My grandmother’s house in the countryside of Central New York has always been an escape for me.
With the exception of National Parks, visiting there was the closest I had ever gotten to almost complete isolation in the rolling hills.
Beyond the garden, I had never gone past the trails my grandfather had made.
So, when I had visited for holiday, and the weather was nice (and Winston the puppy needed a walk), I went up, and observed.
Stepping out of the house with the dog so many feet ahead of me (Springer Spaniels are hyper dogs), I took in the rolling hills as the sun began to set.
I saw the vast trees and the farm buildings many miles away.
The sound of horses broke my trance as I saw her neighbor’s horses grazing in the field.
Before I traveled further back I stopped in the wide front to see my grandfather’s apple trees (as well as his next door neighbor’s sheep).
They (being in springtime) weren’t ready yet.
So I made my way up the hill with the sheep’s call echoing behind me.
The garden’s bounty was yet to come (with me looking forward to an abundance of redcurrant and blueberry).
The peony bloomed outside near the start of the trail (which is shown here), courtesy of my grandmother.
Walking up the back trail, I could hear the neighbors cows in the distance, breaking the silence of the woods.
The tall grass was soft to the touch, in contrast to the small amount of mud that stuck to my shoe.
Once I reached a clearing, I looked around the small field where nothing had grown, but an old shed stood to the right near the edge.
I continued on the trail once I spotted a wild turkey ahead.
I ended up reaching the backwoods about five or ten minutes into my walk, looking out into the trees, spotting my grandfather’s tree stand.
As I continued walking, I found some wild leeks in the ground.
I ended up taking them with me, thinking it could be useful for salad.
I raced Winston down the hill, accidentally falling on my side, getting leaves and sticks in my hair.
Once I reached the clearing before the start of the right trail, I looked back out onto the vast hill, breathing in the fresh air, with a new perspective.
