Friday, March 20, 2009

New Color Markers on Lake Pine Trail

Much to my delight I saw that there was a new sign with colored symbols to show people were they are around the lake. They could be brand new or old, since it's been a while since I've been around the lake. Years ago, maybe three or so, the trail was sectioned off by colors and a sign announced the entry into a new area of the lake. This was a safety measure so people calling for help could tell where they were on the 2 mile paved trail.

I remember writing in to the town saying it was a great idea, but what was missing was extending the color markers through the trail so at any point a person could look up and see what section they were in. I was visualizing the blazes painted on trees in state park forests, so people can stay on the trail.

Instead of blazes, this innovation was even better. Color blind people or people from different cultures might not know the color as we call it. So this time a symbol was matched to the colors and painted onto the trail. So every twenty or 50 feet there was a symbol: a yellow butterfly, an orange goldfish, a green tree, a purple frog and more. Definitely a much more safe method.

Congratulations to the Town of Apex for developing and implementing this new safety measure around our really wonderful Lake Pine.

Town of Apex Map of Lake Pine

The Town of Apex has a good map of Apex Community Park and Lake Pine. Check it out here.

Dogster.com Reviews Lake Pine

Check out this review of Lake Pine on Dogster.com.

Pat Adolphi and Dash Remembered on St. Patty's Day

At the east far side of the lake, next to a pond with a fountain, a bunch of us Lake Pine walkers contributed to a bench and a bush to remember Pat Adolphi and his mastiff Dash.

It'd been a while since I'd been at the lake. As I turned the bend to the right where you can see the bench, there were bright green decorations in the bush and a basket of bright plants on the bench. Someone was remembering Pat.

It reminded me not to take this walk for granted. It reminded me that there is community in the walkers around the lake. Maybe some people will feel glad that my beagle and I walk about the lake. Thankful for the laughs they get when my beagle wants to turn around half way around the lake and refused to go forward.

That day I saw the lake as if I hadn't seen it before. The expanse of it. The wide swath of wooded hills around it. The turtles suspended in the water, just their heads sticking out. The duck couple sleeping on the turtle tree on the western cove of the lake.

There is work in the works. Several areas were cordonned off for repairs. It's getting better and better. I didn't even mind the bike riders speeding by, their interruption only moments long.

A Swan in Flight

Yesterday in the warm air I saw one of the two swans of Lake Pine in flight. You should have seen those powerful wings, normally just decorative elements as they sail across the lake, now masterfully racing through the air to the far side of the lake where the other swan coddles eggs on a nest.

It took my breath away. This beautiful white bird with black markings on it's beak, wings spread out wide like a hawks or an eagles.

I would have taken a picture but my camera is broken. So you'll just have to imagine it in your minds eye. A powerful pure white bird propelled through the air above the shimmering waters of Lake Pine.