Shelley Lake Park, Raleigh, N.C.

Shelley Lake Park in Raleigh, N.C., is a great place to take a stroll or, as many people were on a recent visit, jog.

The small lake is surrounded by trees and a 2+ miles of trails, including sections of a greenway. Walking around the lake we saw ducks, geese, turtles and, possibly, cormorants. The cormorants could also have been herons; the birds were far away and hard to see.

There are also basketball courts, a playground, a boat house and an art center (Sertoma Arts Center) located in the park.

Great place to take a stroll with the family on a weekday afternoon!

(Sorry, no photos to share this time!)

Flurries

There were several flurries today. We braved the cool weather to take our pup out on her daily W-A-L-K (we spell the word around here because Sidney knows what it means).

The sky has cleared up so I don't think we'll see anymore snow today. A much colder week is ahead, though, so we may see more snow before the week is out.

Country Park and Guilford Courthouse National Military Park

While in Greensboro, we visited Country Park and Guilford Courthouse National Military Park.

I used to walk around Country Park's paved trail during the few months I lived in Greensboro several years ago. The paved trail is hilly and winds around man made lakes.

Many families, walkers, dog owners and bikers use this trail. There are paddle boats, fishing, playgrounds and picnic shelters.

What I consider the main entrance is north of the Natural Science Center's parking lot on Lawndale Drive, so it was a nice addition to our trip to the science center. (There's also a second entrance located south of the science center. The park runs behind the center.)

From Country Park, we walked along a trail that connects to the Guilford Courthouse National Military Park. This national park has a paved walking, biking and driving trail and some dirt trails through woods on the property.

Throughout the park there are monuments, grave stones and interpretive signs commemorating the Revolutionary War battle here. The Battle of Guilford Courthouse weakened Cornwallis' army and he surrendered several months later in Yorktown, Va.

Dogfest, Level Cross, N.C.

I got a press release this week about the 13th Annual Dogfest at the Level Cross Community Center (N.C.).

It'll be 1-4:30 p.m.Oct. 17 at the center -- 112 Branson Mill Road, Randleman. Take the Level Cross Exit, which is north of Randleman and south of Greensboro off of U.S. 220.

This is a fundraiser for the Humane Society of the Piedmont and Ruff Love Foster Care and Dog Rescue. It's also used to raise awareness of homeless and abused animals and encourage spaying and neutering.

There will be several activities for families and their four-legged friends, including a costume contest, face painting and pumpkin decorating.

Admission is $3 for adults and $1 for children 12 and under. Children 2 and younger get in free.

Doggie related events in N.C.

My friend, Chelsey, just commented about an upcoming doggie event this weekend in the Triad region of North Carolina, so I wanted to share the info with you. In addition to that, I am also aware of another doggie event happening in the next few weeks.

The Amaizing Pet Adventure and Paws Adopt-A-Thon is 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 27 at Kersey Valley Maize Adventure, 1615 Kersey Valley Road, High Point, N.C. Kersey Valley Maize Adventure is home to the area's corn maze.

Events include a Frisbee Demo, dog show, obedience demonstration, Red Cross First Aid demonstrations for pets and people and a blessing of the animals. Vendors will also be available.

The Web site lists the following schedule:
10 a.m. Fly Ball Demo
10:30 a.m. Frisbee Demo
11 a.m. United Animal Coalition Dog show (registration begins at 10 a.m.)
12:30 p.m. Obedience 101 Demo and Ask a Trainer
1 p.m. Mitzi and Ember fire dog demo
1:30 p.m. Southern Trails Canines and Co. "The Legend of Black Bark"
2:30 p.m. Red Cross First Aid and CPR for Pets and People
3 p.m. Police K9 Demo
3:30 p.m. Blessing of the Animals

If you've never been to a blessing of the animals, you don't want to miss this one. I attended a couple at Church of the Good Shepherd, 9441 Grayson Parkway, Galax, Va. The church serves an Episcopal-Lutheran congregration and on any given Sunday services are conducted in either Episcopal or Lutheran tradition.

The church celebrates St. Francis of Assisi Day, which is Oct. 4 St. Francis is the patron saint of animals and ecology. He founded the Francisan Order and legend has it he could talk with animals. So, in celebration of St. Francis, churches bless pets and other animals.

On Oct. 12, the Canine Corps will host a DogFest from 1-4:30 p.m. at the Level Cross Community Center, 112 Branson Mill Road, Randleman, N.C.

Festivities will center around education and games. Funds raised will be used to help local animal groups. A selection of vendors will include vet care, dog portraits and dog attire.

Beaver Dam Trail and New River Trail at Pulaski

Hubby Chris, pup Sidney and I usually take our daily walk along the Beaver Dam Trail off of Beaver Dam Road, Hillsville, Va. A joint project of the town and Carroll County, the trail is a little over 2 miles long.

The town's portion runs from Beaver Dam Road along the banks of the Beaver Dam Creek, woods and a couple of horse pastures. We frequently see wildlife, such as turkey, deer, groundhog, butterflies and birds. Among our favorite birds that visit the trail are king fishers, blue heron and cedar waxwings. Here is a swallowtail we saw today:

There's also an abundant of flowers to enjoy, such as this cardinal flower I took earlier today:

You can also find lamb's ear, may apples, jewel weed, joe pye weed and flame azalea among the many flora in the area.

But sometimes we all need a change of scenery, so we've been exploring areas we haven't been to before or haven't visited in awhile.

Among those have been the Pulaski end of the New River Trail State Park in Pulaski, Va., and Historic Bethabara Park in Winston-Salem, N.C.

The New River Trail is 39 miles and runs from Fries, Va., to Pulaski. There's also a trail extension that runs to Galax, Va. visitors can bike, hike or ride horses on this trail that runs along the New River. It's built on a former railroad track bed.

Historic Bethabara Park is a National Historic Landmark and is the 1753 site of Moravians, a German-speaking, Protestant settlement. The park offers 183-acres of wildlife preserve with 26 species of birds. Besides the 20 miles of trails, museum, reconstructed village, archaelogical ruins visitors can explore, the park offers a varieties of activities like yesterday's Apple Festival.