Sylvan Quiet

Larry and I like to walk at a place called Steinke Basin.  The lovely wooded setting isn't as well-known as other parts of Devil's Lake State Park, so we don't usually run into a lot of people.  As we make the ascent up the gravel road to the top of the lake's east bluff, the tall grasses give way to forest.  The tree canopies on either side of us lean over our heads, nearly touching each other.  Occasionally, you hear the scurrying of a little animal or the gurgling of a thin stream of water or the call of a bird, but often, it is sylvan quiet, a wooded area filled with beauty and silence except for the sound of our feet scraping on the gravel.  We often walk at Steinke Basin without much conversation because there is such joy in being together in such a special place. As we reach the top of the trail, we spend a few moments sitting on a bench, lifting our heads to the sky to enjoy the view. We know a husband and wife who exchanged their marriage vows at Steinke Basin. We have a good friend who often hiked that area with her late husband.  And my own late mom loved walking through those woods with her best friend Lou.  Mom and Lou shared a love of nature that was so deep that they often took walks or drives in our Baraboo Hills.  When I think of spring, I think of their Sunday afternoon nature excursions. How fortunate I am to have a husband who shares that same love of beautiful outdoor places where silence is golden.