Our little town's park is one of the nicest features we have, and it is especially nice being there in the early morning. The birds are awakening and most people are not up and about. It is a perfect time for a walk and for admiring the beauties brought by a morning blanketed by a light fog.
As usual at 6:10 AM, the park is deserted this time of morning.
The Doko Manor is used for meetings, weddings, and other social functions.
The soccer and lacrosse players meet in the field in front of my truck.
The Manor was nicely designed and built to reflect traditional Southern architecture. The style fits in with the community.
The driveway approaching the Manor from the front.
The sun is beginning to brighten the fog from the east.
Behind the Manor is where many weddings are held.
The small lake is the prettiest feature of the park. The resident Canada geese couple and their three babies were hiding this morning.
Fishing is allowed on the pier, but it is used most often for taking photographs.
Dogs like to take the scenic route down left to the water to find new scents and to get their paws muddy.
The water lilies have grown a lot this spring but have about finished blooming.
The pathway to the pier and along the lake.
Playground for the little ones. It is usually not so quiet!
This is the Depot at Doko; a reasonable reproduction of the early train station where the train stopped between Columbia and Charlotte. The railroad track runs along the side of the park behind the Depot.
The Hoffman House is now the Town Hall's administrative offices.
The official historical marker with its history. The 40 is for Richland County (40th in alphabetical order of SC counties) and it is the 135th historical site marker in the county. Viewing all of them in a county is very educational.
The town's Historical Society has a brochure with a map of a walking tour of local historic sites, with descriptions of each.
Looking back east, the sun is rising a little more.
I love the shaded paths along the eastern side of the park. The shade is really welcome when the sun is bearing down in the summertime.
This is across the street from the park but is my favorite place to stop every morning. It was 6:33 AM and the sun was beginning to burn off the fog.
Mike was waiting at the park gate. He does not like fast-moving cars, just in case one came by, it was safer for him. None did and the morning remained peaceful.
The butterfly attractors are all blooming and in a few hours, there will be a few dozen of them feeding here.
Benches are scattered along this side of the park where shade will be available most of the day. Nice!
The boardwalk through the woods was very muggy from all the humidity in the air. Mosquitoes were flying in organized squadrons, waiting for me!
The air was noticeable cooler over the flowing stream and the rich, organic smells of the forest floor were wonderful!
An easy upward slope took us back into the cleared area that was a cement mixing operation before the park replaced it.
This is Mike's favorite part. He makes four stops here to retrieve pee-mail messages and leave a few responses of his own. I think this is his main STEEMIT blog page.
The Doko Manor on the left and the athletic fields on the right.
The back entrance to the park is where we come in.
The last turn on our morning route. The air is rapidly getting warmer and Mike is beginning to pant harder.
Back at the beginning at 6:44 AM. The sun is already warm and the fog is clearing rapidly.
finis
