Besides being nearby for birthdays, it's nice to be able to witness other events like school performances, including Emma's orchestra concert that included elementary through high school performers.
I miss all those great shows we attended for our own kids when they were in school.
Walking into the lobby of the lovely auditorium at Emma's school, we were pleased to see the busts of heroes from our school years on display, especially now that some schools in San Francisco and other "woke" school districts now strip their names from schools and disparage their remarkable legacies.
We have watched Emma practice her viola alone after school, but this was our first opportunity to attend one of her group performances. Her sixth grade orchestra performed quite well, IMHO, but Emma said afterwards their performance was not as good as it might have been.
They were much better than the elementary school and, in my opinion, also the eighth grade, but the seventh grade was also excellent. It was interesting to note that by high school, the orchestra was smaller than the sixth grade group, a testament to how people drop out of the program as priorities change with age. In retrospect, I regret not sticking with some of my childhood passions like playing guitar and team sports that I ditched by my sophomore year of high school.
Emma said she does not intend to carry on another year on viola, so we were happy to be there for what may be her final bow on the orchestra stage after all of the kids from all the grades played together a rousing grand finale of a song that they had all practiced in their separate classrooms at a slower pace than played during that final rendition. Then again, who knows how she'll feel by the time summer vacation has given way for a new school year in the fall?
An uphill stroll took us past a natural waterfall we could see across a canyon. The trail proceeded to take us up and down though the woods and along a river.
A few days later, Julie found a trail through Skunk Hollow, and that name fortunately was not a precursor of pungent odor. Our GPS told us we hard reached our destination, but with no parking in sight, we went to nearby Willows Park Preserve, where we could park and reach a Skunk Hollow trailhead.
Skunk Hollow turned out to be a haven for dog owners. Julie and I might have been the only hikers without at least one dog on the trail.
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Walking into the lobby of the lovely auditorium at Emma's school, we were pleased to see the busts of heroes from our school years on display, especially now that some schools in San Francisco and other "woke" school districts now strip their names from schools and disparage their remarkable legacies.
Ben Franklin's bust brought to mind learning about him being a music lover who, in the time in which he lived, could only appreciate music at home if he and his friends performed it themselves.
We have watched Emma practice her viola alone after school, but this was our first opportunity to attend one of her group performances. Her sixth grade orchestra performed quite well, IMHO, but Emma said afterwards their performance was not as good as it might have been.
They were much better than the elementary school and, in my opinion, also the eighth grade, but the seventh grade was also excellent. It was interesting to note that by high school, the orchestra was smaller than the sixth grade group, a testament to how people drop out of the program as priorities change with age. In retrospect, I regret not sticking with some of my childhood passions like playing guitar and team sports that I ditched by my sophomore year of high school.
Emma said she does not intend to carry on another year on viola, so we were happy to be there for what may be her final bow on the orchestra stage after all of the kids from all the grades played together a rousing grand finale of a song that they had all practiced in their separate classrooms at a slower pace than played during that final rendition. Then again, who knows how she'll feel by the time summer vacation has given way for a new school year in the fall?
In unrelated developments, we continue to mix in a few new trails between return established favorite trails and neighborhood walks.
In nearby Gladwyne, I found two good possibilities, and Julie opted for the one that looked to be more secluded from potential traffic noise. We found the drive to Kenealy Nature Park along winding roads past trees and lovely gated manses to be most pleasant.
In nearby Gladwyne, I found two good possibilities, and Julie opted for the one that looked to be more secluded from potential traffic noise. We found the drive to Kenealy Nature Park along winding roads past trees and lovely gated manses to be most pleasant.
Following a trail from the small parking lot, we soon reached a dead-end at a creek. We thought perhaps the promised hike of a little over two miles might have been exaggerated. After we turned, however, we noticed an offshoot leading across the street to another trail, which turned out to be a very nice loop through the forest.
An uphill stroll took us past a natural waterfall we could see across a canyon. The trail proceeded to take us up and down though the woods and along a river.
We liked it so much that we went back a couple of days later with Gina and Laszlo, who also enjoyed the trail.
A few days later, Julie found a trail through Skunk Hollow, and that name fortunately was not a precursor of pungent odor. Our GPS told us we hard reached our destination, but with no parking in sight, we went to nearby Willows Park Preserve, where we could park and reach a Skunk Hollow trailhead.
Skunk Hollow turned out to be a haven for dog owners. Julie and I might have been the only hikers without at least one dog on the trail.
Willows Preserve is a refined city park with a lake filtered by willow reeds. There's also a large mansion that is in the process of being restored. It is now open for outdoor events like weddings.
Willows Mansion was manned by Executive Director Will Nord --- in trying to remember his name, we couldn't believe we hadn't notice he was Will of the Willows --- who is very personable and gave us a short but informative tour of the property.
We will hopefully return for one of the concerts held on Sundays in a small courtyard with reportedly great acoustics located next to the hiking trail.
Located in Radnor Township, just a short distance from stately Villanova College, it is another nice park to visit and hike in the greater Philadelphia region.
More Photos From Kenealy NaturePark
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