SEEKING SOLACE IN AN URBAN ENVIRONMENT

BY BRITTANY NUNN

PHOTOS BY DANNY FULGENCIO

In the midst of the digital age, when texting during dinner and checking emails before bed is all too common, having a quiet place to kick back, ditch the latest hightech gadgets and reset our biological clocks is practically a necessity.

Luckily, our neighborhood has no shortage of rest and relaxation options.

To some, a place of solace means exploring a forest trail, boating on the lake or stopping to literally smell the flowers.

To others, it’s practicing yoga while overlooking the cityscape, enjoying a relaxing massage, tucking away in a bookstore with a good read or sipping a craft brew with close friends.

Here are some neighborhood haunts your fellow neighbors retreat to when they need some solitary — or not-sosolitary — confinement.

The Fish Hatchery Trails At White Rock Lake

Two years ago, when Kimberley Scattergood accidentally discovered the foot trails that wind around the fish hatchery at White Rock Lake, she was immediately impressed by the beauty, and best of all the serenity, of the preserve.“It’s quite magical,” she says.

Since then, she and her dogs have explored every trail. Although none of the trails is well manicured, that’s part of the appeal, and some are even rougher than others.

“With those, sometimes you’re having to crawl under brush or climb over fallen limbs,” Scattergood says. “It’s like having this Tom Sawyer effect in the middle of Dallas.”

Depending on the time of year, Scat- tergood and her golden retriever companions visit anywhere from twice a week to every day.

“Particularly during the fall,” she says. “I look up into the treetops and see the beautiful turning leaves with the rays of sunshine streaming through. So peaceful — it refills me.”

Scattergood was raised in Green Bay, Wis., and she rarely feels at home in Dallas.

“But during that time of year, when I go to the fish hatchery, I feel a little bit like I’m back in the Midwest,” she says.

Find it: To access the trails near the fish hatchery, get on Winsted Drive from Garland Road. Turn in to the parking lot on the right. Take the White Rock Creek Trail, which passes close to the fish hatchery water reserves. When you see foot trails leading off the beaten path, explore.

Victor Grizzaffi says he enjoys cycling around the lake because it’s a great place to “be one with yourself and Mother Nature.” Sometimes he stops to feed the ducks.

John Confer says he and his wife use White Rock Lake as a starting point to stroll through the surrounding neighborhoods and window-shop the unique houses. “Usually we just park at White Rock, pick a direction and start walking,” he says.

White Rock Lake At Sunrise

White Rock Lake is still waking up when neighbor James Barta slips his paddleboard into the water.

He climbs onto the board and pushes away from the shore with his foot. Once he’s on the water, he stands up, balancing on the surfboard-like equipment, and strokes a long-handled paddle through the water to spur him forward.

He leisurely paddles over to the dam, and then, once the sun comes out and starts to warm things up, he digs hard back at the other side.

“I love going out there,” Barta says. “It’s nice and peaceful. It’s a great way to start the day, clear my mind and think about the day.”

Barta has been paddleboarding on White Rock Lake for four years. When his friend introduced him to the sport, he thought it looked weird. He was surprised by how much he enjoyed it and quickly became addicted. Barta used to rent a board from White Rock Paddle Co. on Lawther, and then he bought his own board three years ago.

He tries to go at least two or three times a week after dropping o his children at daycare. For him, it’s recreational, therapeutic, spiritual and a great workout.

“You see the people out there running or cycling, and it’s the same thing for me, except I’m going across the lake instead of around it,” he says.

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