Easter Tradition

Laura and I have this Easter tradition. It doesn't involve eggs, or funny hats, or a big ham on the table. It's about renewal. Its taking the time to go out into one of our favorite destinations, the outdoors. Spring is beginning, and the plants and animals are responding. Its a time of beginnings. So we take the chance to find a new place to explore, a new place to hike. We feel that new sense of wonderment, as we witness nature's rebirth.

This year we went to Ganondagan, a historic place near Victor, NY. The Seneca people lived here, in a village known as the "White Village", or the "Town of Peace". We explored the trails through the woods, and read the many interpretive signs here telling about the people and the plants that live here. We searched for skunk cabbage and bloodroot. We listened to the songs of the birds, and we watched the cascading water in the brook. It is easy to see why the Seneca settled this place, it was very magical.


After our hike we stopped for some ice cream, then off to Durand Eastman Park on Lake Ontario. We had been here before, but we had several letterboxes to find here that we had never got around to finding. We had a lot of fun finding these, though we did make a few wrong turns along the way. But the park was full of people, and we enjoyed the warm weather, and the dramatic topography. We had a full day, and slept well that night, dreaming of the next time we could take this time and forget about our daily grinds and enjoy our other home.