Great news! I have exercised an enormous amount of self-control over the last six months, and I am now only six pounds away from my goal – a weight I have not carried around since I spent my college years in the 60s running and jogging and walking.
For most of my walks, I have risen at about 5 AM, fed the cats and Marcy, our beloved Lab, and let her outside. But when the weather in Waco dipped into the 20s last week, I decided I would wait until the temperature climbed into the 60s for my daily walk. This had the added benefit of taking in my walk in daylight.
Houses had new colors, and I saw many of the residents, who all seemed friendly enough to wave and say hello to a stranger passing by their houses. But cars and trucks whizzing by became something I had to pay careful attention to for the first time.
One part of my walk took me down a long cul de sac, which ended in a wrought-iron gate enclosing a mansion with neatly manicured grounds and a semicircle of marble statues. I often wondered about the house and its inhabitants.
The other day, my walk took me down there, and those white-painted gates were open wide. The driveway looked like a continuation of the street, so I decided to risk asking forgiveness for a minor trespass than permission.
I walked the semicircle in front of the entrance and looked at the statues – a young girl with a tambourine and a goat, a tall woman that reminded me of the Greek goddesses and nymphs, a young boy, and a few others. The grounds seemed deserted. I saw neither cars nor any evidence that anyone was home.
But what struck me the most in this daylight excursion was a collection of the most massive live oak trees I have ever seen. I tried circling one of the massive trunks with my arms for a hug, but I could still see both my hands.
Some of the branches, which grew out of the main trunk fairly close to the ground, were more massive than most of the trunks of the beautiful live oaks on the MCC campus. I am no expert, but I believe these trees must have first grown from a tiny acorn well over 100 years ago.
I can’t even begin to imagine the price tag on such an estate, but I am sure it would take a major lottery win to buy the keys. Oh well, I can dream, can’t I?
December 26, 2012 at 4:14 pm
it was really an interesting and informative article. pretty cool post! thanks for sharing this. Cris