As the sky darkened and the wind blew, I walked barefoot along the new connecting trail spur that runs north of Lakeside. 

It was once an oasis and almost unpassable. It’s a modern convenience. It still holds a sliver of the natural magic it once did, but I can’t appreciate it yet. 

The expanse of exotic cattails is fighting back. You can see it on the north side of the paved trail, a boggy mess. When I went through today, I smiled because a few dozen of these alien cattails are growing back fast, after being destroyed. 

I watched a giant of a skateboarder roll down the long hill, his lanky arms held horizontal to the ground as if he were flying.

I saw dozens of errant golf balls from the course surrounding the small lake. They look like perfect little eggs, scattered in the grass, rocks, and mud. 

As beautiful and relaxing as it was, I still hold a grudge that the unusable natural habitat has been traversed surgically with concrete.