Fun Exercise! (DP#215)

The Gentle Chapter

Fun Exercise! (DP#215)

April 9, 2026

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Personally, I have always preferred walking and medium cardio, such as hiking, for my exercising. As I believe I have mentioned in a previous post, I grew up in a walking family. Every get together we would all take a stroll down to the park or around the neighborhood after the meal. These walks were not just a good way of burning off some of that Southern cookin’ but they were great bonding times as well.

One of my favorite parks to go to as a child had these super long walking trails that would wind through a densely packed forested area. It always felt like an adventure walking through them as we would always see the wildlife like hares and snakes. At one point, there was some sort of shelter that was built using downed limbs and sticks not too far into the trail. It was more than likely built by either a homeless person or some kids, but everyone assumed it was bigfoot or something of the like lol. One time, we ended up taking a different turn and ended up walking for a few hours, not realizing how truly far down those trails go. I could have sworn we were never going to make it out.

I just love the steadiness of walking and how easily I can get into a groove, allowing myself to fully immerse into nature. Having the best pair of shoes is critical for this since painful feet are incredibly distracting. Feeling as though you want to rush through the adventure due to pain, is the worst thing.

8 responses to “Fun Exercise! (DP#215)”

observationblogger

Apr 9, 2026 at 12:56 pm

“Burning off some of that Southern cookin’” – love that description!

Snakes are something else. My daughter and I, last year on vacation, wandered off the beaten track at a wild park zoo at dusk and ended up near an enclosure where rats were kept (feeding purposes, obviously).

Lo and behold, just a few feet in front of us, this gigantic snake appeared – long, with green and yellow stripes – hovering near the rat enclosures. My daughter did a full 180, screaming, while I went the opposite way—straight toward the snake, thinking how cool it was. At the same time, I was fumbling for my phone to record it and trying to calm Katherine… lol

Later, after looking it up, I found it was likely a harmless jungle python – though I can’t recall the exact species. But wow… that was one unreal experience.

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1. Ashley Kittrell
  
  Apr 10, 2026 at 1:44 pm
  
  Lol thank you! We do love our carbs for sure.
  
  I used to be terrified of snakes, mainly due to family’s fear. Granted, there are quite a few venomous species up here like rattlesnakes and water moccasins, but balled pythons, rat snakes, garden snakes are just chill lol I love those.
  
  Lol poor Katherine! If you are not expecting them, they can be startling for sure. I am glad it more than likely was harmless. Your gusto to videotape it is commendable, like a true Aussie lol
  
  I love those impromptu interactions with nature though!
  
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  1. observationblogger
    
    Apr 10, 2026 at 2:51 pm
    
    Yeah… snakes where we grew up as kids on the outskirts of Western Sydney, Australia were everywhere. My dad would just use a spade to cut them in two. Sounds savage, I know, but these weren’t exactly the cute garden-like variety. They were some of the most dangerous in the world, including brown snakes and red-bellied black snakes. Nasty stuff.
    
    You’re right though – being Aussie probably made me a bit more laid-back about those kinds of threats, like what happened with Kat.
    
    Those rattlesnakes you’ve got up your way? They scare the hell out of me. In the True Grit by the Coen Brothers, where the girl falls into that cave surrounded by rattles – that’s pretty much my worst nightmare right there. You guys definitely have your fair share too.
    
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  2. Ashley Kittrell
    
    Apr 10, 2026 at 3:58 pm
    
    My aunt and uncle have to chop snakes up pretty regularly, being in a newer developed area. It definitely looks pretty brutal but that is better than being bitten by a copperhead for sure. My aunt makes it a point to take a picture every time she kills one in a ladies’ group chat even though my mom hates it lol.
    
    It’s funny how similar Australia and Texas are with the dangerous animals, weather and ecosystems.
    
    Oooh that scene also scared the absolute crap out me! We actually have a pretty famous rattlesnake roundup in Sweetwater, Texas. They basically catch a metric crap ton of rattlers, weigh and process them in front of an audience. It can get pretty brutal. You can then buy and eat their meat in various forms. It is a bit crazy for sure lol.
    
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observationblogger

Apr 11, 2026 at 12:42 pm

Sounds funny – ‘Chop up snakes pretty regularly’. Sounds like it’s going to be used for a cuisine lol

Oh wow, I forgot about the ‘Copperheads’ too. Crikey!! That’s wicked your Aunt takes a pic to show the ladies. No mucking about – ‘sleeves rolled up’ kinda woman (actually better sleeves rolled down if you’re killing snakes hehe)

Yes, it is interesting how similar Texas and Australia regarding dangerous animals etc. We have always got that to boast about and then scoff at city folk ;-P

Yes, an amazing scene. Even a mediocre Coen Brothers movie is a pretty good movie compared to others.

I can’t believe you guys have a rattlesnake round up. lol They actually eat the meat. Geez, Louise! Have you eaten it?

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1. Ashley Kittrell
  
  Apr 12, 2026 at 10:52 am
  
  Unfortunately my aunt refuses to eat snakes so she just tosses them lol.
  
  I have not seen any copperheads in person but I have seen a rattlesnake in the wild, and heard its rattle. It is an unforgettable sound for sure. We mainly see spiders like black widows and brown recluses but they tend to stay out of sight lol
  
  Lol exactly! Don’t get me wrong, DFW is a big metroplex and cityscape, but at heart if you grew up here, it is country all the way lol
  
  Have you seen the original ‘True Grit’ with John Wayne? That scene even back then was terrifying as all heck.
  
  Yes! The amount of snakes in that corral thing is insane! It is also family friendly and children tend to love watching the skinning and processing surprisingly. The fact they use the skin and the meat, makes me more accepting of festivals like this, as nothing goes to waste pretty much. I am not for the senseless killing of animals especially in a very public way but they do it right, while teaching others of the dangers of these animals. I actually have had rattlesnake jerky before and it was pretty good! They are very muscle heavy so I would not eat it in very many ways.
  
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observationblogger

Apr 12, 2026 at 12:36 pm

How I would have loved to see your reaction to spotting a rattlesnake – just thinking about it gives me the heebie-jeebies.

I’ve also seen some deadly spiders, like funnel-webs. I remember hearing about a young girl who was bitten by one while camping not far from where I was posted, and she sadly passed away.

No, I haven’t seen the original True Grit with John Wayne – but I’m glad it captured that scene so well.

There’s no way I could watch the skinning of snakes and the whole process – it would make me sick. Fair play for liking the rattlesnake jerky, though. I’ve eaten plenty of strange things- witchetty grubs, blended baby crabs, even giant ants – but snakes would probably be my limit… although jerky, I might give a go.

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1. Ashley Kittrell
  
  Apr 17, 2026 at 7:34 am
  
  It was during some sort of nature hike at a school. I was with a bunch of other kids, but we had learned about the dangers of the wildlife. I remember they would not let us on the walk without pants and closed toed shoes for that very reason. The person leading us heard it before we did as it was right off the path, semi hidden in some brush. We quickly but calmly high tailed it out of there lol
  
  Ugh see, I worry a bit more about the spiders since they could easily get into our houses and us be none the wiser. Just this past year, we have seen a black widow in the garage and a brown recluse outback. Luckily, we mainly see wolf spiders which are pretty harmless and go after pests. Dying from a venomous bite, regardless of where from sounds horrifying to say the least. That story must have been terrible.
  
  The older way the cameras captured that scene, just added to the overall eeriness of it all.
  
  I get you. To be fair, I would not take children there unless if they grew up on a ranch or something and have seen some stuff like that before. I can imagine, a bunch of kids and adults alike came out of it a little traumatized. Yeah, jerky is the only way I would eat that type of meat just due to how muscled up snakes are. It would be a bit too tough and dry for much else.
  
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