Extra Credit: You go take a hike!!

Monday, November 2, 2009

I have six siblings and twelve nieces and nephews. My oldest sister is 34 and my youngest sister just turned 21. The oldest nephew is 10 and the youngest niece was born two weeks ago. My family is tall, loud and crazy! We joke that we are a traveling three ring circus all rolled into one family. That being said, almost all of us decided to go walk the flood wall, tour around Belle and Brown island and do the canal walk. It was BEAUTIFUL on Monday and we were itching to be outside.

There is an entrance to the flood wall off Hull St. My parents love to go walking there and decided to take the family. My dad, who is a great "outdoorsman" and my brother who is in the military (and thinks he knows everything) were certain there was a way to get from the flood wall to the back side of Belle island which would led us to the canal walk. In Thoreau's essay Walking, he talks about,"the spirit of undying adventure, never to return." Never to return...I was beginning to feel this way after we had left the beaten path and were relentlessly pushing forward. My dad and brother were sure we were NOT lost. All I knew was that we were still in Richmond, I just didn't have any idea where!! "There has to be a connecting trail here somewhere," my dad said. "Here I go ahead and do some recon. Yes, let's take this path it connects to another up there," said my brother.

Let me paint this picture more clearly for you. First, we have a wheel chair in tow because my mom has a bad back and can't walk for long distances. There are at least two strollers for the little ones. My sister-in-law has her one year old in a back pack and the two week old is in the front pack. What?! That is crazy, right?! That's how we roll. I took my son camping for the first time when he was three months old. Anyway, This"path", was one of many, my brother encouraged us to take. He did just fine walking down it and the rest of us off roading with strollers an wheel chairs.

There were about 15 of us all together. Kids are hungry, someone needs water and then a diaper change. My nephew takes off running, he doesn't have a shirt on because he took it off because he was hot, and he totally bites it, HARD. Only a little blood and some major road rash on his chest. No worries, it makes him look tough. We Finally find the connecting path, after about an extra 45 minutes of searching and we make it to Belle island. We have some friends with us from out of town who have never been to Belle island. My dad is eager to share all of the rich, history of the island with them. The island is beautiful in all its' fall colors and the air is warm yet still has the unique feeling of Autumn to it.

I have been to Belle island many times but this time I saw a new historical marker. It said "Place of Suffering" It talked about the prisoners that were brought to the island and how they were intentionally treated poorly to break them down and they were starved so they had no will to fight back. One of my not too distant relatives, Thorpe, was a prisoner at Belle island. Thoreau also talks about," being absolutely free from worldly engagements." Sometimes I would walk ahead to get away from the craziness and enjoy the being outside during my favorite time of the year.

The quote at the top of the page is set into a bridge that juts out into the James. It says, " you are free -- free as air... you can cast off the name of slave and trample upon it." -President Abraham Lincoln. I have only lived here in Richmond for two years but I LOVE how rich the history is here. SO... it was fun to get out on a beautiful fall day and enjoy nature. I have to admit, Dr. Brandon, there was NO independence of solitude on this trip. It was more controlled chaos with some random insanity thrown in. It WAS part of my "full life". I love being with my family and I love being outside. I do feel "equally at home everywhere" but I feel more at home with my family and when I am outside.