One of the hiking or walking trails/paths in Baltimore I like is Stony Run Trail, which follows a creek of that name northward from about Jones Falls. According to one website on trails, it's about three miles mainly on or near a former Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad line, nicknamed the "Ma and Pa," that ran from Baltimore to York, Pennsylvania, until the 1950s. (According to the time schedule, the trip took about four hours, that is, about 20 miles/hour.)
Here is a map: http://stonyrun.org/what-we-do/walking-path/maps-full-size/ I enter near the Remington Road bridge or by University Parkway. On my way back from Northern Parkway, I usually try one of the roads south, such as Charles Street, to take a look at the houses. The ones with huge porches interest me because I wish more houses had them. When I was a preschooler, our house in Mechanicsburg had a small porch, but I rarely went on it since my mom asked us play in the backyard away from the busy street. One summer while I was in law school, I subletted a room in an old house with a small front porch that had a swing on which I'd read to get out of the heat of indoors.
More information at the Friends of Stony Run: http://stonyrun.org/what-we-do/walking-path/
This sign emphasizes the benefit of reducing stormwater runoff:
From bridge over Stony Run north of University Parkway:
Part of the path. The creek is on the right and houses can be seen behind the trees on the left.
This was in a garden near the path.
2 comments:
Can I say the first sentence is metaphor? My understanding of this quote is our human should ruminate on something during our lifetime. I guess this comparsion from the writer maybe because of camel's countenance, always looks peaceful.
Also a comparison with a camel in China. Chinese prefer to compare a camel to a boat in the desert because of its body structure ( to survive in harsh environment). Camels helped people to transport goods across the desert in the past time in China. So considered to have endurance and fortitude as well.
Yes, Thoreau is identifying people with camels, but I at first thought it is more about ruminating. One meaning is to think over something deeply. Another is for an animal to chew cud, which means for the animal to bring back up from the stomach partially digested food to chew some more. Ruminants includes cattle, groats, giraffes, deer, and yaks. I looked into this and found out that camels are pseudoruminants since their stomachs have three chambers instead of the four in ruminants. But I think your idea of Thoreau suggesting endurance and fortitude makes sense. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Ping!
Post a Comment