From about 1994-1997 my husband and I lived on Good Hope Road in DePere, Wisconsin. We had no children yet, but for much of the time we did have two dogs, Roscoe and Bucky. I thoroughly enjoyed walking them either around the neighborhood on Fox River Drive or up to and through the nearby Greenwood Cemetery. In good-weather months we would often head out for about a 2-mile walk around our neighborhood which bordered the Fox River. The road to a boat-landing where we often turned around was replete with interesting mansions. Some of the oldest families in DePere had waterfront property in this well-established area. One of the huge brick mansions even had its own tennis court (upon which I never saw anyone play). We would pass by an old three-story brick home with a wildflower garden next to the sidewalk; I always loved that place. If Brent were along on the walk, we would muse about which mansion we wanted to live in someday. On the way back we would head deeper into the offshoot streets which were much more middle-class - lots of duplexes versus mansions.
On other days I would take the dogs in the other direction - left and up the hill toward the cemetery. Here, on a good day, I could let them loose for a bit. They could run along the gravel road and then pee on the bushes surrounding the cemetery. The cemetery itself was always interesting to take in. The older section had stones dating back to the late 1800's. There were a few monuments for prominent Green Bay families. And, sadly, there was a single, small white cross commemorating the burial place for a young teenage boy who had drowned in the river a few years earlier.
One day I was certain Roscoe saw a ghost. He was trotting by one of the oldest monuments when he suddenly jumped for no apparent reason.
These walked always helped keep the dogs and me happy and balanced.
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