My Extended Experience

        In his book, Outside Lies Magic, John Stilgoe writes "Outside lies utterly ordinary space open to any casual explorer willing to find the extraordinary. Outside lies unprogrammed awareness that at times becomes directed serendipity. Outside lies magic." Inspired by this quote, I decided to participate in the paddling excursion for my extended experience, and I focused on truly exploring and looking for the extraordinary within the ordinary space. 

            This trip began with us meeting in the rec center, and then loading up into a van with the kayaks and canoes in toe. The first thing I noticed is how much infrastructure and organization the rec center has put in place for these types of outdoor excursions. I have previously seen the emails about excursions through the rec center, but honestly, I had always ignored them and figured it was people meeting at the location with their own personal supplies and tools. Now that I have seen what these experiences look like firsthand, I am disappointed that I did not take advantage of these opportunities sooner, as the rec center seems to put on great outdoor experiences that allows students to get off campus and enjoy the serene areas in Fort Worth. In fact, after telling my roommates about my experience, we are planning on all signing up for a trip together before we graduate!

            After signing the waivers, we loaded up into the van and headed to Benbrook Lake. On the drive, I found myself looking around and admiring all of the grassland and hills that are around Fort Worth. I have to admit that I often stay in my TCU bubble, rarely going outside a 15-minute radius of campus, so this area was completely new and unseen for me. As I was reflecting on these new sites, I became disappointed in myself as I realized that I have not taken advantage of all the nature experiences Fort Worth has to offer. I give myself the excuse that I am too busy and do not have time to do things like that, but having this scheduled trip showed me that I do have time for it, I just need to put in effort to plan and organize it into my schedule. As I have discussed previously, I am originally from the land of 10,000 lakes, so I grew up around lakes and being on the water is what I would describe as my “happy place.” Because of this, in my last year here at TCU I am setting the goal to put in effort to do one new outdoor activity each month. Currently, some ideas I have are paddle boarding, renting a boat, and hiking on the paths in the Fort Worth Nature Center.

I also do have to note that on this drive, I learned that Texas lakes have water snakes in them, which absolutely terrified me as I have a major fear of snakes. We do not have snakes in the water in Minnesota! One of the guides put my mind at ease slightly when she told me that she has never seen a snake on the excursions and that they typically are in wooded areas by the shore, and I was relieved that there were no snake sightings in our time on the lake. Clearly, I am different from Abbey as I could not have a snake living freely in my home or in my clothes (I got goosebumps even reading that part in the text).

            After a short twenty to thirty minutes filled with great conversations and nature music, special shoutout to the Edward Abbey song that seemed historically accurate to what we learned in class, we arrived at Benbrook Lake. We then unloaded the canoes and brought them down to the water. I applied bug spray all over my body, as I also have a fear of bugs and feel that I am constantly being bitten no matter what I do, so I wanted to make sure I took all the precautions possible. As I was doing so, I could not help but think about what Abbey and other environmentalists would think about bug spray, as it is technically interfering with nature that was in the location before us. These types of thoughts are one key thing that this course has opened my mind too, as I would have never previously thought about bug sprays impact on nature.

            Once we got in the canoe, it took Abby and I some time to get the hand of paddling. It was at this point that I realized I had never canoed before, so it definitely took some time for me to learn how to do it. But I do have to say that I got the hang of it and even became a very skilled turner in doing the backwards paddle. Right when we got on the water, I was stunned by the fact that we were the only ones on the water, as I am used to busy lakes and have never seen one this still. It was absolutely beautiful. I also found the view incredible simply in how large the space felt, as it seemed like the lake went on endlessly like the ocean, yet it was filled with completely still and motionless water. I truly have never seen anything like that, and it made my experience extraordinary since I was appreciating the simple, everyday view of a lake in a completely new way.

Picture 1: First couple minutes on the lake

Picture 2: Beginning of the sunset

            After paddling for some time, the sun began to set, painting the sky with a yellow/orange ombre effect. I usually would be disappointed with the sun setting behind the tree line, but I even found that beautiful, as the trees provided an added level of beauty to the scene. 

Picture 3: The sunset from my perspective

Picture 4: Close-up of the sunset

        Once the sunlight fully disappeared, the stars briefly began to appear in the sky. It was honestly incredible to see, as I have never had an experience like that where I was watching the sky for so long to actually see stars appear almost one by one. I was particularly grateful that, at this time, I was located right next to the student guide, as he was incredibly knowledgeable about the planets and stars. He showed us Jupiter, Polaris, and other constellations in the sky. Particularly, I found myself reflecting on Polaris. Also known as the North Star, it remains still within the sky while the entire northern sky moves around it and is often described as a way to find home no matter where you are. I knew this previously, but actually seeing the North Star while sitting in the wilderness on this empty lake uniquely put this concept into perspective in an emotional way for me. I know that the rec center also offers the full moon paddles, so I hope to also participate in one of those because, similar to stars, I see them everyday but have never taken the time to simply just observe and reflect on it.

Picture 5: End of the sunset

            Once we had watched the stars for a while, we paddled back to the shore and loaded up the trailer to head home. While we were loading up, the park ranger told us we only had 10 minutes before we had to be out, so we had perfect timing in getting off. On the drive back, I realized that this experience had been therapeutic for me. I went into the evening stressed about the busy weekend and week I had coming up but being in these outdoors completely eased my anxiety. I was not stressed about all I had coming up, but instead genuinely enjoyed and lived in the moment. It seemed to have cleared my head, and it honestly put me in the best headspace for the rest of the week. As Emily Dickenson wrote and we discussed in class, nature can often be a religious experience for people, and that is what I had this evening as I was admiring all of God’s creations.

            I honestly believe that I experienced the outdoor magic that Stillgoe describes in his book, and I left this experience with both a newfound appreciation for nature and motivation to put in deliberate effort to have more extended experiences with nature going forward. In reflecting on this experience, I found myself thinking about Walt Whitman’s piece “Miracles,” in which he wrote: “To me every hour of the light and dark is a miracle, every cubic inch of space is a miracle, every square yard of the surface of the earth is spread with the same, every foot of the interior swarms with the same.” Admittedly, I still struggle with fully immersing myself in nature, as I do not like getting dirty or being around bugs and reptiles. However, I do feel like this experience helped me to make significant strides in appreciating the miracle of nature that surrounds me on an everyday basis.

Picture 6: Eagle-eye perspective from my canoe

Reflection on Abbey and The Beauty of TCU

        I enjoyed reading the Polemic by Edward Abbey, as it was eye-opening and brought up several points that I had never previously considered. In particular, the contrast between Abbey and the survey workers views towards an increased amount of tourists at the park caught my attention. This stood out to me because, prior to reading this article, I too would have thought an increase in tourism would be positive for the park since it would bring in more money and resources. I would have fallen into the group Abbey describes here: "There may be some among the readers of this book, like the earnest engineer, who believe without question that any and all forms of construction and development are intrinsic goods, in the national parks as well as anywhere else, who virtually identify quantity with quality and therefore assume that the greater the quantity of traffic, the higher the value received" (5). However, I now understand that, although economically positive, tourism has negative environmental implications due to the negative effects that tourists leave on the area. Reflecting on this Polemic makes me think about a popular lake, Lake Minnetonka, in Minnesota, which is heavily used and has led to environmentalists pushing to limit the use of surf boats on the lake because of the negative impact they have on the lake environment. This is an issue I previously overlooked, as I personally love to wake surf, but I now plan to investigate further so that I can better understand the implications this activity is having on the environment. 

        This week, I also found myself reflecting on my journey to TCU and the connection it has to this course. My journey to TCU was quite unexpected, and I actually had no intention of attending even when I applied and planed my visit to campus. I wanted to go to a big school, so when my parents told me they had been hearing about this small school in Texas that I should apply to, I was completely uninterested. However, I decided to apply to appease my parents, and after getting in, I agreed to visit TCU while we were in the area visiting the University of Georgia ("in the area" is relative considering there was still a two hour flight separating them). When I first stepped on campus at TCU, though, I immediately felt at home, and I knew right away (although I did not admit it to my parents) that TCU was where I would be attending. It is interesting to reflect on this now in the context of this course, as I ultimately chose TCU because of the natural beauty of the campus. I had never been to any school that had so many trees, flowers, and greenery throughout the campus. The other schools I had visited at times felt dark, cold, and dirty, so when I came to TCU the nature caught my attention, and I realized how important that type of atmosphere was for my mental health. This appreciation for the beauty of TCU is something that has stuck with me throughout my time here, as I continue to purposefully go on walks around campus and can always be found taking pictures as soon as the tulips are planted in the spring. After this reflection, I decided to go on a long walk around campus, but I approached this walk differently than my others by having no headphones in and not looking at my phone, except for photos, so I could take in new areas of nature around campus that I otherwise may have missed.

        A common theme in my journals is that I am constantly surprised at how much nature is around me that I have never noticed before, and that remained completely true in my walk today. In the past I have always noticed the staple areas on campus, such as Frog Fountain and Sadler Hall (see picture 1). Although these are beautiful areas, I wanted to challenge myself in this walk to see the more natural areas of campus, rather than the areas being perfectly maintained because TCU knows that they are common photo spots. 

Picture 1: TCU sign in front of Sadler Hall

        Through this walk, I found that I was especially drawn to the beautiful flowers and trees growing all around campus, taking close to fifty photos just because everything was capturing my attention. One thing that I was especially impressed with was my iPhone camera's ability to take incredibly high-quality close up photos. In fact, the close ups, especially picture 4, look like they could have been take on a professional camera to me. I was inspired to incorporate close up into my photography after reading "The Drama of Details" in the Conservation Photography Handbook, as it described the power close-ups have in telling a story, which I found to be true when looking at the example photos that the author included in the chapter. My close ups were of flowers, and I like how it shows the intricate details, as well as how the individual flowers and separate but interconnected with the entire plant.

Please see some of my favorite photos below!

Picture 2: Close Up of Mexican Bush Sage

Picture 3: Close Up of Alpenrose

Picture 4: Close Up of Egyptian Starcluster

Picture 6: Crepe-Myrtle Tree

Picture 5: Oak Tree

I am excited to have my extended nature experience this week in our paddle trip, and I look forward to reflecting on that in my next journal!

Emily

Quiet Time in Nature

        I enjoyed last week's readings and class discussion in comparing the works from Meriwether Lewis and Luther Standing Bear in the Nature Writing, as they allowed me to better understand the Whites' vs. Native Americans' views towards nature, and the potential implications of those views. I believe these differences were best described through Standing Bear's writings, which is understandable as his works were written to help the White audience better understand Native Americans. "It was good for the skin to touch the earth and the old people liked to remove their moccasins and walk with bare feet on the sacred earth" (327). This quote from Standing Bear stood out to me because it demonstrates how important the land is to Native Americans, and it made me wonder how this impacted Whites, as at this time they were stealing land and relocating Native Americans. Clearly it was not beneficial enough since these actions continued to occur, but reading Standing Bear's section made me wonder if Whites began to understand, at any level, how important land and connection with nature was to Native Americans, as well as if they had any remorse for their actions after reading works like this one. Additionally, Standing Bear describes that the fundamental difference between the Whites' and Native Americans' views comes down to their childhood instruction, with whites spending a lot of time fooling around outside whereas the Native Americans are alert and observant of their surrounding (329). But, I did find it important that we also acknowledged in class that the Native Americans were not perfect environmentalists, such as the story of them running hundreds of buffalos off a cliff in Lewis' writings, as it helped us remain unbiased and understand that both sides had room for improvement. 

        Beyond comparing their differing viewpoints, I also found these readings to be amazing as they described the earth in its truest form, before it became commercialized and damaged as I see it today. For example, Lewis states "The hills and river Clifts which we passed today exhibit a most romantic appearance... they are formed of remarkable white sandstone which is sufficiently soft to give way readily to the impression of water" (100). While reading descriptions like this, I could not help but think how incredible it would be if this journal had photographs corresponding with these descriptions. Obviously, that was not possible during Lewis and Clark's journal, but this realization gave me a greater understanding of the reasoning behind including photos in these nature journals. 

        Standing Bear states "the Indian and the white man sense things differently because the white man has put distance between himself and nature; and assuming a lofty place in the scheme of order of things has lost for him both reverence and understanding" (330). Upon reflecting on these readings and class, this quote in particular resonated with me because it remains true in people today, at least for myself. I live with distance between myself and nature, as I live in developed suburbs and do not often spend designated time in nature with the sole purpose of observing and appreciating it like the Native Americans do. Therefore, I decided that this weekend I would be purposeful in removing the distance between myself and nature by simply sitting outside and observing it. To do so, I decided to go sit in a nature-filled area on campus for about an hour with no distractions, instead simply focusing on the nature surrounding me. I found this green-filled community area on the academic side of campus filled with grass, sitting, and garden areas, and decided to sit here for my time (see the area in pictures 1 and 2). 

Picture 1: My Sitting Spot

Picture 2: Overview of the community area

        While sitting here, I was amazed at how much beauty and excitement that was around me that I otherwise would have missed. I saw and heard birds flying and chirping in the sky, and also heard crickets and even saw one jumping around beside me before he flew away. I also saw a couple people playing with their dogs in the grass-space, which was exciting, and I liked seeing how the dogs interacted with the nature around them. Additionally, I looked at all the unique aspects of the trees and plants. I usually would simply think these were all the same types of plants and trees, but by taking the time to look at them, I was able to see all their unique differences, such as one tree having sharp thorns on its branches (see picture 3). The space also had a water installment, which is obviously man-made, but I felt it worked in extenuating the natural beauty of the area as it almost blended into the space (see picture 4).

Picture 3: Thorne filled tree branch

Picture 4: Water Installment

        Overall, I really enjoyed this time I spent in nature, as I found it relaxing to sit and appreciate what was around me without any external distractions. It also felt like I was meditating to an extent, and I felt rejuvenated when I went home. Going forwards, I hope to spend time like this at the end of all my walks, even if it is just for 5 minutes, as it provides a positive experience with nature and is beneficial for my mental health.

Thank you for reading,

Emily

A World of Plants and Trees

         In class on the 7th, we discussed the importance of knowing the names of the nature around us, specifically in how we can do so by calling plants by their name rather than as a "flowering bush" like I did in one of my previous posts. I learned how to identify plants through both the app, Plant Snap, and the feature in Apple Photos to 'find plant.' Although I was a little embarrassed and surprised that I did not even think about a feature like this existing, I was also excited and found it so fun to be able to actually know what I was taking pictures of. I could not wait to put this technology to a test, and so during my nature observation this week I walked around to identify the various plants and trees around my neighborhood.

        Please see some of my favorite photos of the trees/plants that I identified below:

Picture 1: Tamarind Tree

Picture 2: Flowers on an Apple Tree

Picture 3: Dying Drimiopsis Lancifolia Plant

Picture 4: Boxwood Shrub

Picture 5: Uniquely Shaped Oak Tree

        While identifying these items, I decided to use both Plant Snap and Apple's plant identification feature in hopes of identifying which one worked best. Overall, I found that Plant Snap was generally better, but each had problems identifying certain items such as the trees and the dying plant. Therefore, I think it is most beneficial to use both so that one can ensure the proper identification is made. However, I do believe Apple's feature may be best for an average person, as it is a quick and efficient tool that can help them better understand the nature that they may be admiring. For example, my stepmom takes photos of different plants she finds pretty on a daily basis, so I told her about the apple feature and so far, she loves it!

        Once I identified each of the above items, I then read their brief descriptions that corresponded with the items. One description that stood out to me was that for the Tamarind tree (picture 1), as it said that the tree bears edible fruit that is used in food around the world. I, however, did not see any fruit on the tree while inspecting it, and I became curious as to why that is. My best guess is it is due to the location of the tree, as it is located in the parking lot behind my house, and therefore is only surrounded by concrete and has limited space to grow. In fact, upon further reflecting, I notice that the tree is growing in a weird, almost two-tiered shape, and I am beginning to wonder if that shape is also because of the limited space surrounding it. I also really enjoyed identifying picture 2 as an apple tree (no, not one that actually grows apples!) as this tree has beautiful flowers and is located right next to my house, yet I had no idea it even existed before I began purposefully looking for plants today. This experience just further emphasizes the importance of these nature exercises for me, as I am hopefully beginning to create new habits where I truly observe, notice, and appreciate the nature surrounding me each and every day.

Picture 6: Crepe-Myrtle Tree

Picture 7: Multi-stemmed Trunk of Crepe-Myrtle Tree

       

         One tree that I found particular intriguing was the Crepe-Myrtle tree, as seen above in pictures 6 and 7. The Crepe-Myrtle tree is described as a flowering plant that is native to the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia, China, Korea, and Japan. This tree stood out to me primarily due to its unique looking trunk, as it looks tropical and out of place on a college campus in Texas, almost reminding me of a big-sized bonsai tree. It is amazing to me that this plant exists just a couple blocks away from my house.

        Overall, this experience was so much fun for me, and I felt like a little kid in a candy store as I was moving from plant to plant throughout my neighborhood. The ability to identify the plants I am looking at in a way has made me feel even closer to nature, as I actually know what I am looking at and the history behind the various plants. I believe these are tools I will use not only throughout the rest of this class, but also throughout my life as I have my nature experiences around the world.

Best,

Emily

A Newfound Appreciation for Everyday Views

        The goal that I set for myself this week was to better appreciate nature on my daily walks to class. I set this goal because, upon reflection, I realized that I am always on my phone while I walk, and therefore have never truly taken in the nature surrounding me every day. I set this goal prior to last week’s class period, but I was further inspired to pursue it after I heard that one of my fellow classmates had done the same and had a new and incredible experience with nature from doing so. 

        To achieve this goal, I committed to having no distractions on my walks to and home from class for the rest of the week. I kept my phone in my pocket, only taking it out for pictures sake, and focused all of my attention on the nature around me. I was surprised to see how many beautiful trees and flowers surrounded me on my walk. Of course, I knew that these sites existed on this walk, but I had never previously taken the time to truly look at them and take it all in. For example, I put in effort to simply look up on my walk, which allowed me to take picture 1 where I captured the contrast of the bright green tree on the blue sky. I personally love this photo because, although it is not a close-up, it almost feels like you can see the intricate details of the branches and leaves because of their contrast on the sky. From a far-away perspective, the majority of my walk looks like what I captured in picture 2. Through this experience, I developed a newfound appreciation for this view, as I truly noticed how special it is to have big, luscious trees surrounding both sides of this street, almost forming an arched entryway to campus.

Picture 1: Tree against the sky

Picture 2: My daily view

       

         This beauty that I saw was extra surprising because I had previously viewed my walk to class as going through a somewhat ugly area, especially in relation to my old walks while living on campus. On campus, TCU takes beautiful care of all the nature, and I have even been told that we have an endowment specifically to ensure there are always fresh flowers. The flowers, trees, and grass on campus are something that I have always appreciated in my walks. However, coming off campus, I often notice a stark contrast in the maintenance when TCU is not taking care of the area. I personally live pretty much half on campus, which can be seen above in picture 2 (the left is TCU parking, the right is private homes), so that may explain why the area is so well kept compared to what I may have expected to see.

Picture 3: Flowering Bush

        Overall, by putting my phone away and simply observing nature on my walk, I noticed so many things that I had never seen before. For example, picture 3 shows a stunning purple flowering bush on the side of my path that I had never previously noticed. Chapter 7 in the Conservation Photography Handbook describes the power close-up photography has to capture the minutiae that often goes unnoticed, as well as shows the interconnectedness of all things. After reading this chapter, I decided to go back to the flowering bush and take close-up photos. As soon as I got there, I was excited to see all of the bumble bees pollinating the flowers, and I was even able to get a close-up of one bee in action (see below in picture 4)! The chapter states that close-ups can become a key part of your story and is a “wakeup call to the importance of protecting all parts of an ecosystem” (page 69). This statement was certainly true for me, as being able to take and look at these photos gave me a newfound appreciation for bees, and I hope that others viewing also are able to see their underappreciated importance. Also, I think it is important to note that, in this chapter, the author gave a lot of tips on how to do close-up photography with a professional camera. However, I was impressed with my phones ability to take close-up photos, and I think that ability is something that should be better emphasized to empower people that they all have the ability to take great photos simply with their smartphones.

Picture 4: Close-up of pollinating bee

        In preparation for this week’s class, I also read the works from Meriwether Lewis and Standing Bear from the Nature Writing, and I found their contrasting views towards the Earth to be powerful. This week, my goal is to continue reflecting on these two works and to attempt to capture how these views can still be seen in people and nature today.

 

Thank you for reading!

Emily

 

A Weekend in the Land of 10,000 Lakes

        Our first-class period excited me for what is to come this semester in this course, as I believe it will give me the time and opportunity to appreciate nature in a newfound way. Our class discussion made me realize how often I take the beauty of nature for granted, and rarely slow down to truly look at and appreciate what is around me. In his poem, Outside Lies Magic, John R. Stillgoe states “Go outside and walk a bit, long enough to forget about programming, long enough to take in and record new surroundings.” This is exactly what I plan to do throughout the semester, and even have already begun to accomplish over the past weekend!

        This weekend I traveled home to Wayzata, Minnesota, which gave me the perfect opportunity to experience nature. I may be biased from growing up there, but I personally believe that Minnesota is the most beautiful place to be during the summer due to all of the lakes, greenery, and weather. On Saturday, I decided to follow Stillgoe’s advice and go on a walk with no distractions. My boyfriend joined me, and we walked around his neighborhood and the lake. This is an area I spent a lot of time in previously, so I was surprised at how many new things I noticed when I was not distracted by my phone or anything else. For example, I saw a bird’s nest up in the trees, and even also noticed an albino squirrel running through the forest! We stopped for ice cream on our walk and ended up coming out of the ice cream shop at the perfect time for the most beautiful sunset. The sky was filled with shades of pink, red, orange, and yellow, all combining to make an ombre effect in the sky.

Image 1: Running to the lake

Image 2: Canoe rack

        As you can see in image 1, my boyfriend and I ran to the water to get a better look, and the view only got better as the water added another serene element to the sunset. Image 2 is my personal favorite, as I like the combination of the water, sunset, and canoes, and I think it encapsulates the Minnesota summer experience as, since the nice weather is short-lasting, we spend every day outside on the lakes doing all types of water activities. Chapter 6 of the Conservation Photography Handbook describes that horizontal lines, as the canoes create in the right photo, convey stability and earthiness, which may be why I find the addition of the canoe rack so powerful in depicting this summer sunset. This experience was also somewhat emotional for me, as I was home in Minnesota for the funeral of my grandfather, who had passed away earlier last week. I found the contrast of such beauty in a difficult time to be extremely powerful, and it almost felt like my grandfather was painting the sky to let us know that he was okay and better now in heaven.

Image 4: True representation

Image 3: Cropped

        As I was sitting by the lake, I remembered our class discussion about Professor Williams’ photograph that shows the serene bird on the lake with the speedboat going by in the background, and how powerful I found that contrast in showing the human impact on nature. I then further understood this concept through reading Chapter 6 in the Conservation Photography Handbook, which describes the impact a photographer can have by not trying to create beauty out of the ugly, but instead drawing attention to the destruction through a strong portrayal of it. This came to mind because, although the lake and sunset were beautiful, the shore was filled with green algae. It is well known in Minnesota that algae and bacteria form in the lake by the end of the summer due to the overuse of the lake by humans, to the point where many lakes become unclean to swim in due to so much buildup. Upon further research into the particular algae I was seeing, I learned that, although it can be natural, in many cases it is caused from the chemicals used on lawns and agriculture washing into the water system, as that allows the algae to feast on the “food” and quickly grow and spread. Because of all of this, I decided to take two photographs to allow for comparison, with image 3 cutting out the algae and image 4 showing the algae covered shore. Both pictures show the beauty of the sunset but comparing the two clearly shows the negative impact humans have on the environment. I typically would take photos like the left, simply cutting out any negative aspects of the environment, but going forwards I plan to take photos that show those aspects to represent nature more accurately. 

        I plan to complete my journals on a weekly basis, and end each with a goal for myself in the next week, as I am goal-oriented and am confident that doing so will ensure that I continue to challenge myself to intentionally spend time in nature. My goal for this week is to appreciate nature on my daily walks to class, as I typically am on my phone when I walk and therefore do not take the opportunity to take in the nature surrounding me.

Image 5: Sunset over the lake

Thank you for reading!

Emily

Research links into algae:

https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/why-are-some-lakes-full-algae-and-thick-plants

https://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/departments/elg/environment/content/water/content/lakes/whats_that.html