Tag Archives: Walktober

Walktober 2025

Posted on by

Nowhere can I think so happily as in a train. — A.A. Milne, English writer best known for creating Winnie-the-Pooh bear

Once again, it’s time for Walktober!

(You can read the details about it — dates, etc. — at Dawn’s blog. Join us if you can — the more, the merrier!)

This year, I decided to change things up a bit. The walk I took last year was breath-taking but having talked to others who live in that area and learning how desolate (and potentially dangerous) such a solitary walk could be, I opted to surround myself with living, breathing humans!

Continue reading →

Live and Learn

Posted on by

Then call on me on the day of distress; I will rescue you, and you shall honor me. ~ Psalm 50:15, New American Bible

Have you ever been afraid?

I’m not talking about everyday fears, like seeing a snake in your yard or going to the dentist.

I’m talking about terror. The kind that makes your heart feel like it’s going to jump right out of your chest. The kind that stops your breathing. The kind that haunts your dreams afterward.

Continue reading →

Walktober 2024

Posted on by

Multitudes of people are beauty-blind to the outdoor pictures. I doubt if one in a hundred begins to take in the beauty visible on even a short walk in city or country. ~Delia Lyman Porter, American writer and social reformer

Happy Walktober! It’s time for our group walk known as Walktober and hosted this year by Dawn.

Walktober coaxes us out of our chairs, off our sofas, and away from our troubles for a walk (bike ride, road trip, etc.) outdoors to take in Nature’s autumnal glory and share it with the world.

Let’s get to it!

Continue reading →

Walktober 2023

Posted on by

An early morning walk is a blessing for the whole day. ~Henry David Thoreau,American naturalist, poet, philosopher

Once again, it’s time for the annual group walk known as Walktober. Hosted this year by Dawn, Walktober encourages us to get outside and experience nature by walking, biking, riding, boating, whatever; and to share that enjoyment with others through words and photos.

Monkey’s already done his walk — he prides himself on being an over-achiever, hmph — so this one’s just for me. I traveled to Charleston, IL, home of Eastern Illinois University and the Whiteside Garden.

Opened to the public in 2021, this five-acre tract was the home of the late Dr. Wesley Whiteside, a botany professor at the university, and features thousands of plants from around the world.

Continue reading →

Walking with Monkey 2023

Posted on by

The difference between friends and pets is that friends we allow into our company, pets we allow into our solitude. ~Robert Brault,American writer

I Monkey here.

I think Mama was trying to hide the news of this year’s Walktober from me — she probably didn’t want to have to do two walks! Huh.

But I found out, and I’m raring to go. Fall day? Check. Leash and harness? Check. Link to the official Walktober post? Check.

Let’s do this!!

Continue reading →

Walktober 2022

Posted on by

Above all, do not lose your desire to walk: every day I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness; I have walked myself into my best thoughts, and I know of no thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it. ~Søren Kierkegaard, Danish theologian and author, considered the first existentialist philosopher

Once again, it’s time for Walktober, the annual group-walk hosted by Robin over at Breezes at Dawn. Participants each take a walk (or bike, skate, whatever) and write a post about it (with photos); then, Robin does a roundup linking to the participants so we can all “walk” together and share our amazing world.

Today, I’m headed to Monticello, Illinois (near Champaign-Urbana) to the Allerton Park and Retreat Center. There are 14 miles of hiking trails (no, we don’t have to explore ALL of them!), but lace up your sneakers and join me. It’s a gorgeous day — clear and sunny, with morning temps in the 50s, but it will warm up as we go.

Continue reading →

Walktober 2021

Posted on by

A little fresh air would be good for you just now. The weather is lovely; and a little stroll in the park will bring the colour back to your cheeks. ~J. Palgrave Simpson, Victorian playwright

Today, I’m joining Robin over at Breezes at Dawn for the annual jaunt known as Walktober. We each take a walk (ride a bike, swim, skate, whatever), post about it (with pictures, if possible), and Robin gathers links to each post so we all can travel together and enjoy other parts of our amazing world.

Continue reading →

Walktober 2020

Posted on by

Thoughts come clearly while one walks. ~Thomas Mann, German novelist and 1929 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate

It’s time once again for the annual Walktober, hosted by Robin of Breezes at Dawn.

Today, we’re in Central Illinois, where a prolonged drought has stressed trees and produced a faster color change than what typically takes until mid-October to peak.

Nevertheless, it’s a beautiful day — temps in the low 70s, sunny and clear — so let’s hop into our sneakers and head outside for a two-mile stroll.

Continue reading →

Walktober 2019

Posted on by

We ought to take outdoor walks, to refresh and raise our spirits by deep breathing in the open air. ~Lucius Annaeus Seneca, Roman Stoic philosopher and statesman

As the days get shorter and the humidity finally breaks, it comes time for the annual Walktober, a virtual group walk organized by Robin of Breezes at Dawn.

The dates for this year’s walk are Oct. 6-19, and the “rules” are simple: take a walk, post about what you see, include some pretty pictures, and link to Robin, who will round up the links so we can all visit each other’s blogs and enjoy walking together.

Let’s go!

This year (because the trees aren’t cooperating with Fall color), I’m taking you to Arthur, Illinois (the Heart of Amish Country), to visit The Great Pumpkin Patch, a working farm owned by the McDonald family who immigrated from Scotland in the mid-1800s. Six generations later (150 years!), it’s evolved into a business of commercial pumpkin production and the preservation of rare gourd seeds.

If you love pumpkins as much as I do, prepare to be amazed!

Pumpkins … rows and rows of pumpkins

Continue reading →

Walktober 2018

Posted on by

Perhaps the truth depends on a walk around the lake. ~Wallace Stevens, American poet

It’s time once again for Walktober, the group walk organized by Robin of Breezes at Dawn. It’s not too late to get in on the fun (Oct. 28 is the cutoff date), so step into your sneakers and join us!

For this year’s trek, I traveled to Lake Shelbyville, a reservoir located in Central Illinois formed by damming the Kaskaskia River. Some $57 million was set aside (a hefty chunk of change back in 1963!) for the project, which was dedicated in 1970.

Managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Lake offers 11,000 acres of surface waters, 172 miles of shoreline, and 23,000 acres of surrounding public lands dedicated as state parks. More than 4 million visitors a year come here to swim, fish, boat, hike, camp, picnic, or sight-see.

What are we waiting for? Let’s start walking!

Continue reading →