It is some kinda cold out there! The wind was somehow finding a gap between the upper and the lower half of my ensemble, and my toes were numb, even with two pairs of socks. It would have helped, no doubt, had I been jogging, but speed kills vision; traveling through the world too fast, we miss what’s around us, and this year, at least, I have resolved not to miss a thing in my favorite park.

I was dressed for the occasion, though, with snow pants, three sweaters, my heavy down parka, insulated knit cap, electric gloves and fleece-lined mittens; just the sort of thing one wants when the temperature is in the low twenties.

In the northeast part of Forest Park, on a loop called Confederate Drive, there stands the Confederacy memorial, erected by the UDC in 1914. On the back of the monument is a quote from Robert E. Lee:

We had sacred principles to maintain and rights to defend for which we were duty bound to do our best, even if we perished in the endeavor.

I walked east from the 18th century Spanish canon by the Confederacy memorial, past Cabanne House, across Union Boulevard and into the cut-off section of the park. If you lived in one of the great houses on Lindell Avenue, the northern border of Forest Park, you could enjoy your own personal piece of the park, thanks to the Metrolink tracks and Forest Park Parkway. It has a pond, trees, benches and all the ambience you could desire. All you have to do is survive the crossing of the Lindell Avenue traffic (it can get a bit heavy at times. You can see my photos here.