Yesterday morning’s walk prompted thoughts about the wonderment of modern devices. Stepping up to a smart phone, even an inexpensive one, allows us a kind of “Swiss Army Knife” implement for the walk. Among the apps we’ve downloaded, FOR FREE, are a flashlight; a level; a stop watch; a timer; a compass; a GPS and a note pad.

And the little cheap communications instrument has a camera which obviates carrying a separate camera; photos taken while walking come from the phone’s camera.

Yesterday’s walk was profitable in addition to the benefits of exercise; we found a few stashes of raspberries which we picked and brought back inside the water bottle and we found a quarter, too.

We found a couple stashes of wild raspberries.

Flowers spotted along the road; bottom left, a young apple; bottom right, the stump from a pretty big tree (it’s over three feet in diameter).

A majestic, if crooked, six-foot tall “weed.”

Tomorrow Columbia news, views & reviews will take you on a pictorial tour featuring scenery from some of the county’s parks walked earlier this week (before the heat set in). We walked through Musser Park, Longs Park, a spectacular Manor Township Community Park; the Northwest River Trail that begins in Marietta and continues through and beyond East Donegal’s very functional and welcoming River Park. It is a park with a boat ramp for river access. It has rest room facilities, a large pavilion, a play area and logical parking.

Incidentally, here’s a link to near-by dog-friendly hiking trails.