Sunny skies and warm weather showed up out of nowhere right here in the middle of February so I gathered up my best girl and headed off to the park to see what changes the winter had brought and what further changes Spring might bring.

My favorite area of the park is the castle ruins, which come complete with this nifty guide to all the surrounding mountains. As much as I love new technologies like AR and VR, sometimes the old methods still work well enough that they ought to just be left alone. Right?

There's a photographer hiding just under the tree at the top of the hill. She said she was hoping to catch a glimpse of some birds that nested in the trees in front of her.

Jizo is a Japanese deity who protects children and travelers. People in Japan set up small shrines for Jizo along hiking and walking trails (and near playgrounds, cemeteries, and just about everywhere else either a child or a traveler might happen to be); this small shrine appeared over the winter. Visitors have left some pinecones, acorns, and a bit of sake for the deity.

Last, here's another photo of Lucy, waiting for me to hurry up and take the picture so she can so see what's at the top of these very interesting stairs that she had just found!