I’m always looking for new stuff to do with the puppeh.  He has a lot of energy, and I can only throw the ball around or take him on long walks so many times.  With the demise of the Piedmont Park dog park, I’ve been frequenting ParkGrounds lately.  The coffee is good, the place never seems to get too muddy, and the girls are cute.  Really, what more can a single guy with a puppeh ask for?

Perhaps Herbert Taylor Park.  A neighbor showed me the park yesterday, and I’m hooked.  It is a 26 acre park and nature preserve in the middle of the Morningside neighborhood. It is a little forest, with lots of trails and a creek.  My puppeh, who had never really seen anything like a creek before, had a blast running on the beach/sand bar and prancing in the water.  Okay, so there aren’t lots of cute girls, but despite jokes to the contrary, I’m not really the use-my-dog-to-meet-chicks kind of guy.

For a little while, I couldn’t believe I didn’t know about it – I mean, I had friends who grew up blocks from this place, how did I never discover a secluded forest park as a high schooler?  My friend and I had the following conversation that exemplifies what I’m talking about:

Me: “What is down that trail?”

Friend: “That is a dead end.  I think that is where the high schoolers drink and f*ck.”

Me: “How did I not know about this place?!”

A little research (i.e. a google search and clicking a few links) indicates that the park wasn’t really fixed up until 2004.  Anyway, it is a great place, all the other dogs and joggers I met were very friendly.  It can definitely get a little muddy, so don’t wear your slacks like I did.  (Good thing I don’t really care about some Target specials!)