Entry #2- Risking the Rain

Date- September 21, 2013
Time- Around 2PM
Weather- Rainy, damp, cool

Picture of the Lake

I walked by the lake, with my reliable little umbrella above my head, shielding me from the raindrops falling from the sky. I laughed to myself as I imagined what I must look like, a girl at the park when it’s pouring down rain, walking around with an umbrella in one hand and a notebook in the other. A quick glance around the park revealed two other people who braved the rain, they sat on a bench under the pavilion which surprised me, because it was not the typical sunny day to spend at the park.

The raindrops hitting the lake's surface

The sky appeared much different from my last visit; it looked white as chalk, with no color and no clouds. I felt emptiness inside, sadness, much like the sky feels without any color, without any clouds, without the sunshine. At this time of year, I always feel a little gloomy with the end of summer.  I glanced down and noticed the rain hit the surface of the lake, creating a pattern of circle-like shapes, like a patchwork quilt covering the water.



I took some pictures of the scenery, and noticed a tree, with a few red leaves, painted early by Fall's strokes of color. Besides the red leaves and a few wildflowers, the scenery lacked color, with only the green trees against the white sky. This small pop of color brightened its surroundings, and it filled me with hope. I reflected on feelings, and how one minute I can feel peace and joy inside, and then the next moment I can feel sadness inside. Our world is constantly changing, never standing still, just like I am always changing, evolving, and growing. No matter how terrible I feel at certain moments, I know these feelings will pass. Hope always remains inside, as the flowers, trees, and animals go through a rough winter, they emerge in the spring renewed and splendid.




I did not notice as many creatures roaming the wilderness like my last visit, most likely caused by the rain. However, I spotted a flock of ducks, most likely the same ones I saw last time, floating across the water, effortlessly and peacefully. The rain and lack of sunshine did not seem to hinder their agendas for the day; they carried on just like they would if the sun shined down. As I reflect on the amazing resilience of these ducks and nature as a whole, I am reminded I too come from Mother Earth, I am part of nature, and I too possess


Wildflowers

amazing resilience to the ever changing seasons of my life.














 



Entry #1- Burrell Lake Park

A turtle sitting on a branch in the water

Time- 2:14 PM, Friday, September 6, 2013

Weather-  Sunny, breezy, warm

I arrived and sat on a bench, shaded by a tree.  I heard distant voices of kids playing on the jungle gym at the other end of the park.  A few people were fishing, and a young woman was walking around taking pictures of the beautiful scenery.  Although there were other people there, the park was still quiet.  I could hear the sound of the breeze blowing across the lake and the sound of the quacking of the ducks. 

I saw about 20 ducks all in a group, sitting on the grass in the shade of some trees. As many times as I have been at this park, I never saw this many ducks, and never saw them all out of the water sitting together. As I was jotting down some observations, I heard this duck make a coughing sound. I looked over and saw one duck by itself, walking towards me. I smiled and began to talk to it, yes I talk to ducks. It got close enough to me that I could reach out and touch it. He, or she, was making a coughing sound every few seconds, and I wondered if it was sick. I felt really bad for it because it seemed to be ostracized from the group of ducks sitting close by, or maybe it chose to stay away because he didn't feel well. I made a note to research what illness ducks are prone to, and if they are ostracized from the pack of ducks when they are sick.

I spoke to the young woman who was taking photographs of the scenery, and I explained that I was writing a nature blog for one of my graduate writing classes.  She said she was taking pictures for fun.  She pointed me towards the end of the lake where a turtle was sunbathing on a branch lodged in the lake.  I walked down towards the branch and smiled at the sight of a turtle just sitting there, without a care in the world.  He picked the perfect spot to get some sun.

I also met a man who was fishing, and he heard us talking about what we were working on, and he pointed us towards a snake that was in the water, trying to eat a fish.  I inched up to the lake, looking in the direction he was pointing, trying to catch a glimpse of the snake through the grass.  It was dark brown, not very long, and had a piece of fish in its mouth, presumably its dinner.  The man and I discussed what type of snake it was and if it could possibly be a poisonous Copperhead, but we were not sure.  I will have to look more into the different species of animals that inhabit the park's lake.  As I was watching the snake, I was struck by how leisurely he was in eating his dinner.  It looked as if he wasn't even moving for awhile and just had the fish in his mouth.  I thought back to the turtle, and reflected on how he was just enjoying the moment, perched on a branch in the middle of the lake, enjoying the warmth of the sun on his shell. 

The connection I felt to the different animals, along with the people I had a chance to talk to, gave me a feeling of community with my fellow nature lovers and observers.  I looked up at the sky, and the white clouds looked like swirls of cotton candy against the beautiful blue.  As I was taking in all of my experiences in a short half hour, I was overwhelmed with the flashes of nature all around me. It was an intense feeling; everywhere I looked I was attuned to all of the beautiful nature around me. I saw different color flowers, yellow, and purple, white. I noticed the bugs floating on the surface of the water. I took one sheet of paper with me to record my observations and both sides were filled in 20 minutes. I had an amazing experience, and it struck me on how much I really can see when I am paying attention.

A duck relaxing under the shade of a tree