dandelions dotting the landscape had the geese digging in with great gusto. I took no photos that day, just stopping long enough for a one-mile walk and to feed my Park pals.
Hoping to hear/see Spring Peepers, I headed to Humbug Marsh.
I had great confidence in finding a chorus of tiny frogs singing for potential mates at Humbug Marsh. We had an abundance of rain so I assumed the Vernal Pool within the Old Growth Forest would be filled with water – after all, the sign at the Pool touted this habitat for Spring Peepers.
I slipped on a pair of boots because I knew it would be muddy from the recent rains, but that was a wasted effort since I neither saw nor heard a single frog! I clomped over to the Monguagon Delta walkway which was similarly still. How can this renowned wildlife refuge be devoid of waterfowl on such a pretty day? I couldn’t even scare up an egret or heron at the Delta, let alone a goose, duck or even a seagull. Once again, I didn’t even pull out the camera to take a photo.
Next was a favorite old standby, lovely Elizabeth Park.
I headed there mostly in search of gosling photo ops. In the Springtime, if you want to see goslings, this 162-acre park is THE place to find them. I am not exaggerating when I say there are hundreds of Canada Geese roaming about this island venue.
I parked the car near the Canal and was greeted by the sound of a Northern Flicker. He/she was loud, likely looking down and thinking “surely you see me – the leaves aren’t out yet!” But nope – no luck finding the Flicker. What I did see as I tilted my head up to the sky was a tree dripping in blossoms that you see in the header image.
As I meandered along, morning morphed into mid-afternoon and my wish was granted when the air was filled with a chorus of singing frogs. Believe it or not, the frogs were not in the marshy Canal water, a logical place for them to be, but instead were half-submerged in the many rain-filled low areas of Elizabeth Park. Occasionally they would pop their head out of the water and sing away or wear a disgruntled look like this guy or gal.
I was amazed how their throats would swell while “singing” reminding me of a kid blowing bubbles with bubble gum.
Mesmerized, I took at least 50 photos of them, a few which I shared in a Wordless Wednesday post last year in which I mistakenly labeled them as “Spring Peepers” but later learned from fellow blogger Laurie they were just very vocal frogs. 😊
Back to my quest for goslings …
After that delightful diversion, still in search of goslings, I strolled along the Canal and only saw adult Geese, so where were all those Mamas sitting on a nest or tending to goslings? They were all out of my view I guessed.
Even this tiny island in the Canal had no inhabitants yet – it is a favorite secluded spot for Canada Geese families to raise their young. I couldn’t resist taking a photo of the lovely Willows on that island.
In the distance a lone kayaker paddled in the Canal.
Near the vehicle bridge …
… the bright green grass contrasted with the still-bare trees.
A few Canada geese paddled around, but there were no goslings here.
I crossed over the big bridge …
… noting the bulb in the lamp post was still a half-bubble off level.
Along the boardwalk, I really wasn’t having much fun …
… but perhaps an angler was – the ratio of fishing rods to humans was off: three rods, one human.
I saw my first boater of this young season …
I remembered to turn around and get a glimpse of the Gordie Howe Bridge. I would return later in the Summer to get photos once it was officially joined in the middle of the Detroit River.
Not much green to be seen around the stairsteps that went up to the circular drive …
… but dandelions provided some cheerful color along the boardwalk.
There were no pop-up visits on the 1,300-foot boardwalk by the resident groundhog which often scurries from its burrow to waylay walkers that might tender treats. Whew, good thing as I forgot to bring treats for his/her roly-poly self. In the distance I saw the Grosse Ile Free Bridge.
So, with all the time in the world at my disposal, I began meandering all the way to that bridge. Would those elusive geese families be lurking around there?
The smell of freshly cut grass wafted through the air, but I didn’t see or hear mowing equipment – maybe they were on a lunch break.
I was astounded at the number of dead trees …
… and, from the looks of it, some had already been cut down.
It looks like this tree was rotted through and through.
Along the way, I saw dandelions galore.
A solitary Canada Goose was marching through this dandelion patch, occasionally munching a few. Turning around, the goose tilted its head as if to say “this is my territory lady – you’d better have a good reason to be here and not steal any of my food!” Then it went back to eating grass and dandelions, oblivious to the noise at the busy intersection.
Well geese are always cantankerous, even more so with their goslings in tow, so I gave this bird wide berth and continued walking. From the corner of the Grosse Ile Parkway and West Jefferson I saw this ghost bike. It’s been there for several years and I pass it each time I travel along West Jefferson Avenue in Trenton to the parks I frequent in that area.
The ghost bicycles are found around the world and an all-white bicycle is placed at the nearest sign or pole where a bicyclist lost their life. Sometimes a small memorial plaque is left at or near the bike as well. In this case, it was a 68-year-old man riding his bike on Jefferson Avenue, near the Grosse Ile Parkway and he was struck by a minivan. In this case, it appears someone put the bike against the pole and spray painted it there. Often people just buy the bike already painted white, or paint it and chain it to the pole/sign.
The traffic was busy, even in the early afternoon, so I had to wait a while to get the photos from afar.
I started walking back to the main part of Elizabeth Park, the areas you are so familiar with, like the big bridge or the boardwalk.
Patience is a virtue.
The expression “finding the gold at the end of the rainbow” was true that day. But, instead of a pot of gold coins, there was a huddle of goslings. The goslings were different ages though – three young ones and two were older. Oddly enough, there was just one Mama, who was likely babysitting, er “goslingsitting” that day.
If you look for something long enough, you might just find it.
Being a gosling is a tough life … eat, relax, snooze and swim.
The older goslings left, either bored with me, or to find their Mama.
Me … I tootled off too, happy for all the steps taken on my first long walk of 2024.
I am joining Terri’s Sunday Stills Photo Challenge: Fresh.
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 
I almost thought you didn’t have any snow and wondered what was going on? I guess you must have several feet of snow right now?
Somebody did a art number on that bike!
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I wish we didn’t have any snow Wayne, but right now, I’d deal with the snow much better than the ice. However, tomorrow it may get to 40 and 44 on Tuesday, so some ice might melt, affording me a chance to finally go to the Park, though who knows how much ice will be on the path (which they never plow).
As for the ghost bike, it looks like they spray-painted it right there. There is an internet site that shows all the ghost bikes around the world. Sometimes people buy the bike already painted white with the white chain as a memorial to their loved one, or just spray paint it themselves, then take the bike/chain there, but it looks like they took the spray can there.
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It was your birthday too! Such a beautiful gift of blue skies, sweet tiny goslings and a very long leisurely walk. It’s nice remembering.
I haven’t any clue what I was doing on that day!
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Yes, it was a very nice walk at Elizabeth Park that day, but it was not my birthday TD. Whenever I return from a walk where I take photographs and I know will become a blog post, I write a rough draft the same day so I don’t forget the details.
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Now I’m wondering why I thought that April 15th is your birth date? I apologize for my mistake.
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Isn’t it good to succeed in a photo quest Linda
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Yes it is Brian! I guess I was a little early to be looking for goslings having found only one group of them, but I went back a month later and they were everywhere! I could have made many posts about goslings as I saw them at every park I visited but I thought everyone would tire of seeing them every week. 🙂
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Ah, the freshness of Spring! I love the goslings, the frog in full croak and the greenery, Linda! We’re getting fresh batches of rain every few hours, melting the snow. I’m so ready for spring even though I had a good hint of it in Arizona. Cheers to a good and fresh spring coming your way sooner than later!
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Who knew that frogs could be as cute as goslings? We are finally turning a corner Terri – 40s and rain for a few days, which I hope will get rid of the ice that has plagued us since early January. No trip to the Park for a few days though as we have 40 mph winds most of tomorrow. If Mother Nature could just get everything lined up nicely, I’d be happy!
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This was a wonderful spring hike. Love the goslings!
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The first long hike every Spring is memorable and it was so special seeing the goslings … I knew you would like them Kate, as you always like my Spring baby photos!
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You finally found them!! They are adorable…so soft, fluffy, and small. It’ll be a great change to have warm weather for you and to go walking without wearing all your winter gear. Pretty soon!
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They are so sweet Esther! And these were a blended family, but when you see the very tiny goslings, all in a huddle, emitting all those little peeps and squeaks, your heart will just melt. I think we’ve finally turned a corner with some temps in the low 40s the next three days, but it comes with rain and very high winds. Perhaps the ice will melt and the winds will blow the melted ice water away. I feel I’ve done nothing but complain about the Winter weather for goodness sake!
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I understand how easy it is to complain about the weather when it’s as cold as where you live! We’re almost in March and hoping the longer days will bring some sunshine and better weather.
I should go out looking too to find those ducklings! We haven’t been doing too much nature walking these days.
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I hope once your rain stops, you will be able to find those ducklings Esther. I think you said the pond dried up and they moved on, so they might be back again!
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What a wonderful booming the spring. I love the white blooming flowers. Beautiful photos. I haven’t any clue what I was doing on that day! Linda 🙏
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Yes Raj … a preview of coming attractions come Spring. I wouldn’t know what I was doing either, but every time I take a long walk and take photos which I will use in a post, I write a draft of the post the same day so I don’t forget the details.
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Thanks,Linda. Iam so glad, you are doing Weldon.
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Ahhhh, the goslings are so adorable! What a grand first spring walk day, Linda! I love the willows on the island capture, beautiful!
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It was very memorable Donna – that first walk in the Spring is always wonderful isn’t it? Those big willow trees on the mini island are gorgeous and very old. They are on the other side of the big bridge as well. The goslings were so sweet. I had a lot of gosling shots, so I used some of those walks photos and decided to put the rest away for awhile. The newborn goslings are the sweetest – after a week or so, they get attitudes like their parents!
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That was a very joyful post, an ode to spring.
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Thank you Anne, I’m glad you enjoyed it and yes “Ode to Spring” is a perfect way to describe this post and its photos.
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The goslings look delightful.
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I can hardly wait for the 2025 goslings to arrive Anne. It will be a while yet … April and May are when the parents debut their offspring. 🙂
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Haha, the life of a gosling sounds a lot like the life of a certain newly retired person, if we swap out the swimming for some walking. 🙂
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Exactly right JP! Yes, living a life of Riley now. 🙂
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So lovely to read about your spring outing, when we’re buried under a mountain of snow still! Great photos, as always – the frog croaking and the goslings, especially. Elizabeth Park would be interesting to explore, and how cool that there’s a bridge named after Gordie Howe, one of the greatest hockey players of all time! Is there a story behind that ghost bike? Funny that someone decided to spray paint it white.
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Thank you Debbie! I wonder if it will look as Spring-y and feel as warm on April 15th this year? I hope so. I was excited to see those frogs, then learned they weren’t Spring Peepers, but they were small frogs and made for a wonderful chorus. I guess the Spring Peepers are even smaller. The goslings were the first of many at this park and I actually could have filled a month’s worth of posts on goslings alone from all the parks where I go. And I still had young gosling shots as late as June (those parents got a late start I guess).
Everyone was happy (on both sides) about naming this the Gordie Howe International Bridge since he was born in Canada and spent so many years playing for the Wings … so, a win-win on both sides. And Gordie Hoe was still alive when the official bridge name was agreed to. He was happy about it too.
The ghost bikes are actually all over the world and there is a website that shows many of them. People put these bikes which are painted all white and chained to the nearest sign near the bicycle crash site. In this case, they took a bike there and spray painted it against the pole. Sometimes people buy the bikes already painted white and put them there with a memorial plaque. This bike represents this bike rider- there is a paywall up at this newspaper now, but then the articles were free to read:
https://www.thenewsherald.com/2006/10/03/police-seeking-witnesses-to-fatal-bicycle-accident/
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I see you’re getting a little jump on this coming spring by revisiting the last one. What is the story behind ghost bicycles?
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I was thinking positively Eilene! Coincidentally, when I wrote this post last Friday, it was still very cold, snowy and icy, but unbelievably, today it got up to 57 degrees! Pretty amazing and today while walking again (yay) I watched the snow and ice disappear like a time-lapse photo. We have significant flooding at the Park however – it’s just awful there as everything melted so quickly and the ground is still frozen.
The ghost bicycles are actually a practice around the world and an all-white bicycle is placed at the nearest sign or pole where a bicyclist lost their life. Sometimes a small memorial plaque is left at or near the bike as well. In this case, it was a 68-year-old man riding his bike on Jefferson, near the Grosse Ile Parkway and he was struck by a minivan. [Interestingly, I always write my posts in Word and transfer them over to WordPress. I wrote a whole paragraph about the man after researching the accident since there was no news articles on the ghost bike. In preparing this post, I had two or three instances where WordPress closed unexpectedly on me and I guess that paragraph was not saved. I should have noticed that paragraph was missing, so I apologize to you and others who asked me about the ghost bike. In this case, it appears someone put the bike against the pole and spray painted it there. Often people just buy the bikes already painted white, or paint it and chain it to the pole/sign. I’m going to update my post now.]
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Dandelions don’t get the respect they deserve. Seeing that photo now during the bleak days of February makes me happy. Yay yellow! 💛
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I agree Ally. Nothing like a pop of cheery yellow to brighten your day, especially after a Winter like we have had. I should commend Mother Nature on today’s weather. We got to 57 degrees today and snow and ice was melting at the speed of sound. I went to the Park and the ground is still so frozen that there are massive pools of water due to ice/snow melt. Can’t win with this Winter and we may be having freezing rain early Wednesday. I figured I’d best get out while the goin’ was good.
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What a fantastic walk Linda. I don’t know how you captured the frog with its throat expanded! I think that is my favorite picture. The bridge with steps is something I have never seen here as ours are just an incline up and down. I love how most all of your walks have so many paved walkways. The goslings are so adorable.
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I’m glad you enjoyed it Diane! That first walk in Spring, birds chirping, warm air – it is a heady feeling. (Well, we about had that kind of weather today – it got to 57 degrees, so I finally got a walk in, though it was massive flooding at the Park as the ground is frozen with nowhere for the snow/ice to melt but on top.)
I liked those frogs too – so cute and I was able to get up close to them with this little camera and they weren’t intimidated by me hovering over them. I even stopped some guy jogging to tell him to stop and listen to them. Yes, I am a scream sometimes. 🙂 I don’t think I’ve ever shown the wooden steps which wind around and are easier to get from the boardwalk to the main street (Elizabeth Drive) that circles the park. Otherwise you have to go up a steep grassy hill, or use rickety cement steps, so this is my preference if I’m done on the boardwalk for the day. The goslings were sweet – a blended family. 🙂
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Oh my, those darling goslings are so precious! The grass was green and the dandelions were in their glory, but spring was just getting started with only a promise of buds on the still bare tree branches.
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It was such a rewarding walk that day Barbara – not only the sweet goslings, but also the frogs. It’s seems funny to be infatuated with frogs, but their songs were such a treat and I hope I hear them again this year. Tuesday afternoon we got to 57 degrees. At about 2:00 p.m. I went to the Park where I was astonished and horrified to find big areas of the Park underwater due to frozen ground and a quick ice/snow melt. I was at a loss where to make my usual drops as they were underwater, so I left food as near as possible. No squirrels were out, just my female Cardinal that saw me and her mate joined her and, unfortunately a Cooper’s Hawk was cruising overhead. Today at 2:00 p.m., a mere 24 hours later, I heard the news and talk of snowing big flakes, so I looked out – snowing like crazy, looking like a snow globe out there. It’s a wintry mix now as I write this.
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I need to hit up our wildlife refuge again. It’s been awhile. Love the pics you shared. Those baby goslings are so cute. Way to catch the frogs “singing”. I love their sound. I didn’t know that about the “ghost bicycles”.
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Thank you Kirstin! I can hardly wait for this year’s first long walk in Spring. It felt like Spring yesterday when we got to 57 degrees, but today it’s snowing again, so it will be a while before declaring “Spring has arrived” here in SE Michigan. The goslings are always so sweet and I love seeing a big huddle of newly hatched goslings and hearing all their peeps and squeaks … a few weeks later they begin getting an attitude and flapping their tiny wings and hissing. 🙂 I hope I see the frogs again this year – what a treat to hear their “singing”. The ghost bikes are actually all around the world per a website I found about ghost bikes. I was glad I could find info on the biker it memorialized. That is a fairly busy street, so I can see how it happened.
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The best part of winter is, the photos we get in the spring, ;]
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That’s for sure Sandra! I know I will enjoy that first long walk in the sunshine with the camera after this tough Winter we’ve had (and actually, this Winter is just like the Winters I remember from the time I was a kid … we were just getting soft the last few years with mild Winters).
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Thanks Yvette. I figured a lot of people would see the cake and want to make one for themselves. It looked delicious!
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Hi Linda,
I forgot what a great writer you are – excellent sentence structure with your details and nice humor (wit…. and whimsy….) and loved the opening line so much – “I need an oversized broom as I am in a hurry to whisk February away and welcome in March.” I want a broom for that too.
So sad about the bikers that lose their life while riding the roads- and the one serving as a memorial for the 68-year old was a heart tug…. so sad. And on a side note, I have mixed feelings about bikes on most highways and really feel like bikers should only use bike lanes of park trails. But I know that is not possible
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Thank you Yvette – your comment made my day! Now that WordPRess has the capability for AI-generated images, I asked to have a big broom sweeping out the calendar page of February. The first try was a February calendar in another language, so that wouldn’t work and the second try was an oversized calendar and a smaller broom, so I let my words do the image. 🙂
I agree with you as to the bicyclists as it’s just not safe riding on a highway and this is a busy street near a busy intersection as it is the street to the well-traveled bridge leading to Grosse Ile. The other bridge to the island is a toll bridge, so it’s always congested at this intersection. We have three Metroparks that you can bike through and connect to them, a 30-mile roundtrip, which is great, but you also have to go into city traffic, so that’s not safe at all in my opinion.
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Those AI generated images sound very cool. I have not yet tried it and might do so later this year….
oh and I hope your weekend is going well
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It’s fun to see what AI can come up with Yvette. I used the WordPress AI back in a “Walktober” post. I saw a scarecrow decoration in front of a neighbor’s house and that scarecrow coincidentally had a flannel shirt and sherpa vest that looked very similar to clothing I owned. That scarecrow was also wearing blue jeans. So I took photos of my own clothing, then took a photo looking down at my jeans and my red boots I was wearing, then spun it into a post. I had AI create an image of a scarecrow dressed in the same garb (it took a few tries to get the plaid and beige sherpa vest down pat) sitting at a computer typing a post. It was fun to create it.
It was dry, but cold and thankfully I got another walk in.
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thanks for sharing your creative process with that….
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You’re welcome Yvette – it was fun to dip my toe in the AI waters.
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Yvette – if you look at the first part of this post, then go to the very bottom (the AI-generated) pic, you’ll see what I did. I’ll try it again but this was fun.
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SO COOL!!
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Ah spring! I can’t wait lol. You will look forward to all your walks in the spring too. We still have snow but a lot has melted. It’s -25 Celsius here but we are supposed to get a lot of rain this coming week and hopefully it will warm up
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I am counting the days Susan! You are much colder than we are. We were in single digits yesterday and 25 degrees colder than Friday. Friday was so windy you would not want to walk in it. The only good day this week will be tomorrow and then rain the rest of the week. What crazy weather this has been so I hope we get a good Spring after this awful Winter!
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A great post, Linda. I love your frog pictures! and dandelions! I need dandelions! and baby geese – so precious! Thanks for spring!!!
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Thank you Ruth! I hope you are now inspired to think Spring, though it’s difficult with the cold weather. At least this week’s warmer temps and rain will help you think Spring too. Those frogs were so cute, so I hope to see some again this year and the goslings … what sweet little souls!
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Gorgeous photos as always! I’ve never heard of or seen ghost bikes, so I’ve learned something new.
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Thank you Linda! I’m excited for Spring to arrive here and get out with the camera. We have a warm-up to almost 70 (25 degrees above normal) for Tuesday, but unfortunately everything is still pretty blah looking right now and it will be getting colder by the end of the week. I had not heard of ghost bikes until I saw that one a while ago and then I Googled around to learn about it. I finally got a photo of it. It is a busy intersection so I had to find a safe spot and wait for traffic to clear. I see how he might have gotten killed with all the cars whizzing by. There is a site worldwide where people post pics of their ghost bikes. It does not include every one as I didn’t find this one on there. The site is “ghostbikesdotorg”.
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