4:52 PM

Taking a Wintry Walk in a Wild Life Sanctuary

Welcome, all! I am trying to get back into the swing of things after the excitement of the births of my two newest grand babies a few weeks ago. I have to admit that is a hard thing to do but, I am trying, nonetheless. I won't go on and on about the babies but...who am I kidding? If you'd like to get a glimpse of the babies, you can check them out here ;).

Part of getting "back into the swing of things" is to start blogging again and reconnecting with all of you. Today, I thought it would be fun to tell you about a cool wild life sanctuary we have right here in my town of Groton. I discovered it last year after living here for more years than I would like to admit. I am pretty embarrassed about that!

Since the sanctuary is all the way on the other side of town I must pass through our little town center to get there. Groton hasn't changed much in all the years I have lived here. It has always been a quaint town with a picturesque center and just enough restaurants to get by. There are not nearly enough shops for my liking but, at least we have a Shaw's grocery store and a CVS for the bare essentials.

When you finally make it to the wild life sanctuary, you are greeted by this very welcoming sign...welcoming at least for Grotonites :)! Haha!

As you begin taking a walk toward the path you pass over a small bridge of sorts to an open field. Right off the bat, you notice the beautiful views.

The rows of pine trees along the path and the views they create get you to thinking about the deep things of

life. The sanctuary is a great place to do some serious contemplation!

As you travel along you can choose to stay on the path or venture out towards the river's edge. There is a river that meanders to one side of the walk. In nice weather canoes can be seen going down the river.

As you travel along the river you eventually come upon a memorial.

It appears there must have been a hunt club in town up until 1964, a serious one I am guessing.

I thought it was a really neat spot and was especially amused by seating area and...

the statue of a German Shepherd.

I know from experience what wonderful companions German Shepherds can make. I wondered if the statue was in honor of a particular shepherd or just shepherds in general. I am sure there is someone in town who might be able to shed some light on the subject :). It's unlikely I will ask anyone but, I'm sure there is an answer out there somewhere~

Anyway, as you travel on, you run into a series of pathways.

I eventually turned around and headed back to the open field. I think it was very cold that day and I

decided

I had gotten enough fresh air for one day!

On my way home from my walk and after doing a few errands-- like stopping in at CVS :), I would have passed by one of my favorite sites in Groton: this farm. The farm used to have the most unusual cows (cattle?) grazing in the field. They were black with a large white stripe running down the sides of their "stomachs". These days if you see any cows at all, they are regular looking cows. It's a bit disappointing but, the farm is beautiful, anyway~

Well that's it for my nature walk. At the moment, I am working on a Valentine project that I hope to be sharing with you next week. Until then, I hope you enjoy!