March 15th: New arrivals, odds and ends, and relaxing at the Cloister at...

I continue patrolling the environs around the Cloister at Three Creeks in search of signs of spring and commenting on anything else I find to be of interest.

Well, I found two new wildflower blooms, though one is not a native. But the most unusual encounter today is the distinctive 'graffiti' left prominently in the middle of the trail on a carefully chosen rocky pedestal, or display platform. This is no accident. Nature's programming, which has taken millions of years to develop and refine, assures that the animal kingdom wastes no opportunity and does very little that is purely meaningless and random.

At the end of today's 4.5-mile hike I returned to the Cloister and just sat at my new favorite spot and soaked up the sounds of the rushing rapids. What a special place I am blessed to be a part of.