Walk There Again - Wapsipinicon River

It shouldn't be a difficult thing for us to do, since we live just a little over a mile away from the Wapsipinicon River, but we don't stop to appreciate it all that often.  Certainly, we do drive by and cross over it fairly frequently as we go from here to there.  And that might be the reason we don't find the motivation to get out and visit it.  Familiarity breeds indifference?

Ok, we certainly are not indifferent about the Wapsi.  But, the relative proximity of the Wapsi makes it too easy to put off the visit for another day because it doesn't require a special trip to get there.  I will point out that Tammy and I have gotten in the habit of visiting Sweet Marsh Wildlife Area for our nature fix and outdoor break from life and the farm.  It is also nearby - so maybe it isn't so much the proximity issue.

It's probably more that we perceive the number of things we need to do to be greater than the time we have to do them.  That constant pressure turns our "yes let's visit" to "not now, but later."

Last week, we actually said "yes" and pulled into an access area not far from our farm.  The odd thing about that is we were on the way back to the farm after visiting the marsh.  I think this was a case where there were so many "heavy" things on our minds that we realized we needed a little bit more healing time.

Or perhaps we just couldn't quite find the gumption to get back to doing things we felt we needed to be doing.  Does it really matter what the reason was?

The access area provided further evidence of the devastation wrought by the Emerald Ash Borer.  Several bare trees that had once offered a greeting to those visiting this particular location stood sentinel, making me wonder if coming here was a good idea if I wanted to move my mind away from world worries.  But then I noticed a woodpecker moving amongst the branches and I was reminded that the dead trees still offered something to the world.

The bird activity in this area was significant and we were able to identify a wide range of bird calls and visually take note of many of them.  We even heard a Prothonotary Warbler that was initially identified by the Merlin app and then confirmed by me a bit later as a flash of yellow crossed the river.

That brought me back to trees.  The trees leaned over the river, providing a canopy to shade the water.  Birds like the warbler would periodically flit from the branches on one side of the Wapsi to the waiting arms of another tree or bush on the other side.  

Sometimes the trees lose their footing and fall into the water

And sometimes, they look at their own reflections.

It can be difficult to contemplate the natural loss of trees as they succumb to pests, diseases or gravity.  I know full-well that this is part of the natural order of things.  Not every tree is a perfect yard specimen.  Not every tree will reach full maturity.  Not every tree succeeds to live hundreds of years.  And some trees lose their grip on a river bank.

I suspect I could accept this natural order if it didn't feel as if humans have done too good of a job making it even more difficult for trees on this earth.

And there I was again, sullying a perfectly good "walk there again" by the Wapsipinicon River with these thoughts about the world's problems.  So, I stopped and took more time observing the dappled sun filtering through the leaves of the tree canopy and the ripples that disturbed the reflections on the water.  Reminding me why it is that I care about trees, birds, rivers and marshes.