The Pond

 I am drawn to the pond at the Farmersville-Jackson Township Park as though it were a magnet. Most days Mom and I walk for a time there, watching the slow change of scenery with the seasons, counting the walkers who are on the track, noting the fisherman sitting on the bank, listening for the peals of laughter from children on the playground equipment.

May 14, 2013 panorama of the pond

 Yesterday, as Mom continued walking, I stopped at the south edge of the pond and took four photos. I then stitched them together into this panorama. It was a perfect spring day, summer-like actually, with a stiff breeze, brilliant sunshine and a high temperature near 80°.

 When we moved to Pinehaven, the pond did not exist. I don't remember what year we saw excavation begin. A wide, sweeping cut was made with grading equipment and the pond slowly dug into Winter Zero Swartsel's former property (search this blog on his name for more details). The park is his legacy but the pond should be his namesake.

 Here's a single shot of the beautiful sky we enjoyed yesterday. Wispy cirrus and alto cumulus gave the sky a true three-dimensional effect. It was not a boring flat blue but deep, reaching into space. The clouds drifted quickly on the winds and the scene changed constantly.

 The Farmersville Fire Department had just filled the swimming pool and had their hoses laid out on the walking path to town. The job took all night and till mid-afternoon yesterday to fill the two pools. They'll open in about two weeks, enough time for the water to warm a bit.

 On May 7 I took this close-up of aquatic grasses along the edge of the pond. The lighting gave the water the look of liquid silver. Each blade of grass poked through the water's surface, dimpling the water, the surface tension causing a small  depression around each blade.

 Go back yet another week, to May 1, and the crab apples were in luxurious bloom. Their sweet scent gave our walk an added pleasure.

 That same day, the puffy cumulus reflected in the water's surface and produced a dizzying effect as I stood there. They moved ever so slowly and seemed to pull me along with them.

 These shots cover a mere two weeks. Now the flowering trees have replaced their showy displays with leaves.