Put simply, I really like this city.

I’ve gotten pretty familiar with the little corner of Athens known as the “Boulevard Neighborhood” over the past few weeks. Our house is nestled at the end of a quiet street, which dead-ends at a vacant, kudzu-covered lot and is bordered on one side by a very small creek with rather steep, heavily-wooded  banks. While we don’t have much of a yard, there seems to be an abundance of open green space in the area, and Echo and I have had quite a lovely time exploring it.

We have a very nice base route for our morning, afternoon and early-evening walks. From our house, we head about five or six blocks along Hiawassee, where it once again dead ends, this time at a rail-road track. We typically head over a block, then start our trip home. Over the past few days, we’ve been taking a route which allows us to cut through the playground of a near-by elementary school. It’s been quite nice. In addition to the standard, expansive playground area, the school has a sort of out-of-doors, secret-garden-style classroom, which Echo and I have enjoyed exploring at the end of our walks. However, today I discovered an even better option.

As school will begin shortly, I knew the days of our elementary-school diversions were coming to an end, but quite happily I’ve stumbled upon an option which will seemingly serve our needs in perpetuity.  The story of the discovery is a bit serendipitous.

Emily and I had gone out to run a few errands, and when we came back to the house I realized, much to my dismay, that I’d driven off with Echo’s leash resting on the bumper of my truck. I promptly picked up a reserve leash and Echo and I set off in search of the missing equipment.

I had a notion in my mind that the loss had occurred in the near-by parking lot of the bank, which was the first of our errands.  Quite happily, my intuitions proved well grounded, and Echo and I were joyously reunited with our leash.  This happy occasion was rendered all the more exciting when I noticed a large, naturalistic green space directly behind the bank.

Echo and I spent the next 10-15 minutes exploring the area, much to our satisfaction. We eventually discovered a small footpath, which connects directly to our current walking route.

Walking Echo is a very enjoyable exercise  in our neighborhood. On every outing we meet a new dog, and the side walks teem with activity. The people are friendly, and despite Echo’s nervous disposition, I think the city is growing on her.

Dog-walking aside, though, Athens is a charming city. I’ve only been out downtown once or twice, but the experiences were quite enjoyable and the people seem interesting. The Athens-area juggling club certainly holds a big appeal for me, and I’m looking forward to meeting more jugglers.

Also, now that I have a job, I’m looking forward to settling down in the city and making some new friends.

But I suppose all of that will wait for another day.