The Family Walk

The sun had just risen, high over the park,
The dogs were restless and beginning to bark.
Mom was racing around, getting ready to go,
Our family goes walking in sun, cold or snow.

Jack chooses to ride his new silver bike,
He leads the parade of our three-hour hike.
A blue scooter to go on, is what Lexi picks,
It is fast and quiet and does neat tricks.

Ross leans back in his stroller and sings a song,
A snack and sun-glasses, he has brought along.
Dad juggles his coffee and scratches his head,
He thinks, “Maybe I should have stayed in my bed”.

All complaints and worries are left at the door,
Once on the street, we feel our spirits soar.
The morning air is chilly, however the sun is bright,
Jack gives a loud cheer, filled with delight.

Lucy and Paisley are eager as beavers,
They are our faithful Labrador Retrievers.
They pull on their leashes, as we head down the street,
The kids shout, “Hello”, to the neighbours we meet.

Mom has a bounce in her step and says with a smile,
“We’ll stop for a rest, after a while”.
Dad strides along and begins to unwind,
His long week at work soon slips from his mind.

Up ahead is a stone bridge, we glide down a hill,
There is the river, the path and The Old Mill.
The park is busy with walkers, bikes and dogs,
The river is full of fish, birds and frogs.

Clippity-clop, like a herd of goats we stomp,
The green water below, looks like a swamp.
“There are trolls under that bridge”, Dad gleefully shouts,
Lexi knows he’s joking, but Jack has his doubts.

The day is perfect, not a cloud in the sky,
We watch a flock of Canadian Geese fly-by.
We hear a woodpecker’s rat-a-tat-tat,
Out of the sumac bushes, pops a tomcat.

The salmon are swimming the Humber River,
They are heading upstream with eggs to deliver.
We stop and watch a fisherman cast a line,
The seagulls are hovering, waiting to dine.

Suddenly Ross points and screams with delight,
We hear some music and see flashing lights.
The ice cream truck is at the start of our path,
“It is time for a break”, says Jack with a laugh.

We relax altogether on a park bench,
The dogs head to the river with thirst to quench.
Water bottles, juice boxes, cookies and cheese,
Ross eagerly asks, “May I have ice cream please?”

This is the time in the year Mom loves most of all,
Spending time with loved ones on walks in the Fall.
Fresh air, exercise, nature and sunshine,
What a wonderful way to spend family time!

Soon it is time to get back to our walk,
Lexi volunteers to lead our tiny flock.
We gather our belongings, wheels and dogs,
Dad feels so great, along the path he jogs.

Lexi races ahead with Lucy at her heels,
Jack chases her with the flash of chrome wheels.
Paisley lumbers along, wagging his thick tail,
Ross drags a stick in the dirt, leaving a trail.

Lucy heads to the woods and rolls on the ground,
A dead fish or dead animal, she has found.
Lexi sniffs the air and shouts, “Lucy you stink!”
Lucy hangs her head low and away she slinks.

Every so often we feel the cold wind blow,
It won’t be long before we go for walks in the snow.
We zip up our jackets, Dad pulls on a hat,
The path stretches ahead of us, winding and flat.

As we merrily trek past the waterfalls,
Lexi just misses the dog and on her arm she falls.
Nothing is broken, she is lucky this time,
She had a cast on her arm last summertime.

Around the bend is another stop on our hike,
It is the magical mystery forest that we like.
Ross leaps out of the stroller and shouts, “Let’s race!”
Lucy and Paisley speed ahead to their stick place.

We meet some good friends and their dog Murphy Brown,
The kids chase, trip and wrestle and all fall down.
We throw sticks as we ramble along the path,
There’s no doubt about it, the dogs need a bath.

Ross loudly announces, “I have to go pee!”
With one look around, we all point to a tree.
Once he is done, we head back to the trail,
The kids have collected rocks, leaves and a snail.

A little more walking and the path comes to an end,
Lexi’s ask, “When we get home may I call a friend?”
“We’ll talk about it once we are back at home,
We still have another kilometre to roam”.

We stop at Starbucks for lattes and a treat,
Outside is where all the dog lovers meet.
We chat with all sorts of interesting people,
We hear the clang from the church’s steeple.

Alas it is time to get back to our journey,
Ross says with a big yawn, “I am sleepy”.
Lexi and Jack charge to the end of our block,
We are near the end of our glorious walk.

With a glow on our cheeks and song in our hearts,
We are back at home, where the rest of our day starts,
Everyone is cheerful and feeling superb,
Jack does a trick wheeley over the last curb.

“I love family walks”, Mom happily attests,
“Can we go again tomorrow?” Lexi requests.
Spending time as a family and getting fit too,
Is there anything else you would rather do?