Journal of a Sabbatical

March 3, 2001

some mushroom

Today's Reading: The Boy Travellers in Central Europe by Thomas W. Knox

Today's Starting Pitcher: David Cone

Signs of spring: a piping plover spotted in New Jersey

Despite intermittent intimations of spring, it is snowing when I meet Joan-east and Priscilla for our walk. Just flurries but definitely something wet and cold. While I was away, the walking buddies discovered the mother of all tree fungus growing out of a tree along a side street some ways from Priscilla's house. Joan-east declares that today's agenda is to show me the mushroom. OK, I don't have any other route in mind, and as long as the mushroom isn't on a steep downgrade, I'll go for it.

The walk is a bit longer than any of the three usual routes, but it does not include too steep a downhill walk. And that is some mushroom. It's huge. And it has survived intact despite being piled high with snow. I wish I had my camera to record this amazing fungus.

When I pick Nancy up at the bus station, she asks where I went on my walk today. "Some mushroom" I reply. She finds this hilariously funny before I even get a chance to explain about how the walking buddies wanted to show me this gigantic mushroom. We laughed about "some mushroom" all the way home.

I showed Nancy all the treasures acquired on my trip, then read aloud to her the entire section on Budapest from The Boy Travellers in Central Europe. It's surprisingly vivid and Nancy claimed she could picture the scene along the Danube. I could picture it too. Still fresh in my mind.