Mendon Ponds

When I first arrive at Mendon Ponds on Saturday afternoon, the sky is clear blue and the sun shoots into every crevis of the landscape. The grasses are lit, the sky is lapis, and thin skin of ice on the pond is backing away from the shore.

I find my way to the green trail for horses that skirts the edge of the pond. The trail is a bit muddy here and there and pair of horses pass me and leave fresh imprints even in the harder sections of the path.

The view from the trail is about eye level with the pond, looking over the tops of cat tails. Off in the woods I hear a Pilleated woodpecker drilling away, and calling now and then. I spot a king fisher circling the pond and wonder what the king fisher does this early in the season with a layer of ice on the water.

The people on the horses and a few other hikers seem very intent on chatter, which has me looking to go off trail so I climb the hill to the east of the pond to get above them and any others that might follow.
In the grass above there is a group of chickadees that seem to take little notice of me, even as I approach.

I head deeper into the woods and cut up following deer trails. These are easy to spot because all of the leaves are matted down from the snow but the more recent deer have ruffed up the leaves, and have left scat here and there.

It feels good to be more off on my own. The trees are still and silent, but I can hear birds everywhere. Most noisy are the geese that are landing in the ice free sections of the pond or that are flying over on their way North. I get to the top of the ridge that circles the pond and walk along the rim. Now and then I stop and just gaze out, letting the mind settle into a natural quiet. I can feel myself melt into the surrounding area and settle down into the gullies and amongst the grasses in the warm sun.