What Can You See at Oxbow County Park

In order to build bone mass, Sparky has been trying to walk at least three times a week at the local county park, Oxbow, in Goshen, IN. It's a beautiful park and we live about 15 minutes away from it. There are 12 trails that you can mix and mingle together to get a wide variety of walking experiences. You can climb stairs, you can climb small hills.

There's an archery range, you can fish from platforms or along the banks of the river, there's a 24 hole disc golf course there....They also have some athletic fields for soccer and other sports. In the winter, they groom a couple of the trails so you could cross country ski or snowshoe if there's enough snow! The trails are mostly heavily wooded so it's nice and shady during the hotter days of summer. Many many grills and picnic areas for family get togethers. 

Sparky has been enjoying passing by a little fairy vignette each time she walks the trails. Someone was adding to "the story" as little objects were added. There was even a little scene behind the blue door. Unfortunately, somebody with ZERO appreciation for the whimsy in life, destroyed the little fairy setting the last time Sparky walked by it. It looked intentional, not like an animal destroyed it.

It was so clever how the door fit into the tree trunk space....It was very sad to think that someone might deliberately destroy a little bit of joy along the trail!

But--Sparky loves that other people choose to leave a little piece of themselves on the trail sometimes in other forms.

In crossing over this boardwalk, just a few seconds before taking this photo, a deer was trying to figure out how to get over the boardwalk, pacing back and forth and coming up to it, then backing off. Sparky got her phone ready to capture the shot, and just as she raised the phone to center the shot, the deer jumped over the boardwalk and was gone, just like that! Missed! You'll just have to picture the graceful leap over the entire width of the boardwalk. It's in her mind's eye forever.

The geese with their little ones were out and about....

And there were beautiful pinecones budding with varying shapes and sizes along the trail....

In the woods there are Eagle Scout projects that have been built....This is called the "Critter Corner" and various brush piles of "artworks" were built for creatures to hide and folks to wander through...

There is an observation tower to look out over the fields and trails. Great for a quick cardio pick-me-up, not so great for recalcitrant knee and hip joints.

Sparky loves seeing the wildflowers pop up in the early spring, then the changeover to the summer flowers and warmer weather. These are called the Great Waterleaf.

Sparky was shocked to see lupines at this park a couple of weeks ago...She thought they were mainly in the northern growing zones.

So much to see and appreciate at Oxbow County Park. We are lucky to have such a beautiful park so close to us to enjoy....Happy hiking, walking and moving to you!

Love Those IN Spring Wildflowers!

Sparky  had her final 6th chemo treatment. After feeling pretty good having been on steroids for three days, off she went for another 12 mile bike ride on the Pumpkinvine Bike Trail. The steroids make you pretty peppy!

The wildflowers are popping up in quick succession. Last week it was toad lilies and trillium, this week it's wood geraniums, garlic mustard, and blue/purple phlox.

purple phlox

purple phlox blanketing the sides of the trail

Although the trilliums are winding down, there were some beautiful ones still standing. These pink ones were rare!

Golden ragwort is in bloom as well... Pretty but toxic leaves and roots if ingested.

And....we have the mayapples, very appropriately named as there will be pretty white blooms under their little canopies in another couple of weeks in May. Sparky likes to call them "nature's little umbrellas."

Somebody is indulging their fairy fantasies...These little fairy doors are so cute, just placed randomly at the base of a couple of trees along the trail.

Rocky, the trail snake, has grown from just 3 rocks two years ago, to over 237 painted rocks! He's made it through two winters, and someone lovingly clears away the mud and sticks debris so he can keep growing. 

A beautiful day all in all for a bike ride...Sparky hopes to keep riding for a long time! Hope you are enjoying the beautiful spring weather wherever you are!

Sparky and Eldo

A Restorative Hike

It's been a long time since Sparky has posted for Where's Eldo? You might have wondered "Where's Sparky?" as well.... She's been battling breast cancer, diagnosed back in December. If you'd like to know about that, here is a link to what's been going on with her....https://lobularbreastcarcinoma.blogspot.com/2025/01/a-long-journey-about-to-begin.html

 

After going through five months of chemo treatments, Sparky is starting to feel a little better and wanting to feel "normal" doing "normal" things. It's April and spring has arrived here in Northwest Indiana....A burst of blooming Callery pear trees, also known as the Bradford pear, has blanketed the area with beautiful white blossoms, almost like snow covering the tree limbs and they are everywhere here in the Elkhart/Goshen Indiana area, blossoming suddenly in April with the first sign of warming temperatures. Apparently, the Bradford pear/Callery pear doesn't smell very good and is considered an invasive species. The state of Ohio has banned the sale and cultivation of the Callery pear because of the invasive nature of the tree species. They are pretty, though!

Time for the first bike ride on the Pumpkinvine Bike Trail. Twelve miles later and feeling the six months of no bike exercise, Sparky did enjoy the beautiful ride today despite "feeling it"....the first wildflowers in the woods are popping up, Virginia spring beauties...little white or pink flowers with pretty centers....

So many pretty spring trees and new wildflowers. A weeping cherry tree greets you as you first start out on the trail from Abshire Park in Goshen.

Besides the little Virginia spring beauties that blanket both sides of the trail, there are the yellow and brown trout lilies popping up in clusters here and there.

The magnolia trees are in full bloom...

The Eastern redbud trees are just starting to show their buds and some have bloomed already.

At about six miles into the ride after starting at Abshire Park in Goshen, there is the Amish ice cream shop just off the trail, Mooey's, in case you need a little treat. They have a little farm out back with some goats, turkeys, pigs and a donkey. You can feed the animals. Sparky has posted photos before of the Amish who love to frequent the little shop/farm, but this photo bears repeating, as it is Sparky's favorite shot from the ice cream place on a hot summer day.

When not riding the Pumpkinvine, Sparky hikes about three miles up and down the trails at Oxbow County Park. It's a beautiful little park in Goshen. There are steep stairs for a cardio boost, and some little up and down hills to make it interesting. The photo above takes you through a swampy part where lots of cool birds hang out. There are lots of trails intersecting and going off in different directions, none of them very long, but you can mix it up and get a wide variety of good walking/hiking. You might see deer foraging in the forest. Sparky averages about three miles every time she goes and always sees some beautiful birds and flowers. The trillium are almost ready to bloom.

One of the trails has a little fairy house at the base of a big ole tree, and someone has added to it lately, another little abode.

Are you wondering why there is a photo of a pair of Dutchmen? (Hint: It has something to do with wildflowers.) Read on!

The newly emerging wildflowers are in abundance at the park. Here is one that caught her eye--Dutchman's breeches. They look like upside down Dutchman's pantaloons, don't they?

Here are some of them tinged with a little pink....They are a key source of nectar for early bumblebees. However, they are toxic and can cause skin rashes.

What is Eldo up to, you might wonder? He's getting ready to be assistant golf coach again, for Concord High School girls' team. He's also got his golf clubs out and swinging them at the driving range a bit. Hopefully some rounds of golf are in his near future.....

And that is the latest from Where's Eldo? We shall see you later.....

Time for Family

For the holidays, Sparky and Eldo went to visit family....Sparky went to Houston to see her daughter and grandson, and Eldo went with his family on a weeklong cruise to the western Caribbean on the MSC "Seashore".

Sparky's grandson is 12 going on 20. He is taller than both his mom and his grandma! 

We had a great time seeing the holiday lights around Creekside, an upscale area northwest of Houston. We have a holiday tradition in our family of driving around to see lights every season, playing Christmas music in the car while we ooh and ahhh over the lights. Kerry likes to wear holiday sparkle like her mom, so she had on light up shoelaces. Sparky wants some shoelaces just like these!

Kerry took us to Dewberry Farms, which is sort of like going to a county fairgrounds, but it's a farm that has been designed to provide rides, entertainment, and seasonal holiday decorations done up to the max. We went on a cute little train ride all around the complex. The lights were really spectacular.

Some of the amenities were not. The bathrooms, were abysmal. They were basically little wooden porta potty units with several stopped up toilets and a wooden trough sink outside to wash your hands. The bathrooms were not handicapped friendly at all with rickety wooden steps and they were really dirty. No signs of any workers picking up trash or keeping the grounds clean, but there were a ton of visitors there for the lights and rides. The farm has been purchased by new owners and they don't care about upgrading the facilities, nor was it run very well as far as attractions. We had a good time anyway.....Grandson is a great basketball shooter!

We celebrated opening presents...Think Sparky, Jr. likes her slippers?

Sparky definitely loved her hand painted wine glass which joins a growing collection of the same artist....great gift idea!

Eldo had a great time on his 7 night cruise...He did lots of walking which was great for him. The cruise line was called the MSC and the particular ship was the "Seashore"....The ship was Italian and built in 2021. It was a BIG ship, designed to handle more than 5179 passengers! It has 5 specialty restaurants, 18 bars and lounges, 4 main dining restaurants, 6 swimming pools, an infinity pool along with 2 infinity whirlpools, and a waterfront promenade. It also features advance air sanitation technology, to reduce the chances of getting viruses on the ship. Hopefully, next time he will take more pictures!

He thought the trip was great....It stopped in Costa Maya, Cozumel and their own private island as another stop. Eldy did not get off the ship, the kids went to see ruins and other spots of interest. Eldy has seen them and so he stayed on the ship to explore....

The food was terrific, he says...But he didn't take any photos! Silly guy....But here are a couple of the family that someone took....Eldy's son and daughter-in-law...

And Eldy's grandkids....don't you just love Trevor's jacket? They are really great kids and are well on their way to becoming successful, happy adults....

Time passes by so quickly...We hope you and your family had a special holiday season together, thanks for following along with us...

                                        Sparky and Eldo

P.S. A link to Sparky's beginning blog about breast cancer is here:

https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/9220056048964552728/4332850761962859671