My friend Linda recently posted photographs of her granddaughter on Facebook that she took at Veterans Oasis Park. I’d never heard of the park, so I looked it up. It turns out it’s just 2 1/2 miles from the school where I taught for eight years. I never knew.

The park features an urban fishing lake stocked by the Arizona Department of Game and Fish. I took all these photographs around the perimeter of the lake.

Chandler is a suburban area with more than 250,000 residents. I love that it sets aside wild areas like this for the enjoyment (and education) of its citizens.

A little waterfall:

That’s a white-billed coot swimming below.

A mountain in the distance:

I saw white ducks, mallards, and coots in the water. Stilts and herons also frequent the lake, but I didn’t see any.

Someone tossed bread into the water (I don’t think you’re supposed to do that) and minnows came to nibble on it.

A nest:

I plan to go back again some day and explore the other trails in the park.