Yelling families and rituals

 I've taken to walking at Spruce Run Reservoir.  It's a lovely spot.  

You can walk on paved paths through the woods...



Or you can believe you are down at the Jersey Shore...




Or you can just watch the leaves turn...




But most of all I like to watch the people.  

Today a large family piled out of their SUV with children and scooters and bicycles and grandmother.  I thought "Good.  They are taking the kids out for a picnic and an airing."  

But it wasn't really what I thought it would be.  As they fell out of the SUV like clowns out of a VW bug, they started to squabble. That escalated to a fever pitch and eventually the kids (ages 6-12 took their scooters and bikes and headed off down the trails.  The parents headed to a picnic table still squabbling and grandma (probably my age) was left to unload the coolers and baskets of food from the car.  Sighing she looked at me, looking at her from my car from a few yards away, and shrugged.  If it hadn't been for COVID I would have helped her, but no one in that group had a mask.

I got out of my car and headed for the trails.  The weather was perfect.  It's a funny ritual on the trail.  Women my age walking have their masks part way off.  But when they approach each other they mask up and when we pass we raise one hand in greeting.  It's almost ritualistic, no, it is a ritual, one to replace a smile or a nod.  

I guess you could call the yelling family a ritual too.  One that I simply am not into.

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