What You Can Find When You Explore Your Neighborhood

This week I'm "Starting The Week Off..." With A Walk In A Park

Summer's sunny days are a great excuse to explore new paths with your pup. Dog Fence DIY encourages exploration beyond the fence!  Benny and I have a pattern; after we take the girls to school, I stop by a park that seems to call to me on that particular morning, and we have a stroll.  We live in such an incredible town, it's full of parks and dog-friendly off leash areas, that we have plenty of places to choose from.  Over the 7 years since Benny joined our family we have visited just about every park in our area.  But, on this particular morning, I decided to see a park that we frequent from a new angle, to see what was "beyond the fence" that I had created with our pattern.  What a difference a few blocks can make!

Instead of beginning our journey in Cathedral Park in St. Johns, Portland, OR from our usual spot, the sweet dog park (just driving down the street Benny starts whining because he knows exactly where we're going) I thought of beginning on the opposite end - an area we rarely even walk to - to see what we could find. 

I saw a beauty in Cathedral Park that I had never noticed.  I felt like I was in a completely different place.  The way the sun was lighting the trees of Forest Park across the Willamette River I was transported to another part of Oregon. I was reminded of Central Oregon, funny enough, which is considered our desert.  Hard to explain why, senses are odd that way.

And oh boy, Benny was sniffing every-single-blade-of-grass as if he'd never seen the stuff before.  He's a Chocolate Labrador
but I feel there's a Bloodhound in there as well.  I think he'd make an excellent tracker dog :-> 

Squirrel!  Of course, there's always a squirrel.

Hey Benny, it's time to head home

Up the stairs, under the St. Johns Bridge we walk to our van.  Since we parked in a different area of the neighborhood I was able to see the structural beauty of this bridge from underneath.

The St. Johns Bridge was designed by David B. Steinman and Holton D. Robinson and was completed in 1931.  It is the tallest bridge in Portland, OR.  

It was a very good morning discovering a park that was beyond our fence.  Have you discovered parts of your neighborhood lately?  Did you have your trusty pooch with you? Walks are always entertaining when you have your dog by your side.














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(* I am a happy participant in the Beyond The Fence campaign by Dog Fence DIY.)