We found the little park, a piece of the Blackstone River complex, while we were rambling around, not knowing where we were. I doubt we could find our way back again. I also figure, going by the name, that there must be a skull-shaped rock somewhere nearby and locks too, but I’m not sure where to look for them.

There’s probably a path in the woods … maybe it’s now overgrown with reeds and weeds. If you could find the path, that’s probably  how you would find the locks.

It wasn’t much of a park. All we found was a muddy parking area where we could pull off the road and a broken, rocky, uneven stairway down to the edge of the river. Other people must go there because there was at least one other truck parked in the little lot and many tire tracks in the mud. But we didn’t see any people.

Maybe they were off in the woods hunting deer — it’s the season — or up the river fishing. People do fish in the river, even though they aren’t supposed to. Kids also swim in it, against advice, but when the weather is hot it’s hard to resist the lure of cool water. Kids have been swimming where they shouldn’t as long as there have been kids and water and summertime. This is one of the few places where the river has almost no current, so I guess if you don’t swallow it, it’s not likely to kill you.

There’s a bridge over the road … hard to see what’s up the river with so many reeds and dry weeds. It’s over-grown. Maybe that’s just because there’s no money to maintain most of these places anymore. Maybe there will be money again, someday soon I hope.

It’s the beginning of December and we’ve had two small snows, but today was relatively warm and remarkably, there was one wild strawberry flower blooming in our garden. How strange to see a flower in the garden with Christmas right around the corner.

Related articles

• Moore: South Central Massachusetts is on the move (metrowestdailynews.com)
• Born on the Blackstone (Serendipity)