Meet Roger

Roger is one of the regular dog walkers in the park. He and Cooper, an adorable little white ball of fluff, walk in the park just about every day, and today I happened on them as they took a rest stop on a bench overlooking the river. I have talked to Roger in the past and have even taken Cooper's picture, but today I asked Roger if I could take his picture. He said, "Do you want someone to break your camera?", but I could tell by the tone of his voice that he was kidding. He didn't want to look at the camera, but I liked the way he was looking out over the river because that view is the main attraction of that particular bench. We chatted as I took the picture and as we walked on down the path a little ways. He told me it had been a long winter, and his wife had been in the hospital for part of the time. A daily walk in the park is pure pleasure for Cooper and a welcome respite for Roger. I'm always glad to see him and say hello.

Big change in our weather today. So far this month, we have had five days of record-breaking temperatures over 80 degrees...very unusual for April. For the next few days we will be lucky if the temperature reaches 50 degrees.

I mentioned in yesterday's blip journal that I had approached two more strangers and asked if I could photograph them. Both were park volunteers who were decked out in gardening togs and busily pulling out all the garlic mustard plants they could get their hands on. It is native to Europe, but an invasive plant here that rapidly spreads out and is difficult to control and potentially harmful to the habitat. As dedicated volunteers, they were doing hard but worthwhile work. Click the links below to see their pictures.

Jacqui
Sharan