I'm In Love With the Nature Park

Our dog Bruiser loves splashing in the creek at the DePauw Nature Park.

We live in town, so walking there is just fine. We cut down different streets from time to time to change things up, and we do a lot of walking around the DePauw campus.

But our favorite place to walk is the DePauw Nature Park.

How lucky we are here to have this place! I hardly realize that I'm actually doing something good for myself by exercising when I walk there, because there are always such beautiful things to look at. The trees and flowers are always changing, and every time we walk a different trail it's almost like we're in a completely different world.

The park is a real treat for my dog Bruiser, too. He's a Jack Russell, so not only does he love going out and getting a chance to run (as much as he can on a leash, anyway), but he really digs water. As soon as we get to the quarry or creek, he's off and splashing. He doesn't like it when he accidentally hits deep water, but he likes to play where he can walk in it.

He also enjoys meeting the new people and other dogs we encounter on the trails. Just ask him, and he'll tell you that everyone he sees is dying of love for him and wants to pet him and talk to him (just be careful if you do it ... he has a tendency to get excited and piddle on people's feet).

I am just so impressed with this park. It's beautiful and well-kept. We, like many families, are really watching our budget right now, so having a place like this where we can go for free is such a treat. It's entertaining for our son when he goes ... he likes the toads, birds and other small woodland creatures he sees, and I feel good about getting him out of the house and away from the TV for a few hours.

And when it's just my husband and me, it's actually a nice, free "date" of sorts. We don't spend a penny, but we get to walk together and have time to talk and be away from the things that generally occupy us, such as work, computers and telephones. It sounds corny, but having a quiet place where we can reconnect and focus on each other is something we've really come to appreciate.

This community has so many wonderful places and people in it. For me, the DePauw Nature Park is definitely a jewel in Putnam County's crown. I would really like to thank the men and women who keep the place beautiful and operational. You've really brought something special into my family's life.