A walk in the woods...

My two favorite guys, Matthew and Jonah, and I took a walk through the woods at Pokagon. We were joined by Fred Wooley, the naturalist at Pokagon State Park. He took us over to the area where the bluebells are blooming. There were patches and patches of bluebells.

I could almost see and hear fairies dancing in the middle of the day. I can only wander what it is like when the pale Moon slides overhead at Midnight.

The boys and I took photos, made lists of birds, and just enjoyed spring enjoying each other's company.

It is not often one gets to set foot on fairy ground. Shhh......





A Valentines Walk at Dusk

Pokagon State Park is just a short ten minute drive from my house. It is layered with rocks and hills (compliments of the glacier), lakes and woods. Of man-made priority, there is a great Inn and a first rate toboggan slide, I would guess one of the few wonders of the world.

I love spending late Sunday afternoons meandering on the trails. Valentines Day was no exception as Philip and I enjoyed the blue dusk of late afternoon and shadows of great proportion. Philip stopped to make the heart in the snow on our walk. It was a quiet way to end this sweet day.

An afternoon walk through Pokagon State Park

It was the perfect day to take advantage of the fresh snowfall and hiking at Pokagon State Park, just ten minutes away from my house.

Philip, who lives on the Outer Banks with sea and sand, is visiting for a few days and I thought it would be a great experience for him to share the afternoon with a crisp snow and the winter birds of Indiana. Fred Wooley, the park interpreter, shared the history and lore of the snowshoes and then sent us on our way into the woods for exploring

It was so quiet as we went deeper into the woods listening to the woodpecker hammering away as we shuffled our way across the snow.

If you get up here to Angola, Indiana, go to the State Park and look up Fred or Aaron. They will delight you with their knowledge and share stories as smooth and sweet as falling snow.

Philip will definitely take home memories of the day deepened with the poetry of Frost....

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep."

Easter Morning Sunrise

It is such a lovely day in Northern Indiana. Spring is slow in coming, but I like seeing it spread inch by inch. It was the perfect morning to go to Pokagon State Park for an early morning Easter walk. It was still chilly enough for a scarf and warm jacket, but I left the gloves at home! With Fred Wooley's binoculars (he led the hike) and my camera, I was more than ready for the early hike. We saw over 30 species of birds and most were singing away in the morning shadows.

For an hour and a half we enjoyed the holiness of nature on this Holiday. If you haven't been to Pokagon for a while, you need to get a pass and spend some great quality time there.

Lou Ann

Lou Ann Homan-Saylor is a teacher, a writer, a storyteller and an actress. She lives in Angola, Indiana where she can be found meandering around looking for a great story or just writing late into the night by the light of her red frayed lamp. She also is the co-author of the new blog, voiceofangola.blogspot.