Yesterday evening the weather was so gorgeous that we had to get out and play for a bit. My pup and I have been feeling a bit cooped up with all the hot weather we’ve been having, so we had to grab our chance. We bypassed this hidden-away swing set and cute little picnic area—although it was tempting—and opted for a walk along the “secret path” instead…
Please know that I am a law-abiding citizen, but there are times when I think it’s okay to bend the rules a bit, especially if it’s in the pursuit of beauty—and adventure!
This “secret path” is our little escape. It’s right in the middle of town, but you wouldn’t know it—when you take this path you feel like you have been transported to the forest, close to nature.
The secret path is actually a shortcut to Grove City College‘s campus, often frequented by students, joggers, and dog-walkers like myself, but that doesn’t diminish its romance for me…
Here’s a sneak peek at one of GCC’s new construction projects, Rathburn Hall. It’s already gorgeous, and will be even more so when it’s complete.
I love the multicolored slate (?) roof, and the architectural details are lovely. It’s a new building that has been thoughtfully designed—it integrates seamlessly with the other, much older buildings on campus. The new Rathburn Hall is situated right next to Harbison Chapel, one of my favorite buildings, and you can see how the overall look and architecture of the new structure relates to its predecessor, one of the better-known landmarks on campus.
Another view of Harbison from along the path.
Black-eyed susans in the chapel’s meditation garden:
A wider shot of Harbison Chapel’s meditation garden. It’s so beautiful and peaceful here. My favorite times to visit are in the early morning and early evening—the light is so pretty then.
A close-up of Mr. J. Howard Pew, philanthropist and former President of GCC.
Rainbow Bridge connects upper to lower campus. Grove City College’s campus was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the landscape designer of Central Park in NYC—you can see that the design of the bridge and its role in the campus landscape is a bit reminiscent of Central Park—but on a much smaller scale, of course!
I’m not sure what these purple flowers are (salvia, maybe?), but they are blooming in full force along the banks of Wolf Creek.
 The rise of Rainbow Bridge on the approach from upper campus:
Wolf Creek as viewed from Rainbow Bridge:
Baby Archie surveying the scene from the bridge:
We had to stop for a water break at this point …
 … but it gave us a chance to take in more of the lovely scenery.
You can tell it’s been a good walk. Look at this goofy, drool-y grin.
A parting shot of the bridge:
We headed toward home at this point, looping around to the main drag in town. I shot these photos of things that caught my eye on the way home.
Another view of Wolf Creek, this time from another bridge in town:
The ivy-covered stairs at the Penn Grove Hotel and their “unique” signage (should really speak to someone about the typos, but they’ve weirdly kind of grown on me)
Cheery red geraniums along our path.
I wasn’t quite able to capture this satisfactorily with my camera, but we even saw a paraglider crossing over our street high in the sky:
Here’s Archie, pretty worn out by this point, taking a breather on the last leg of the journey home:
Have you been on any good walks lately? Have you been taking in the sights and sounds of a summer evening? Tell us about your adventures!
Happy Wednesday, and I hope you’re having a lovely week!
Anna xo