"Trailside Memorial"
Today's picture is the last of a series shot last Sunday morning, while I traveled along the approximately 1 mile long trail that encircles the 15 acre pond, at Mill Pond Park in Wantagh, NY.
After crossing over two streams that enter the pond from the north, on two very slick, ice-covered bridges, the trail circled back to the south towards Merrick Road. This section of the trail parallels Wantagh State Parkway for about a quarter mile, before bending west along the pond. This parkway, which was the first completed, in 1929, continues on to Jones Beach State Park.
A word about the state parkway system on Long Island, which was planned and developed by Robert Moses. These routes were built as meandering, scenic routes; as such, they follow the contours of the land and have many curves.
As the trail followed one of these curves in the parkway, I spotted the roadside memorial pictured above. These memorials have become prevalent alongside all Long Island parkways nowadays, although I don't recall ever seeing them until the last 20 years, or thereabouts. Following the funeral service for a very good friend that we'd been to two days earlier, and the sudden passing of a dear friend of Sally's in Iowa the week before last, chancing upon this makeshift memorial seemed solemnly fitting.
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A street level view of the approximate location of this trailside memorial.
