I Remember... old Warwick County
The Mariner's Museum and the Noland Trail Carol Godley
Last Sunday Oscar and I went for a walk on the Noland Trail. This is a beautiful trail that surrounds the Mariner’s Museum and has bridges over the coves of Lake Maury so that you can make a circle around the lake. It was a beautiful morning and slightly warmer than it has been for the past few weeks - the temperature was in the low 40’s. As we walked the sunlight was glistening on the lake and through the trees. We heard a sound that we knew was the sound of geese, but little did we know the treat that we were in for when we looked up - a flock of snow geese making their way north or a sure sign that spring really is coming. Shortly after we saw a shadow and looked up and there was a beautiful bald eagle soaring overhead. A little while later as we crossed over one of the bridges we saw a beautiful blue heron who more than likely had had his morning breakfast because he was resting peacefully with his feathers fluffed up and looked twice as big as when he would be searching for food.
I was fortunate to grow up in a simpler, safer time when a group of girls could ride their bikes for miles without our parents being afraid something would happen to us - other than skinned knees of course. We would start out from Burcher Road with each girl fixing their own peanut and jelly sandwich and taking along a nickel - the cost of a coke that we would get from the machine inside the museum. As we passed by the streets where a friend lived we would ask if they could go and we would peddle our way for a day of adventure. We would ride our bikes on the trails - the original trails were horse trails with no bridges - eat our lunch, take in a few exhibits at the museum which then was free, and then peddle home.
I do not know when Mother introduced me to the Mariner’s Museum property but I have vague memories of family picnics there with at least my Grandmother and Grandfather Parker, but I really do not know who else would have been there. I also know that Mom took me into the museum at some point before I was a teen or I would not have thought about wanting to go there on my own. I have tried to take all of the family children into the Museum so they could experience some of the wonders that I discovered there and also have taken them on walks on the trails. Mother knew that just the introduction to something had the potential to leave life-long effects and of course it has.
Last Sunday Oscar and I went for a walk on the Noland Trail. This is a beautiful trail that surrounds the Mariner’s Museum and has bridges over the coves of Lake Maury so that you can make a circle around the lake. It was a beautiful morning and slightly warmer than it has been for the past few weeks - the temperature was in the low 40’s. As we walked the sunlight was glistening on the lake and through the trees. We heard a sound that we knew was the sound of geese, but little did we know the treat that we were in for when we looked up - a flock of snow geese making their way north or a sure sign that spring really is coming. Shortly after we saw a shadow and looked up and there was a beautiful bald eagle soaring overhead. A little while later as we crossed over one of the bridges we saw a beautiful blue heron who more than likely had had his morning breakfast because he was resting peacefully with his feathers fluffed up and looked twice as big as when he would be searching for food.
I was fortunate to grow up in a simpler, safer time when a group of girls could ride their bikes for miles without our parents being afraid something would happen to us - other than skinned knees of course. We would start out from Burcher Road with each girl fixing their own peanut and jelly sandwich and taking along a nickel - the cost of a coke that we would get from the machine inside the museum. As we passed by the streets where a friend lived we would ask if they could go and we would peddle our way for a day of adventure. We would ride our bikes on the trails - the original trails were horse trails with no bridges - eat our lunch, take in a few exhibits at the museum which then was free, and then peddle home.
I do not know when Mother introduced me to the Mariner’s Museum property but I have vague memories of family picnics there with at least my Grandmother and Grandfather Parker, but I really do not know who else would have been there. I also know that Mom took me into the museum at some point before I was a teen or I would not have thought about wanting to go there on my own. I have tried to take all of the family children into the Museum so they could experience some of the wonders that I discovered there and also have taken them on walks on the trails. Mother knew that just the introduction to something had the potential to leave life-long effects and of course it has.
