By Rit Carter
With Kern Park renovations about to be unveiled, now was as good time as any to have a quick walk through the neighborhood park.
Tucked behind Ivy Drive School, the 22-acre neighborhood park offers nature trails and wetland and uplands habitats.
Without a doubt, Rockwell Park and Page Park grab all the headlines for their amenities. However, Kern offers the privilege of intimacy that Rockwell and Page cannot.
My recent walk through the park on a crisp Saturday morning included several diversions away from the paths. It was in these places where evidence was deposited of nature’s internal battles that were won and lost.
Along the paths, tree roots, and leaf beds that dot the grounds, the tall trees offer a retaining wall from the outside world that wished to intrude on the moment.
The peaceful and quiet excursion was precisely what I coveted. The only sounds were the wind whistling through the creaking trees, the birds startled by my presence, and a single-engine Cessna on approach to Robertson Airport.
At one point, I made a pit stop to enjoy the comfort of a large rock. Oddly placed, it just showed up along one of the pathways. It was here that I whipped out my notebook to write my observations and compose ideas for another story.
Undisturbed and relaxed, it was a half hour before I realized I needed to resume my walk. When the weather warms and my creative faculties are at their peak, it is here that I plan to return to finish one of my nearly finished works. Without a doubt, I wish there was more to explore.
In the interests of full disclosure, this was not my first foray through Kern Park, however.
Many years ago, which seems like a previous life, Kern Park was a cut-through when my friends and I missed the bus coming home from school.
Although the park is smaller in my memory, it is larger in what it offers in the present.
In reality, it is rare to have a small forest in a neighborhood untouched by development. While looking forward to the park’s renovation and improvements, I enjoy what it currently has to offer.
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