Magnuson Park — Wednesday, Apr. 8, 2020

Decided to take my car for a short drive to make sure it still runs since I don't go anywhere anymore. Magnuson Park now has restricted parking. Only the first lot is open and the road through the park is closed. It was a bluebird day. I walked to the top of a hill and read the informational plaque. The wetlands below me were a runway back when the air force had a base here. The area is not at all as it was before the base went in, but it's great that it's becoming a wetland habitat. Flowers are in full swing. Yellow dandilions, white daisies, pink salmon berry, blue something-or-others. Along my 3.75 mile walk I saw a small duck with a glittery blue stripe on its head, a large bird with a black V-shaped collar sitting on a snag, and heard frogs croaking. Mt. Rainier was also out. I'm taking photos to remember this unusual time. Today's was of the picnic shelter cordoned off with yellow tape and Coronavirus warning signs standing in front. As I walked along today, I thought what I was experiencing-- the scents, the sounds, the beauty-- couldn't have been beat on any hike. My own neighborhood was satisfying my soul.