Hardee Lakes Park

I left early in the morning and arrived at Hardee Lakes before ten. It was clear and cool with no wind or bugs. Of course I took the trails first, but before I entered the woods, a very fat hawk landed on a branch barely thirty feet from me.

The trails weren’t that special, but they were very quiet. I only heard the rare bird, including one that sounded just like a squeaky wheel. Then again, since the trail is shared with horses and bicycles, maybe it was the ghost of a bicycle from long ago…

I took a side trail with puddles in it for a ways until I started hearing noises all around me. I wasn’t sure whether to retreat or if that option had already been cut off. I went just a bit further and saw deer. I decided I had gone far enough and wanted to see what else was in the park.

Eventually, I exited the woods near the campground and walked back to the car. It struck me just how much open space there was. Fields are everywhere. I saw what might have been a bald eagle at great distance.

Once back in the car, I drove to the northern lakes and stopped where I took the top picture. I watched an alligator swim back and forth. It was very quiet. It was very calm. The water color was interesting. Then I went home. I had errands to run.

There was one theme that tied up the day: emptiness. The fields, the lakes, the lack of clouds, and the space between trees in some spots of the forest all supported this theme. Even the parking lot stones were full of holes. That’s what I took with me. Emptiness. Hmmm…Better stop at Taco Bell before I do my errands.

---

Please leave a comment!

If you like this blog, be sure to explore my SubStack ChartingPossibilities, where I post thoughts on science, philosophy, and culture, plus excerpts from my many published books, my YouTube channel WayOutDan, where I post weird stories from my life, my science fiction series ChampionOfTheCosmos, and my xenobiology field guide FloraAndFaunaOfTheUniverse. You can support me by buying my books, or tipping me at BuyMeACoffee.