Covid-19: A walk in the park

Our regular easy short walk with the dog is to a nearby wetland preserve called the Frog Pond. Yes, there are frogs—Pacific tree frogs—and right about now is when they're really making a racket, but mainly at night. The route there involves a walk down a park service road—or, the nicer parallel trail underneath redwoods. They are literally twenty feet apart, but one is just a gravel road, baseball field and dog park off to the left, while the other truly does feel like a walk in the woods.

The other day David said, "Let’s just stick to the road on the way there, and take the trail back—for a change. There's a surprise I want to show you." On the Frog Pond loop, I quizzed him: 30 Questions—is it a mushroom? no; is it something natural? no; is it manmade? yes; is it colorful? yes; does it involve words? yes; is it a sign? He swung around and pointed with one hand at his nose, the other at me. There may have been one or two other questions in there—like, will I like it? I think so—but now I was excited. A new sign! Maybe put up by the city? I just hoped it wasn't another officious rule. 

When we got to the trail, I didn't see anything immediately. After a short ways, David said, "Psssst. Look around you." I did, and there, nestled in the greenery, was a framed photo surmounted by words: NEIGHBOR IT IS SO GOOD TO SEE YOU. What? How wonderful! Not an officious rule at all—indeed, just the opposite. "Are there more?" I asked. "Affirmative."

The rest of the walk became a treasure hunt as I searched for the secret messages. As a friend put it, "Each sign conveyed a level of intimacy, but in an appropriate way." Here is a collage I made of the walk (click to see it larger on black):

And because it's not easy to see what the signs say, here—but in reverse order from the above, because it makes (perhaps) better sense:

Sweet friend I have missed you
We are alone in this together
Soon we will embrace again
It will be a glorious reunion
The sky will be clearer
The plants will be bigger
Just look at this place
Neighbor it is so good to see you

Seriously, it made my heart sing. Neighbors, strangers, friends, going out of their way—and a lot of effort went into this—to reach out and connect, even while sheltering in place.

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Monterey County cases are up to 235 today; deaths remain at 6.

Stay connected. We are alone in this together. And therein lies our continued health and strength.