With the so-called “Dog Days of Summer” just around the bend, it won’t be long before the autumn leaves turn bright colors and begin to fall. And now that the kids are almost back in school, wouldn’t this be a wonderful time for a walk around the lake or in the park?

Blue sky, sunshine, what a day to take a walk in the park. Ice cream, daydream till the sky becomes a blanket of stars. What a day for pickin’ daises and lots of red balloons, and what a day for holdin’ hands with you. (“Lazy Day” – Spanky and Our Gang – 1967)

We have the most beautiful lakes to walk around and experience the clean mountain air, here in the San Bernardino Mountains, and soon even the loud voices of children enjoying Lake Gregory and Lake Arrowhead will be fading away as they return to school. To me that seems too soon because, when I was a kid, we had a full summer and didn’t need to return to school until after Labor Day weekend.

We have so many beautiful hiking trails under the soaring trees of the forest, and I think walking in their shadows is not only a chance to cool off but also an almost spiritual experience amongst those ancient, living giants.

I’ve been hiking down to the Heart Rock waterfall since moving here from Tustin, back in 1976. It was so much nicer back then, before all the yahoos desecrated the trees by carving their names into them and leaving graffiti on the majestic rocks and boulders lining the creek, as well as Heart Rock itself, which has also been desecrated by graffiti. Thank goodness we have local residents and organizations that occasionally remove the graffiti and get us closer to what nature should look like.

Unfortunately, it’s not possible to remove the scars from the trees without damaging them even more. These majestic trees not only impart a refreshing fragrance to the area, but also offer cooling shade, not to mention that they also produce oxygen, which helps us breathe. Anyway, the forest is a wonderful retreat from the heat we’ve been experiencing this summer and a wonderful way to enjoy nature.

If you are bored and can’t think of anything else to do this summer and autumn, do yourself a favor and take a stroll through the forest or a nearby park and enjoy the benefits offered by nature.

Blue sky, sunshine, flowers bloomin’, children sayin’ hello. Rowboats, bird notes, people smilin’ everywhere that they go. What a day to be together, and what a sky of blue, and what a day for thinkin’ right out loud, I love you. Lazy day, just right for you and me, baby you and me and the honeybees neath a shady tree. Lazy day, lazy day, lazy day for you ‘n me.

Keep it flyin’,

Uncle Mott