When people think of the southeast region of the United States, they often think of farmlands, plantations, and Victorian homes. They may also think that residents here live somewhat of a simple, small town life since there are not many big cities or high rises in our area. I would have to agree that most of these assumptions are correct. I have lived in Thomasville, Georgia for fourteen years, and have been downtown many times shopping, or eating. During those years, I never realized that people come to Thomasville just to visit downtown. I was later told that at one time, Thomasville was the farthest south that people could travel by train. Once they reached our town, they must take a horse and carriage to reach the surrounding plantations or to head any further south. This being so, the railroad that goes through downtown is the oldest in the area. In addition to visiting the plantations, many visitors would come to Thomasville and stay at the hotels in the area. There were a lot of hotels in downtown because of the railroad track. Although, this was many years ago, trains still go through at least twice a day to transport goods using these same railroad tracks. Years ago, bricks were placed in the streets of downtown Thomasville, so women would not get their dresses dirty. Today, two blocks of downtown still have the bricks, but they are now worn and broken from the all the carriages and automobiles that have traveled the busy street through the years.
Although the hotels are not there anymore, all of the buildings downtown still offers the Victorian style, with lots of elaborate trim work. Most of the trim looks to either be made of stone or wood. The Victorian style is very common to have in buildings in the south. It is something most southerners are very proud to have as part of our buildings and homes. These buildings appear to be in excellent shape for their age, looking to have only been remodeled a few times, trying to keep the look of the early 1900’s. Everything in Thomasville is kept as close to the original as possible but is still functional. The Mitchell House Hotel in Thomasville was a popular place for the elite Northerners to stay for the winter season and enjoy hunting and the warmer climate. Most of the hotel burned but some still remains and is now known as the Business Exchange building. The Business Exchange building is a five-story brick building, with massive 9-foot double doors made of solid oak and six feet of glass in each door. The top floor has beautiful Palladian windows on the outside and houses a gorgeous ballroom that was originally in the hotel, and is still used today for many functions. The ceiling is very ornate and the floors are the original wood floors. What use to be the rooms in the hotel, are now used as offices. The courthouse in Thomasville, which sits on an entire block of downtown, was built in 1858 and has only been remodeled a few times. The courthouse also has a tower with clock that chimes every hour and can be heard all through downtown.
All of downtown is lined with large beautiful oak trees to provide shade for the cars and sidewalks. Thomasville is known as the City of Roses, so naturally there are roses around the base of the trees and all over town. Each year, Thomasville has a Rose Show Festival. Every April, they showcase these roses by opening up the “rose garden” for visitors. They also line the streets in downtown Thomasville with fun activities for the thousands of tourists to enjoy. Along with the rose garden and activities in the street, there is also a “Rose Show Parade” downtown on the brick street. When I say this draws in many visitors, I mean just that. Our motels and bed and breakfast inns are booked months in advance. Also located in the downtown area, is an old oak tree known as “The Big Oak Tree”. The Big Oak is about 326 years old and twenty-four feet in circumference with a limb span of 162 feet. This tree is one the largest Live Oak trees east of the Mississippi River. Many Presidents have gone to see this massive tree while they were in Thomasville. Plantations surround the Thomasville area, so many of the stores downtown caters to the plantation owners. There are about seventy plantations that surround Thomasville, and most are still owned by the families that built them. Over the years, Thomasville has had many famous people come and stay at a plantation just to go hunting. When President Kennedy was shot, his wife came to Thomasville to stay at one of the area plantations to get away from the press. Vice President Cheney has visited our downtown area to browse Kevin’s to get his hunting gear while staying in the area. A few years ago, Jimmy Buffet was also spotted downtown in Kevin’s. In South Georgia, hunting and fishing are very common leisurely sports, so many of the local people go to Kevin’s sporting goods to get their hunting supplies and clothing as well. Not far from Kevin’s, we also have a huge produce market which is very common of towns in south. We have farmers who grow their own produce and take them to sell at our local “farmer’s market.” Here you will find the best and freshest fruits and vegetables in the area. Located on Broad Street is Izzo’s Ice Cream Parlor. This parlor has been in Thomasville since the 1930’s and is still in the same building. They use the soda fountain that has been in there since it opened. Children love to go into Izzo’s to get ice cream and many grandparents take their grandchildren to the place where they grew up. At any time during the day, teenagers are sitting outside of the Billiard Academy eating the famous hotdog they have just bought. It is said, that people cannot pass by without getting a hotdog, because the smell is so strong. Flowers Foods bakery and the thrift store are both located in downtown Thomasville. Flowers Foods was started in Thomasville, and now is a leading producer of baked goods in the United States. At night, and sometimes during the day, the smell of freshly baked bread from Flowers Bakery fills the air. All of the local stores and restaurants stay crowded throughout the year. However there are other times when you can barely walk the streets of downtown Thomasville. As I mentioned earlier the Rose Show is a big deal in Thomasville, but I can’t forget our Victorian Christmas. In early December we have “Victorian Christmas,” where visitors come from all over to enjoy the entertainment on the brick streets. Every year, we have a Santa Clause in a sleigh for the children to visit and tell him what they want for Christmas. We have carolers, singing on the sidewalks of the streets. Also, there are food stands everywhere lined with hungry customers. Many of the stores stay open during the evening hours to lure in shoppers for some Christmas shopping. People will walk the brick streets for hours enjoying the booths and visiting with friend as well as visitors.
So, not only does Thomasville draw in visitors for the historic and stereotypical ideals of the south, but we attract visitors who are longing for small town entertainment. The unique attractions our residents have come to love, has also reached out to others, showing them that southern hospitality still resides in Thomasville, Georgia.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Kansas
Kansas
The feeling of Kansas is like none other, you have to experience it yourself and all the things we have. Kansas is the sunflower state and the air capital of the world. We have lots of airplane companies such as Hawker, Spirit Aero systems, and Cesena. Kansas is the wheat state we have open fields full of wheat. Kansas is not all farm land though Kansas is filled with unique features. We have the keeper of the planes and the exploration place. Kansas also has the warren theater owned by Bill Warren here in Wichita. Kansas has fresh air due to the three main city; Wichita, Topeka and Kansas City are the biggest and don’t create much pollution or emissions so we have clean air. Kansas has a good night life we have Old Town which is located in down town Wichita. Old Town is a fun place to be it has pubs and bars and all kinds of entertainment. Century II is also down town this is where our concert hall is and where big performers come to have concerts. River fest is really big here to in Wichita; this is and event for one week where every goes down to the river. Everyone plays games and goes to see the fireworks; there are also concerts and music videos that have been shot during the River Fest. Even though Kansas is a very flat state we do have fun here and it is a great place to be.
The feeling of Kansas is like none other, you have to experience it yourself and all the things we have. Kansas is the sunflower state and the air capital of the world. We have lots of airplane companies such as Hawker, Spirit Aero systems, and Cesena. Kansas is the wheat state we have open fields full of wheat. Kansas is not all farm land though Kansas is filled with unique features. We have the keeper of the planes and the exploration place. Kansas also has the warren theater owned by Bill Warren here in Wichita. Kansas has fresh air due to the three main city; Wichita, Topeka and Kansas City are the biggest and don’t create much pollution or emissions so we have clean air. Kansas has a good night life we have Old Town which is located in down town Wichita. Old Town is a fun place to be it has pubs and bars and all kinds of entertainment. Century II is also down town this is where our concert hall is and where big performers come to have concerts. River fest is really big here to in Wichita; this is and event for one week where every goes down to the river. Everyone plays games and goes to see the fireworks; there are also concerts and music videos that have been shot during the River Fest. Even though Kansas is a very flat state we do have fun here and it is a great place to be.
A Southern Feeling
I cherish the moments spent in my grandfather Rex’s old, rusted chair, which is now painted a deep green to hide the weathering of well-oiled hands. The chair sits in my backyard on the edge of a pond within the ideal image of a southern life. This stereotypical image often depicts nature such as wild animals, an assortment of trees, flowers, fields of crops, vegetation, beautiful countryside, and small, hospitable communities. Large family events, home cooked meals, and early morning worship on Sundays also tie into the southern life style. Headland, my welcoming hometown in southeast Alabama or the Wiregrass Area as citizens would say because of the abundance of wiregrass, is not far from that description. Gazing from the driveway alongside my house, I view what looks more like a mural or painting rather than real life. Words will never do this plush scenery of trees, water, wild animals, and landscape justice. As I begin to walk down the slope of ground toward the chair, I can hear the crunching of dead leaves beneath my feet. The sound of squirrels scattering up nearby trees startles me. The cool, soft breeze is a calming welcome to my grandfather’s chair or what I call it, “the best seat in the house”.
As I sit down in the newly refurnished chair, the strong aroma of wood and nature surrounds me reminding me of childhood memories. In the South, it is almost a requirement that children play outside. The rural communities of southeast Alabama are different than those of urban cities. Children are safe here. The largest threat is the king snake occasionally seen whom disappears before one can have a good look. Although humid, the weather in the Wiregrass is ideal for children to play and run. Video games and computers are secondary to the outdoors and are mainly used on rainy days. Getting filthy with dirt and mud is the main goal throughout a child’s day. I can remember playing hide-and-go-seek, capture the flag, and exploring the woods behind my home. My friends and I would dream of the huge tree houses we could build and all the adventures in store. What I would give to go back to the days where life was full of carelessness and laughter. As I glance to my right, I can see a fishing line and lour mangled in the pine tree overlooking the water. This too is a souvenir of my childhood from when my father and sister first began teaching me how to fish. Of course, here, we did not buy an automatic metal pole from a department store. We used a cane pole made from a bamboo tree with a fishing line and a worm as bait. Even though life is so molecularly complex, in the south, its just so simple. I can feel the wind becoming cooler as the minutes pass, partly because the sun is slowly melting into the forest across the water. Here, in Alabama, a mere twenty degrees Fahrenheit causes schools to be canceled as the thrilling thought of snow lures in everyone’s mind. Autumn is approaching if it has not already made its arrival. I can see many trees beginning to turn shades of orange, yellow, and brick red, while evergreens maintain the deep forest color in the leaves. The days are getting shorter by the minute. It will be only a matter of weeks before daylight ends around five thirty in the evening.
A sudden grey object darts into the high cat-tails and Bermuda grass about ten feet from my chair. As I retain a frightening manner, I realize the object is my black and grey striped house cat, Angel. She has found the pond’s family of ducks seeking shelter in the vegetation. The roar of the ducks and Angel’s hissing causes a ruckus throughout the entire area. I can hear birds chirping overhead, squirrels running through the broken leaves, and calves crying in the field across the water. Wild animals are a normal part of my life. I occasionally see deer, possums, and the dreaded king snake that lives nearby. Another animal, who is confined to the South, is the gnat. Similar but smaller than a fly, gnats are completely harmless but are a terrible annoyance in the hot weather.
Thankfully, I am able to turn my attention to the soothing fountain that has recently erupted from the still water. A pastel pink, iridescent light shines from the base of the wall of water. The fountain sends the bright liquid twenty-five feet into the air creating a calm sound of rain as the droplets hit the pond. I sit, close my eyes, and wish this feeling would never cease. Once again, an interruption has brought me back from my day dreaming state of mind, but this interruption is worth leaving my vision. The aroma of freshly baked bread and fried chicken quickly drifts by. It is my sister’s thirty-second birthday and I can only imagine what my mother is preparing. I hope mashed potatoes, green beans, and hash brown casserole are on the menu, and of course blackberry cobbler for dessert. Blackberries grow wild around my neighborhood, and no other dessert can surpass my mother’s fresh blackberry treat.
Food is also more than the daily vitamins and protein needed to survive. A meal is a time for family and friends to come together and share conversation. It is a tradition and celebration of the day. Every Christmas, instead of having the typical dressing, vegetables, and dessert, my family created our own tradition. On Christmas day, we have baked oysters that my father shucked, grilled shrimp, and an assortment of side dishes.
As the sun continues to submerge into the horizon, the sky is a deep orange and extends outward into a red, then pink followed by every shade of blue imaginable. Here, we do not have mountainous regions and barely any hills. This allows the sun to slowly sink into the open sky causing a rainbow of bright colors every evening. I can now hear a car driving down the driveway. I assume it is my sister here to claim her birthday presents and supper, or maybe the first wave of friends and family members that are invited to celebrate. I reluctantly rise from my favorite chair and both Angel and I begin to ascend the small hill to greet our guests. Half way to my house, I turn around and view the wonderful gift of nature and tradition that God has given the world and realize, “I would never choose to live anywhere else”.
As I sit down in the newly refurnished chair, the strong aroma of wood and nature surrounds me reminding me of childhood memories. In the South, it is almost a requirement that children play outside. The rural communities of southeast Alabama are different than those of urban cities. Children are safe here. The largest threat is the king snake occasionally seen whom disappears before one can have a good look. Although humid, the weather in the Wiregrass is ideal for children to play and run. Video games and computers are secondary to the outdoors and are mainly used on rainy days. Getting filthy with dirt and mud is the main goal throughout a child’s day. I can remember playing hide-and-go-seek, capture the flag, and exploring the woods behind my home. My friends and I would dream of the huge tree houses we could build and all the adventures in store. What I would give to go back to the days where life was full of carelessness and laughter. As I glance to my right, I can see a fishing line and lour mangled in the pine tree overlooking the water. This too is a souvenir of my childhood from when my father and sister first began teaching me how to fish. Of course, here, we did not buy an automatic metal pole from a department store. We used a cane pole made from a bamboo tree with a fishing line and a worm as bait. Even though life is so molecularly complex, in the south, its just so simple. I can feel the wind becoming cooler as the minutes pass, partly because the sun is slowly melting into the forest across the water. Here, in Alabama, a mere twenty degrees Fahrenheit causes schools to be canceled as the thrilling thought of snow lures in everyone’s mind. Autumn is approaching if it has not already made its arrival. I can see many trees beginning to turn shades of orange, yellow, and brick red, while evergreens maintain the deep forest color in the leaves. The days are getting shorter by the minute. It will be only a matter of weeks before daylight ends around five thirty in the evening.
A sudden grey object darts into the high cat-tails and Bermuda grass about ten feet from my chair. As I retain a frightening manner, I realize the object is my black and grey striped house cat, Angel. She has found the pond’s family of ducks seeking shelter in the vegetation. The roar of the ducks and Angel’s hissing causes a ruckus throughout the entire area. I can hear birds chirping overhead, squirrels running through the broken leaves, and calves crying in the field across the water. Wild animals are a normal part of my life. I occasionally see deer, possums, and the dreaded king snake that lives nearby. Another animal, who is confined to the South, is the gnat. Similar but smaller than a fly, gnats are completely harmless but are a terrible annoyance in the hot weather.
Thankfully, I am able to turn my attention to the soothing fountain that has recently erupted from the still water. A pastel pink, iridescent light shines from the base of the wall of water. The fountain sends the bright liquid twenty-five feet into the air creating a calm sound of rain as the droplets hit the pond. I sit, close my eyes, and wish this feeling would never cease. Once again, an interruption has brought me back from my day dreaming state of mind, but this interruption is worth leaving my vision. The aroma of freshly baked bread and fried chicken quickly drifts by. It is my sister’s thirty-second birthday and I can only imagine what my mother is preparing. I hope mashed potatoes, green beans, and hash brown casserole are on the menu, and of course blackberry cobbler for dessert. Blackberries grow wild around my neighborhood, and no other dessert can surpass my mother’s fresh blackberry treat.
Food is also more than the daily vitamins and protein needed to survive. A meal is a time for family and friends to come together and share conversation. It is a tradition and celebration of the day. Every Christmas, instead of having the typical dressing, vegetables, and dessert, my family created our own tradition. On Christmas day, we have baked oysters that my father shucked, grilled shrimp, and an assortment of side dishes.
As the sun continues to submerge into the horizon, the sky is a deep orange and extends outward into a red, then pink followed by every shade of blue imaginable. Here, we do not have mountainous regions and barely any hills. This allows the sun to slowly sink into the open sky causing a rainbow of bright colors every evening. I can now hear a car driving down the driveway. I assume it is my sister here to claim her birthday presents and supper, or maybe the first wave of friends and family members that are invited to celebrate. I reluctantly rise from my favorite chair and both Angel and I begin to ascend the small hill to greet our guests. Half way to my house, I turn around and view the wonderful gift of nature and tradition that God has given the world and realize, “I would never choose to live anywhere else”.
Kansas to Me
To the people that live in Kansas many images come to mind when they think of their state. For many people farms and cows come to mind. Wichita is a much bigger city so I personally am not familiar with farms and cows. The first thing that makes me think of Kansas is its diverse people. When I think of Wichita people, I think of busy people hurrying off to work, school or where ever they have to go. Our city is big but not too crowded. During a typical morning, lunch time, and at five o'clock traffic our city's highways and interstates can sometimes get overwhelming. If you look on the Kansas quarter you will see hints of our state that include a sunflower and tornado. Kansas land is notorious for being flat so our state suffers from many tornado a year. Our last famous tornado happened in the town of Greensburg and left the city devastated. Then there is our state's flower being the very noticeable sunflower. I think of Kansas every time I go into a local Quick Trip and see a package of sunflower seeds. If I go a little farther south on rock road passed my neighborhood QT I will see Spangles, which I consider to be unique to Kansas. Spangles is a fast food restaurant that is family owned and so far strictly in Kansas. Wichita is known as the air capital of the world. I find that pretty interesting considering there are way larger cities than Wichita. There are also the aircraft companies such as Cessna, Spirit, Hawker Beech Craft and Learjet that provide many people jobs.
Christy Utt
Beneath the Trees
There are many great wonders in this world we live in, yet most of them unexplored. A lot of these untamed and awesome features consist in my hometown in south Alabama. One of my favorite locations down in south Alabama is on my hunting land in Beatrice. Ever since I was a young boy I would always catch myself returning to that location. To me, this place is always on my mind. It’s hard to explain but it sticks with me. I’m not too sure if it’s the cool shade thrown off by that large white oak that I am leaning on or if it’s the wildlife surrounding me, but I do know one thing, it’s always home.
This area of which I speak is on the backside of my hunting land which my grandfather owns. We have a hunting camp that will suffice any southern man’s dream. The camp is always filled with people in our hunting club. It is the best place to get away from home. In the south, your friends are treated like family. No matter how late we stay up telling hunting stories, or just life stories, everyone seems to get up before sunrise. Every morning breakfast is cooked.
There is roughly three thousand acres which surrounds this bottom around our hunting camp, but none that can match it. For years I have hunted it and never been bored. Some days may be action packed, filled with deer and others not so fortunate. There is a creek that runs at the bottom. It is probably around four to five feet wide which is just short enough for a guy my size to hop across. Big hard woods fill the bottom. Large Southern Red and Water Oaks occupy most of the space with the exception of a few scattered pines.
I decide to take a walk to my favorite creek bottom and the wind is hitting me slightly across the face as I turn to the north. The sun is just starting to rise above the trees to my right. I can hear many different species of birds making their voices known. As the sun continues to come up, these voices start to fade a little but not completely. You can tell that fall is right around the corner judging by the look of the leaves. A couple of squirrels catch my attention as I hear them bark off in the distance. This to me was entertaining as they would chase each other around the tree.
The squirrels continued to play and I am beginning to fill a bit warmer as the sun is steadily rising in the sky. My attention was then drawn short due to the strange silence that came upon me. You could hear an acorn fall if you listen closely. This is when I heard it. It was the sound of a small twig break, yet there was more to it than that. I wanted to turn my head and take a peek but my hunter instinct told me to hold off. For even the smallest movement could be heard. The sound grew closer and closer. I knew then that this was not just some armadillo or raccoon plundering around. It was much larger and less clumsy. As my heart kept racing and my curiosity could not take it anymore, I began to slowly move around stopping whenever silence came back upon the woods. My eyes finally appeared on the other side of the tree and my shock almost gave my positron away. There, only a few yards from me was a big buck. I’m sure ya'll are unfamiliar with the buck, but around this land he is well known. He is a non-typical thirteen point buck which my granddad has hunted for many years. My granddad calls him Split Toe.
This large whitetail is either the slickest or luckiest animal around these woods. There have been many occasions where he has been seen but never the chance to shoot him. Now, this is my first run in with the buck and it’s not even hunting season. With no gun or bow I watch as he continues his feeding on honey suckles growing in the bottom. The strangest thing begins to take place. The want to kill him grew to be more of a desire to watch. I suddenly begin to admire the great buck and much enjoyed his presence. He finished with the honey suckles and began grazing across the forest floor working his way down the worn out deer trail. I watched continuously until I could just make out the white underneath his tail as he flicked it after deciding that it was safe to move on. With the beams of sunlight shining in, this seemed more like a dream than reality.
After he left hunger begins to hit me and the breakfast dad was cooking back at the camp grew more and more on my mind. After swatting mosquitoes and tearing down aggravating banana spider webs, I finally stumbled back to the camp. Man, what a morning. This one will never be forgotten. I told the story to dad. He could not believe it. That buck had been hunted for many years, and until now, was thought to be dead. To everyone’s amazement, he was indeed still alive. The big buck will remain around yet another hunting season.
Chase Luker
There are many great wonders in this world we live in, yet most of them unexplored. A lot of these untamed and awesome features consist in my hometown in south Alabama. One of my favorite locations down in south Alabama is on my hunting land in Beatrice. Ever since I was a young boy I would always catch myself returning to that location. To me, this place is always on my mind. It’s hard to explain but it sticks with me. I’m not too sure if it’s the cool shade thrown off by that large white oak that I am leaning on or if it’s the wildlife surrounding me, but I do know one thing, it’s always home.
This area of which I speak is on the backside of my hunting land which my grandfather owns. We have a hunting camp that will suffice any southern man’s dream. The camp is always filled with people in our hunting club. It is the best place to get away from home. In the south, your friends are treated like family. No matter how late we stay up telling hunting stories, or just life stories, everyone seems to get up before sunrise. Every morning breakfast is cooked.
There is roughly three thousand acres which surrounds this bottom around our hunting camp, but none that can match it. For years I have hunted it and never been bored. Some days may be action packed, filled with deer and others not so fortunate. There is a creek that runs at the bottom. It is probably around four to five feet wide which is just short enough for a guy my size to hop across. Big hard woods fill the bottom. Large Southern Red and Water Oaks occupy most of the space with the exception of a few scattered pines.
I decide to take a walk to my favorite creek bottom and the wind is hitting me slightly across the face as I turn to the north. The sun is just starting to rise above the trees to my right. I can hear many different species of birds making their voices known. As the sun continues to come up, these voices start to fade a little but not completely. You can tell that fall is right around the corner judging by the look of the leaves. A couple of squirrels catch my attention as I hear them bark off in the distance. This to me was entertaining as they would chase each other around the tree.
The squirrels continued to play and I am beginning to fill a bit warmer as the sun is steadily rising in the sky. My attention was then drawn short due to the strange silence that came upon me. You could hear an acorn fall if you listen closely. This is when I heard it. It was the sound of a small twig break, yet there was more to it than that. I wanted to turn my head and take a peek but my hunter instinct told me to hold off. For even the smallest movement could be heard. The sound grew closer and closer. I knew then that this was not just some armadillo or raccoon plundering around. It was much larger and less clumsy. As my heart kept racing and my curiosity could not take it anymore, I began to slowly move around stopping whenever silence came back upon the woods. My eyes finally appeared on the other side of the tree and my shock almost gave my positron away. There, only a few yards from me was a big buck. I’m sure ya'll are unfamiliar with the buck, but around this land he is well known. He is a non-typical thirteen point buck which my granddad has hunted for many years. My granddad calls him Split Toe.
This large whitetail is either the slickest or luckiest animal around these woods. There have been many occasions where he has been seen but never the chance to shoot him. Now, this is my first run in with the buck and it’s not even hunting season. With no gun or bow I watch as he continues his feeding on honey suckles growing in the bottom. The strangest thing begins to take place. The want to kill him grew to be more of a desire to watch. I suddenly begin to admire the great buck and much enjoyed his presence. He finished with the honey suckles and began grazing across the forest floor working his way down the worn out deer trail. I watched continuously until I could just make out the white underneath his tail as he flicked it after deciding that it was safe to move on. With the beams of sunlight shining in, this seemed more like a dream than reality.
After he left hunger begins to hit me and the breakfast dad was cooking back at the camp grew more and more on my mind. After swatting mosquitoes and tearing down aggravating banana spider webs, I finally stumbled back to the camp. Man, what a morning. This one will never be forgotten. I told the story to dad. He could not believe it. That buck had been hunted for many years, and until now, was thought to be dead. To everyone’s amazement, he was indeed still alive. The big buck will remain around yet another hunting season.
Chase Luker
Thursday, September 25, 2008
The Keeper of the Plains
When I think about Wichita Kansas, I think about the Indian heritage that we have here. You can see it all through out Wichita, but the first thing that comes to my attention is the sculpture called The Keeper of the Plains. The sculpture was built in 1974. It has since become one of Wichita's most recognized symbols. The 5-ton sculpture was placed in between the little and big Arkansas Rivers where the two rivers meet, which is considered a very sacred place by the Native Americans and was home to Wichita tribes for many years. This sculpture stands up 44-feet high. It’s made out of Cor-ten steel which increases the resistance to atmospheric corrosion because the steel forms a protective layer on its surface under the influence of weather. In the Spring/Summer of 2006 project was remodeled and the sculpture was elevated on a 30-foot slab of rock, so that it can be seen for miles. Surrounding the base of the sculpture are little displays that describe the local tribes that used to live in the area. The sculpture is surrounded by four quadrants representing the elements of water, fire, air and earth. The fire comes from the fire pits that they installed in the river around the monument, so that the fire would illuminate the sculpture it at night.
Auburn From My Room
It’s eleven o’clock in the morning of the 18th of September, and the feelings of fall are apparent all around me. A cool breeze blows throughout the complex outside in the courtyard of the dorm residence I live in. The clear blue sky and mostly sunny conditions show the beauty of the day to come. There are a few clouds that pass across the suns pass casting rays and shadows across the ground. Unlike other humid days, the air is easy to breath and is relaxing to take in. I sit outside in a folding lawn chair outside of my door, as many others are doing also. My everyday surrounds engulf me. The triangle shaped courtyard is full of life in every corner. Three bike racks are filled to every slot possible and overflowing. All the bike racks are in the middle of the six buildings encasing the courtyard. Wavy sidewalks curve around randomly dispersed pine trees. Many of these trees have the bark peeling from the trunk, a possible sign of an early death. In the dead center is a rose bush with a single pink bloom. I watch two crows communicate from two distant trees. Other birds chime in and out with their own morning songs. Pinecones and fallen limbs are scattered across the patchy but green grass. Each building has 24 rooms on three stories. On the second story in the center is a blue door, where the RA of the dorm lives. Every other color door is white and dull, each individualized with the building and room number. The structures are built out of red, orange, and brown shades of brick. With an angled roof and brick columns every two buildings are connected with an open aired staircase, as well as a stairwell on the ends of the buildings. A room also consists of a double window at the front. Through these windows are the kitchens. The Community Center is at the far end near a parking lot with volleyball and basketball courts. Inside this building are a laundromat, game room, and the mailboxes. The majority of life files in and out of the Community Center. Every corner is marked with a security camera pointed to the courtyard. A few people sit outside, in a similar setup as I have, studying books and notes. Others begin their walks to class or to the Tiger Transit bus to get a ride to campus. Almost every person that passes has a cell phone in his or her hand. Some people open blinds to the kitchen to let in the sunlight. Through these blinds I spot students prepare breakfast or study. Most students are wearing the colors of orange and blue as they so often do before game day weekends. The background noise is almost more noticeable. I hear several kids push the accelerator to the floorboard to put out a low rumble from the exhaust tips. Large trucks and fast cars pass by on the main road throughout the hour. People shut doors and jingle keys as the footsteps echo down the breezeway. In the distance the never-ending construction echoes sounds of hammers, lawnmowers, saws, leaf blowers, and drills. Also, the sound of the warning the larger trucks give in reverse comes from cranes and other vehicles. As the weekend approaches, there are several groups of tailgaters I see setting up tents to get ready for the game on Saturday, a common occurrence in Auburn prior to game day weekends. People everywhere are already sparking the grill and sitting in chairs having lunch at their tailgate spots. Football controls most of the fall semesters. The feeling of a big win is in the air as well, and it makes me excited.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
My view of Kansas at sunset
In this picture you will find a magnificent Kansas sunset at approximately 7:30 p.m. It was taken on my way home from school. This picture represents Kansas to me. Since I was born and raised here they are the only sunsets I can remember. When I was younger I used to go out to Lake Afton with my Dad and we would sit our lawn chairs and watch the sunset out on the edge of the water to where when the waves would come in they would sometimes run over you a little bit. This picture has so many vibrant colors some of which are indescribable they are so beautiful. You have your many different tones of blue, to the yellows and oranges, all which blend so perfectly to form something so beautiful. Then you see the rays shining through the fluffy white clouds. Then you look out into the distance and see trees and shrubs that seem like they go on for days. Some people make fun of Kansas due to it’s flat lands. I myself am guilty of it at some point in time. If you actually sit back and think about it, it’s nice sometimes to just be able to sit down somewhere and watch the sun go down. So you see if we were not surrounded by all of this flat land we would not be able to sit down and enjoy such a magnificent and breathtaking sight! We would then have obstructions in our view such as mountains, houses, office buildings and such. So the next time I hear someone whine or I begin to think about doing it I’m just going to sit back and remember how beautiful and peaceful it is to literally be able to sit there and watch the sun go down until it is dark outside with nothing in the way. Plus it brings back good childhood memories I once shared with my father!
My blog
When I think of Kansas I think of my family, friends, and sports. In the picture that I chose I’m standing next to my best friends, at the skating ring. The skating ring stands for the love of sports. Hockey was the first sport I fell in love with, I had been playing it since I was six. Unfortunately I had to get knee surgery, so I gave up that sport. The reason my friends are in this picture I chose is because when you live in Kansas for so long their isn’t really a lot of fun things to do after awhile. However, one thing I do enjoy still is hanging out with my friends. Without my family and friends I wouldn’t live in Kansas anymore. I could have moved to California with my brother or Missouri with my grandparents, but I wasn’t ready to leave behind what’s here. I love Kansas for those reasons, because all of my childhood memories are in Kansas, well at least most of them are. So, that is why Kansas is a place that will always hold up a space in my heart. I wanted to get my education in Kansas because there are good schools here, but after I get my degree I might move on with Kansas for awhile so I can experience the other parts of the U.S. I have already been and experienced the Westside and the Midwest. Kansas is a great place to be apart of and that is why I love Kansas.
Kansas
It is a beautiful, sunny day and I am enjoying the view of good O’ Kansas out here in the country, about 25 miles out from the city. There was so much wheat building on top of the bounds of the fields. As I step out closer to the plains and fields of wheat, I could smell and taste the wheat. The wheat is in a variety of different colors. Some of the wheat were green and the tips of it were turning a dark red color with a little bit of orange. The wind built a strong gust, blowing the wheat causing it to lean over towards the east. It was such a nice day, I couldn’t help but to admire everything I saw outside. The sky was filled with white, fluffy clouds, mounting over one another. Tiny sun flowers were growing along the side of the rigid, dirt road. The barn and water tower is slightly covered by tall, bushy trees. You can see several different types of birds, flying around. There are Robins, Blue Jays, Cardinals, and Sparrows. You can hear Wood Peckers pecking there beaks at the trees. The sounds out here in the country are peaceful and you could just fall asleep right out there. Being away from the city brings your mind at ease and no worries. In the city, it is loud; you can here the ambulance’s sirens all the time, traffic moving and people everywhere. Out in the country, you hear the wind roaring across the plains, the tree leaves ruffling around, and birds singing. As the day starts to end, the sun starts to set. The sun set is a breath taking view. The sun slowly moves down from the horizon, looking like a painting of red, orange and yellow erasing away.
Horses in kansas
This is my horse i call her ice cream because of her color shes white. So like vanilla ice cream or like snow itself its white. This is what kansas means to me horse racing. she is a race horse she has won 3 races in a row. There are many things to do in kansas but horse racing is the one thing that i enjoy. There is a track near my house there are races there every weekend. This isnt a professional track its just a place to go have fun but it has features of a professional track. There are lots of people that attend these events it gets really exciting. Kansas is a boring place not much happens here you have to create your own fun. The fun that i have is horse racing.
Home
Kansas can be whatever a person wants it to be. It could be the Sunflower State, or the wheat state. But to me Kansas is just known as home. I was born and raised in Wichita KS. It was just ironic that eleven of eighteen years were spent in one house. The first time i lived in that house i was just a baby. I can't remember it but we didn't stay long after I turned three. We soon moved back to the same exact apartment complex when I was ten years old. We soon moved just a mile away to Maple and Tyler in September of 2008. When I see the house without any of out things in it it's hard to think about actually living somewhere else. There are a lot of memories that I have from that house. Almost all of them are with the neighbors I watched move in, then helped move out. That was what most of the kids in that neighborhood did. They would move after only living there for a year or two. The year I turned twelve is the year everything changed. That year I got a next door neighbor named Casey, then Kyle, then Ryan, and last but not least Shane. We spent a year and a half doing nothing but play different sports, video games, and cards. Still to this day those four, my brother and I get together on a regular basis. We are the last ones to move, but I still find myself in that area from time to time. So I can honestly say no matter where I go it will always be home to me.
The keeper of the plains
When I think Wichita, Ks the first thing that comes to mind is the statue of the keeper of the plains. This sculpture is 44-foot tall not including the 30- foot promontory rock surrounded by four quadrants representing the elements of fire, water, air, and earth. The statue stands tall in between the big and little Arkansas rivers that join downtown wichita together. At night when the lights hit the statue and the five fire pits glow around the statue. It has such beauty like wichita, sure wichita doesn't have a beach with a sunset to stare off to or a mountain site with snow at the peak of it. Wichita itself has its own beauty sure some people think sunflowers and much open land but after visiting the site of the keeper of the plains that state of mind is sure to change. The statue to a visitor from an other state, city, or over seas is more memorable then a open field of crops. So when a single thought of wichita kansas crosses through that visitors mind the keeper of the plains represents wichita to that individual.
Warren Theatres
The Warren theatres are a great source of entertainment here in Kansas, their is not much to do here in our city, but everyone enjoys catching a movie on friday night. We have the best movie theatres I've seen so far. This is meaningful to me because I enjoy watching movies when they first come out, and this is the best way to watch them. The Warren has the biggest movie screens in Kansas. their is also a resturant and an arcade in the theare. When done with the movie, you can head across the street to go bowling or satisfy your hunger with fine dining resturants.
Kansas- Home
The picture was taken by Eric Nguyen in Kansas.
The picture representation for Kansas because in the picture the first thing you notice is the tornado. Tornado is something that's airn't happen a lot and everywhere. Tornado is one rare nature disaster that's only happen in Kansas, which a lot of people want to witness it. To some people they hate and affaid of it, but to some they like and want to it hit their houses. Because when they hit and destroy their houses, they will have insurance's money. The second things you will notice is the rainbow. You can see rainbow every where, every country, city, even rainbow is rare to see. But you only can see the rainbow over cross a tornado in Kansas. Kansas also got many calm, silence, or loud rain that's happen in morning and night. That's why Kansas is one farming city of many city in U.S. The last thing you will see is the house and the tree. Kansas is also a home, a place, a life for many people. Who doesn't want to have their own houses, but you can't build a house without a place to build it. The combination of the tornado, rainbow, houses, trees, the rains gave us one beautiful picture that's describe Kansas, but all of thing i describe there isn't all Kansas has. Kansas got many things that will turn your mind to it and make you want to settle in Kansas
Kansas State Flower
I still remembered on the first day that I just came to Kansas, the car went across the sunflower field which is so immense and beautiful. As I know, sunflower represents to Kansas. Kansas is the one of many top cities that grows sunflower. While the vibrant, strong sunflower is recognized worldwide for its beauty. It also has other names like Wild Native Sunflower or Kansas State Flower. The sunflower can adapt to dry, hot of Kansas summer. The sunflower in the picture spread out look like abowls of honey that attract to the swarm of bees, the birds like to enjoy the seed.It ia also an important source of food. Sunflower can be used to produce oil, which is the third important vegetables oil. Sunflower oil is also used as a replacement for diesel oil. As you can see in the picture, they grows in the large field and that is where Kansas come in. Sunflower embellishes Kansas more special. Kansas is my new home. That is why sunflower here seem like the sun to me. It is always there even far away. It gives me light and a new path from life. Sunflower is very useful to nature, the leaf of the sunflower is very big, which give shade for many insects. Before you enter into Kansas, you will see many road site that have the sunflower icon on it. It means you almost reach to Kansas. Besides, you will see many sunflowers growing along on both sides of the road.
What kansas means to me
Josh Brooks9-24-08
English
What Kansas means to when I think about it? When I think of Kansas I
think of farming. That might be kind of odd, but that is what I did a lot of
when growing up. The picture that I took is a picture of a tractor that is big
and red. I did farming when I was ten till I was a junior in high school so
when some talks about Kansas that is the first thing that I think of. Kansas is
the kind of place that you will see a tractor going down the road next to you.
That is the kind of thing that I haven’t seen much of like I have seen around
here. So when someone says farming I think of Kansas because of the way I
have grown up around all of the farming equipment. So my picture of a big
red tractor is some that Kansas does a lot of farming. There is a lot of things
that Kansas has a lot of corn fields and wheat fields, and that takes tractors
to farm and take care of. So that is why a picture of a tractor would
symbolize Kansas for me.
Wichita
When I think of Kansas I think of my family, open country, and lots of fishing. I also thing of my sister, and how we love horse back ridding. I have five kids and they have all been on a horse, the oldest one is now 8, and the youngest one is 2. There is not much to do in Wichita so my family, and I do lots of out door activities out of town. We go to the lake, do a lot of camping, and fishing. I love to hang out by the lake, and watch the kids explore. Kansas can be a very beautiful place, there is a lot of wildlife in the country, and a lot to explore. I also thing of wheat fields, and farming when I think of Kansas. It seems like everywhere you go you can always see at least one field of wheat, corn, or something to that instance. I think of Kansas as a flat land, and no hills. I also think of tornado's! There was a big tornado that took out the south side of Wichita in 1998. That is why I think of tornado's. I think of air plains of course, a lot of the good paying jobs are with malefactors of air plains, and air plain parts. I don't know what else to say about Wichita except it is cheep to live here, and a lot of open land. Wichita is an OK place to live, but it is not my first choice.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Student Union
As I sit in the down stairs lobby of the new student union, it appears to be very alive with detail and color. Inside, there are large potted plants in abundance. Some of the plants inside appear to be something you would see at the beach and others look like something you would see in the desert. The area where I am is carpeted. The carpet is full of detail. It is full of lines and circular patterns. It is full of colors. In particular, the orange and blue seem to stand out to me. Right next to my location, the floor is tile. There are large squares of white tiles, divided by thick bold edges of black tiles. There is a brick wall directly in front of me that looks like the work or skilled masons. The bottom half is sandstone colored brick, then above that is a red brick that is slightly smaller in size. The ceiling is made from perfectly square tiles. They appear to be approximately a foot and a half in size. When looking at them closer, I notice there are black dots randomly placed all over them. Overhead there are uniquely crafted lights that look like white lanterns that put off a rather pleasant glow. Also in the ceiling, are small circular lights. They appear to be dim until looking directly into them. A maid walks in and starts cleaning the lobby. She throws away a newspaper that was on a nearby couch. Then she starts dusting the tables and such. She walks over my way and greets me with a pleasant hello. I respond back to her accordingly. A large group of students walk by almost as in a uniform group walking one behind the other. The student union is full of noises. Right over my head is a television with the volume turned down low. It sounds a news station is on. There is a constant humming noise that if not listening carefully, could go without notice. It sounds like the air conditioning running. There is constantly someone talking. In the distance, I can here various conversations going on.
As I look out the large, recessed window to my right, the first thing I notice is the landscaping. It appears to be well planned out. The trees are evenly spaced, and of equivalent size. The smaller plants in between the trees seem to be perfectly spaced as well. There is a very wide walkway made of bricks. They are mainly of deep red colors, but some have more of a black look to them. The bricks are in perfect rows. Across the walk way is the Hayley center. Its unique layout is consistent through the whole realm that I can see it. There is a steady pace of people walking by both inside and out. It appears that almost everyone is talking on their phones. In the sky, clouds are increasingly become thicker and darker taking over the once beautiful blue sky.
Inside the Student Center, the temperature is comfortable. It is not too hot, but rather just a little too cold. The couch that I am sitting on has a very soft texture on the outside but it is very firm. All of the chairs and couches here have very interesting designs on them. The backs of them are all solid colors, but the remainder of the seat is a pattern full of circles, squares, triangles and various other shapes that catch my attention. The air smells of new things. I cannot detect the smell of molds or older objects. It all smells fresh and clean like a newly constructed building.
As I sit in the down stairs lobby of the new student union, it appears to be very alive with detail and color. Inside, there are large potted plants in abundance. Some of the plants inside appear to be something you would see at the beach and others look like something you would see in the desert. The area where I am is carpeted. The carpet is full of detail. It is full of lines and circular patterns. It is full of colors. In particular, the orange and blue seem to stand out to me. Right next to my location, the floor is tile. There are large squares of white tiles, divided by thick bold edges of black tiles. There is a brick wall directly in front of me that looks like the work or skilled masons. The bottom half is sandstone colored brick, then above that is a red brick that is slightly smaller in size. The ceiling is made from perfectly square tiles. They appear to be approximately a foot and a half in size. When looking at them closer, I notice there are black dots randomly placed all over them. Overhead there are uniquely crafted lights that look like white lanterns that put off a rather pleasant glow. Also in the ceiling, are small circular lights. They appear to be dim until looking directly into them. A maid walks in and starts cleaning the lobby. She throws away a newspaper that was on a nearby couch. Then she starts dusting the tables and such. She walks over my way and greets me with a pleasant hello. I respond back to her accordingly. A large group of students walk by almost as in a uniform group walking one behind the other. The student union is full of noises. Right over my head is a television with the volume turned down low. It sounds a news station is on. There is a constant humming noise that if not listening carefully, could go without notice. It sounds like the air conditioning running. There is constantly someone talking. In the distance, I can here various conversations going on.
As I look out the large, recessed window to my right, the first thing I notice is the landscaping. It appears to be well planned out. The trees are evenly spaced, and of equivalent size. The smaller plants in between the trees seem to be perfectly spaced as well. There is a very wide walkway made of bricks. They are mainly of deep red colors, but some have more of a black look to them. The bricks are in perfect rows. Across the walk way is the Hayley center. Its unique layout is consistent through the whole realm that I can see it. There is a steady pace of people walking by both inside and out. It appears that almost everyone is talking on their phones. In the sky, clouds are increasingly become thicker and darker taking over the once beautiful blue sky.
Inside the Student Center, the temperature is comfortable. It is not too hot, but rather just a little too cold. The couch that I am sitting on has a very soft texture on the outside but it is very firm. All of the chairs and couches here have very interesting designs on them. The backs of them are all solid colors, but the remainder of the seat is a pattern full of circles, squares, triangles and various other shapes that catch my attention. The air smells of new things. I cannot detect the smell of molds or older objects. It all smells fresh and clean like a newly constructed building.
B-Rad's Post
The Falls
As I emerge from the small footpath, I am greeted with the sound of hundreds of gallons of water careening over a dam. I look up to see that my ears do not lie. Although I can clearly see people swimming and horse playing on the opposite side of the lake, I can’t even hear them over the sound of the waterfall. Chewacla State Park is a small pocket of forest cut out of the urban area of Auburn. It has an averaged sized 2 acre pond and hundreds of winding hiking trails.
I snake my way downstream, jumping from rock to rock. The farther away from the falls I go, the cleaner the air smells, however, there is a fishy odor that still lingers. I finally arrive at an impressive formation about 15 feet wide, fairly flat, and only 50 yards from the waterfall. As I sit down, I immediately notice how soft the rock is. It’s surprisingly smooth; almost as if someone were to take a sander to a corral reef. I also notice that there are a few spots on this massive rock that have allowed shrubbery to grow as I hang my feet over the edge. I stare up into the sky and I am reminded of just how lucky I am to live in such a place. Although the park is surrounded on almost every side by a major roadway, I do not hear a car. Not the slightest noise; just the falls flowing by. The water even blocks out the loudest diesel trucks rumbling down I-85 not some 2 miles away.
When my back finally has had enough of the rock, I lean up and survey my surroundings. The river cuts its way through rocks, trees, and debris. Although the stream beside me is considerably smaller than the falls upstream, it overpowers the thundering waves. The rocks are continuously pounded, but yet they don’t budge an inch. At first glance, the water appears white, but as I look closer, it has an almost faded olive green color. On both sides of this miniature Grand Canyon are overgrown thickets and frilly, soft-looking moss. It’s almost like it was cut from the land long before the woods arrived. Willow moss hangs low off tree branches as if fishing from the branches themselves. The smell of mosquito repellent is still strong even after 30 minutes and my lips are still tingling and numb from the alcohol I just finished.
To my left is a pool that has gathered and looks to be deep enough to jump into. I no better though, for there is a large tree branch sticking out of it. My ears are constantly being filled with the sound of tiny wings as bugs past and around them. I look down and notice a small basketball-sized hole in the rock I’m sitting on. Over the years it has filled with soil and a small China Berry tree is now reaching toward the sky. The wind has a slight chill as it moves over my skin; as it should, for fall is approaching.
As it gets darker, the cloud of Gnats grows by the hundreds every minute. For some bizarre reason, they gather behind me as if to read my writings. I test them by turning my head to the right. They follow, staying behind me. I turn to the left, and again they follow. To my surprise, I see something move out of the corner of my eye. I look to the far right bank a focus in on a young female deer. This takes my breath away because I’m not 10 miles from the center of Auburn. The doe is accompanied by two smaller deer whom I suspect to be its offspring. They stay close to their mother as if connected to her hind legs. All three of them slip back into the thick brush when they finish quenching there thirst and it’s as if they were never there. I smile knowing that I am extremely blessed to have seen what I just witnessed. I am immediately and rudely awakened from my high by an annoying mosquito drilling into the back of my neck. Smashing it into my skin, I know that this is my cue to leave. The best part is I don’t have far to go.
As I emerge from the small footpath, I am greeted with the sound of hundreds of gallons of water careening over a dam. I look up to see that my ears do not lie. Although I can clearly see people swimming and horse playing on the opposite side of the lake, I can’t even hear them over the sound of the waterfall. Chewacla State Park is a small pocket of forest cut out of the urban area of Auburn. It has an averaged sized 2 acre pond and hundreds of winding hiking trails.
I snake my way downstream, jumping from rock to rock. The farther away from the falls I go, the cleaner the air smells, however, there is a fishy odor that still lingers. I finally arrive at an impressive formation about 15 feet wide, fairly flat, and only 50 yards from the waterfall. As I sit down, I immediately notice how soft the rock is. It’s surprisingly smooth; almost as if someone were to take a sander to a corral reef. I also notice that there are a few spots on this massive rock that have allowed shrubbery to grow as I hang my feet over the edge. I stare up into the sky and I am reminded of just how lucky I am to live in such a place. Although the park is surrounded on almost every side by a major roadway, I do not hear a car. Not the slightest noise; just the falls flowing by. The water even blocks out the loudest diesel trucks rumbling down I-85 not some 2 miles away.
When my back finally has had enough of the rock, I lean up and survey my surroundings. The river cuts its way through rocks, trees, and debris. Although the stream beside me is considerably smaller than the falls upstream, it overpowers the thundering waves. The rocks are continuously pounded, but yet they don’t budge an inch. At first glance, the water appears white, but as I look closer, it has an almost faded olive green color. On both sides of this miniature Grand Canyon are overgrown thickets and frilly, soft-looking moss. It’s almost like it was cut from the land long before the woods arrived. Willow moss hangs low off tree branches as if fishing from the branches themselves. The smell of mosquito repellent is still strong even after 30 minutes and my lips are still tingling and numb from the alcohol I just finished.
To my left is a pool that has gathered and looks to be deep enough to jump into. I no better though, for there is a large tree branch sticking out of it. My ears are constantly being filled with the sound of tiny wings as bugs past and around them. I look down and notice a small basketball-sized hole in the rock I’m sitting on. Over the years it has filled with soil and a small China Berry tree is now reaching toward the sky. The wind has a slight chill as it moves over my skin; as it should, for fall is approaching.
As it gets darker, the cloud of Gnats grows by the hundreds every minute. For some bizarre reason, they gather behind me as if to read my writings. I test them by turning my head to the right. They follow, staying behind me. I turn to the left, and again they follow. To my surprise, I see something move out of the corner of my eye. I look to the far right bank a focus in on a young female deer. This takes my breath away because I’m not 10 miles from the center of Auburn. The doe is accompanied by two smaller deer whom I suspect to be its offspring. They stay close to their mother as if connected to her hind legs. All three of them slip back into the thick brush when they finish quenching there thirst and it’s as if they were never there. I smile knowing that I am extremely blessed to have seen what I just witnessed. I am immediately and rudely awakened from my high by an annoying mosquito drilling into the back of my neck. Smashing it into my skin, I know that this is my cue to leave. The best part is I don’t have far to go.
Chewacla State Park
It’s a cloudy humid day; by looking around I can tell it has not rained in a few days at the Chewacla State Park in Auburn, Alabama. The trail to get here is ragged and has been walked on by many people for a long period of time. There is a nice breeze coming down of the top of the waterfall. The area is filled with evergreen trees. There is not much room for trees to grow. Its seems as if the trees just grew right threw the rocks. The sound of the waterfall is faint, as the downstream flow near me is much stronger. Every now and then the breeze will push a scent of fresh water and soil up my nose. The sun light is getting dim as it sets behind the towering trees to my left. All of the trees are riddled with moss. The river has cut a path through the massive jagged boulders. The path of the stream has cut through varies in size but for the most part it winds back and forth no wider than a foot between the converging boulders. The river flows right between two large hills that seem to be colluding. The rock formation is very old as its edges are smooth, glossy and have a black and dark red tint in color. Once sun begins to tuck behind the moss covered trees the mugginess begins to lift away and the air cools. The breeze is becoming must stronger as I can hear the leaves rustle over the strong current of the river. The strong river currents pretty loud as if I were to try to talk to someone next to me I would have to almost yell. The River is regrouping near me from the plunge down the waterfall. It becomes narrow and twisty. The flow of the river picks up pace as it heads down the steep decline. The rock that I am sitting on is obviously usually underwater as it sits just a couple inches from the water. The rock is extremely flat, smooth, and sandy. A layer of a green fluffy muck covers the rock on the lower half; it also coats the other low lying boulders. There is no vegetation as most of the taller rocks are covered in little vines and weeds. The breeze slowly shifts in the opposite direction; the wind is now coming from behind me. I notice the wind change as soon as it occurs, because an aroma from a group of dead minnows that got caught in a small puddle before the water level went down. The only hints of wildlife I have seen are the little pile of dead minnows, but the occasional recreational hiker passes by me. Out of the five people I have seen only one has not had to stop and catch their breath for the hike down the rugged trail. All five are very sweaty from the humidity and the hike.There is a lot of trash in the area and floating down the stream. Beer cans just seem to cruise down the violent streams as if they were a dinghy rafting down the river. Farther down the river a trash bag makes an artificial dam were a small collection of garbage is stopped. There is a shirt, sock, and beer cans caught up at the dam. Behind me the river seems to almost become a delta splitting fifty different ways. Each stream seems to have the quickest way to the lake down the hill. I hop around between the rocks that are separated by the little watercourses. Once I stand on top if the huge boulder in the middle of the rivers that split around it in so many paths. I see about sixty beer cans at the beginning of the lake. It looks like a collection place for a recycling facility. Half of the cans are faded by the sun and look very old. The other cans look brand new like they had just been drank out of twenty minutes before I got there. The boulder I’m moved to is larger than a normal size home. The rock is just sitting on top of a smaller rock. Although it is on top of such a small rock it is perfectly balanced. Just below the rock all the streams converge back into one stream. The flow of this one stream is dead and becomes a lake. The lake has an odd dark green look to it due to a thick film that sits on top of it. The film is on top of the water because of the motionlessness of the water.
Cambridge
Observing Cambridge
At the moment, I am sitting on a bench at the entrance of Cambridge at Auburn. This is where I live. To me, this is Auburn. Mainly because I visit this one particular building more times a day than any other building here at college, so when I think of Auburn, I think of Cambridge.
Directly over my head is a sort of awning. It is being held up by many stone pillars. There is another bench directly across from the one I am sitting on that is identical to mine. Unlike mine though it is unoccupied at the moment. The bench that I am sitting on is extremely uncomfortable and quite unsturdy. My bottom hurts very bad, I am sure that it will be very sore after 90 minutes of sitting.
After sitting here for not even one minute, I have already seen a fraternity pledge wearing a suit, a sorority girl wearing a rain jacket, and a girl carrying a large poster walk out of the building. They are all obviously residents. Another pledge walks past me not too much later. He is one of my pledge brothers, he is carrying a cooler on one arm and his date on the other. He is headed to the Braves game.
I can now hear the loud roars of the many trucks and transit buses that are driving by. They almost drown out the chirping of the birds nearby. I hear an airplane overhead also. It doesn’t sound like it’s very far away.
A cyclist just road up, said “let’s do this” to himself, and walked inside the dorms. I’m not very sure of his intentions. He is obviously not a resident. A few minutes later he walks back out. He is still talking to himself. I can’t quite make out what he is saying, but he is making me a little uncomfortable. Maybe this building is not the one he was looking for. I don’t know how he could’ve been mistaken, there is a huge sign out front that says Cambridge.
I just heard a strange noise, it isn’t stopping. It sounds as if some creature is scaling the building. Debris is falling to the ground. I look towards the noise but I see nothing, and the noise stops.
Loud bells just rang through the air. They sounded like the church bells nearby, but they could also have been the Samford Hall bells. They ring every few minutes, so I’m convinced that they are church bells. Today is Wednesday, so maybe church is in session.
The noise of the squeaky door opening and closing is starting to get on my nerves. I hear it at least five times a minute. The constant opening though brings the smell of food out. I’m not sure exactly what it is, but my guess is that Cambridge is preparing dinner. It smells like pork.
Looking around further, I notice that there are many trees around the entrance. It is actually very pretty. Out in the parking lot, I estimate that there are about fifty or so more trees, making the parking lot look a little prestigious. Through the trees, I can see the clock of Samford Hall. It reads 2:51.
The wind just picked up. It made the cool air a bit colder. It is bearable but it is a bit uncomfortable.
Another pledge just walked by. This one did not look very happy at all. He was smoking a cigarette and he grunted as he walked by. He’s obviously very stressed out.
The church bells ring again.
A man with half of a washing machine walks out of Cambridge. He is a repair man, and his nametag reads Wes.
Samford Hall is ringing. By the count of the bell, I can tell that it is now 3:00.
Many car horns are now honking nearby. There was obviously almost a wreck. I know that it was avoided however because I did not hear a crashing noise of any kind.
A FedEx truck pulled up. Its engine is producing a very loud roar, but the truck stops and the engine dies. I ask the FedEx man how he is doing, and he says that he is, “living the dream.”
There is now a strange chirping noise that I can hear nearby. It sounds like a mixture of a duck and a cicada bug. I’m not really sure what it is, but it must be some kind of weird bird.
More church bells are ringing, and now Samford Hall is ringing again. It is 4:00. I think that it is time for me to leave.
At the moment, I am sitting on a bench at the entrance of Cambridge at Auburn. This is where I live. To me, this is Auburn. Mainly because I visit this one particular building more times a day than any other building here at college, so when I think of Auburn, I think of Cambridge.
Directly over my head is a sort of awning. It is being held up by many stone pillars. There is another bench directly across from the one I am sitting on that is identical to mine. Unlike mine though it is unoccupied at the moment. The bench that I am sitting on is extremely uncomfortable and quite unsturdy. My bottom hurts very bad, I am sure that it will be very sore after 90 minutes of sitting.
After sitting here for not even one minute, I have already seen a fraternity pledge wearing a suit, a sorority girl wearing a rain jacket, and a girl carrying a large poster walk out of the building. They are all obviously residents. Another pledge walks past me not too much later. He is one of my pledge brothers, he is carrying a cooler on one arm and his date on the other. He is headed to the Braves game.
I can now hear the loud roars of the many trucks and transit buses that are driving by. They almost drown out the chirping of the birds nearby. I hear an airplane overhead also. It doesn’t sound like it’s very far away.
A cyclist just road up, said “let’s do this” to himself, and walked inside the dorms. I’m not very sure of his intentions. He is obviously not a resident. A few minutes later he walks back out. He is still talking to himself. I can’t quite make out what he is saying, but he is making me a little uncomfortable. Maybe this building is not the one he was looking for. I don’t know how he could’ve been mistaken, there is a huge sign out front that says Cambridge.
I just heard a strange noise, it isn’t stopping. It sounds as if some creature is scaling the building. Debris is falling to the ground. I look towards the noise but I see nothing, and the noise stops.
Loud bells just rang through the air. They sounded like the church bells nearby, but they could also have been the Samford Hall bells. They ring every few minutes, so I’m convinced that they are church bells. Today is Wednesday, so maybe church is in session.
The noise of the squeaky door opening and closing is starting to get on my nerves. I hear it at least five times a minute. The constant opening though brings the smell of food out. I’m not sure exactly what it is, but my guess is that Cambridge is preparing dinner. It smells like pork.
Looking around further, I notice that there are many trees around the entrance. It is actually very pretty. Out in the parking lot, I estimate that there are about fifty or so more trees, making the parking lot look a little prestigious. Through the trees, I can see the clock of Samford Hall. It reads 2:51.
The wind just picked up. It made the cool air a bit colder. It is bearable but it is a bit uncomfortable.
Another pledge just walked by. This one did not look very happy at all. He was smoking a cigarette and he grunted as he walked by. He’s obviously very stressed out.
The church bells ring again.
A man with half of a washing machine walks out of Cambridge. He is a repair man, and his nametag reads Wes.
Samford Hall is ringing. By the count of the bell, I can tell that it is now 3:00.
Many car horns are now honking nearby. There was obviously almost a wreck. I know that it was avoided however because I did not hear a crashing noise of any kind.
A FedEx truck pulled up. Its engine is producing a very loud roar, but the truck stops and the engine dies. I ask the FedEx man how he is doing, and he says that he is, “living the dream.”
There is now a strange chirping noise that I can hear nearby. It sounds like a mixture of a duck and a cicada bug. I’m not really sure what it is, but it must be some kind of weird bird.
More church bells are ringing, and now Samford Hall is ringing again. It is 4:00. I think that it is time for me to leave.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Jail Cell
Taylor Beach
Professor Holtzmeister
English 1100
19 September 2008
I sit here, in the foyer of the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity house, doing school work. Of all places I am here because I need to be for pledge-ship. Yes, I am a pledge at Phi Tau and it is hard work.
There are two tables lined up in the shape of an “L.” And these are not the nice wooden tables that fraternities pull out the big bucks for; these are the cheap tables-pledge tables-made of plastic with fold out legs, the kind that people usually cover up with a table cloth or something to hide its true identity. They both are sticky with only God knows what. Probably the Hardees burger that one of my pledge-brothers, Will, is eating, or any of the other take-out or fast food places that all twenty-two of the pledges eat for lunch or dinner. Of maybe is is caked on beer from the beerpong and flip cup games that took place last night.
At first it was just Will and myself, but seeing as it is getting to be the afternoon, pledges keep coming through the tall double doors leading to the front room-the room where all the brothers get to hang out and watch television-in handfuls, all coming from the Tiger Transit stop on the corner. Some come in with Chick-fil-a or sushi that was bought in the New Student Center. They also come into the room clutching a metal fold out chair, which are all also sticky when you sit down in your nice khaki pants that are part of the pledge-ship uniform. Sticky with perhaps beer, but the chairs are put up at night in a rack, but still I cant help but wonder, along with everybody else, what keeps you from sliding around in the “supposed-to-be-slick” metal chairs. Another rule of pledge-ship is no sitting on anything comfortable; hence the reason for the metal chairs. But the sofas and leather chairs spread throughout the foyer and front room tease all of our eyes and butt cheeks. The dark leather and patterns distract our eyes from the work at hand that needs to be done, but the smooth feel makes us all want to be brothers even more.
There is a cleaning bottle sitting on one of the tables. It's a clear bottle without a label, filled with some yellow liquid. Pledges have to clean everything; the bathrooms, the windows the floors, and I am assuming that mysterious liquid is used for one of them. It was probably left out this morning from cleaning up after last night.
By this point all but a couple pledge brothers are in the foyer. Some are doing work but most are either walking around or hovered over a computer on Youtube or Facebook. Kyler, a pledge brother sitting just to my left, is watching motocross video after motocross video. With his right leg folded up onto his left, he is talking to Chase, another pledge brother sitting across the table from Kyler. It is funny because Chase has a completely clueless facial expression and obviously has no idea what Kyler is talking about. The tall double doors open and for a split second a breath of fresh air leaks in, along with a brother anxious for a ride to Wall Mart. Anxious to make their lives a little bit easier in the upcoming weeks, the four brothers jump out of their chair and offer a ride.
Everybody switches from Youtube to a “Music Library Challenge”-a major event between guys and their music. Everybody is huddled around people with laptops, their volume turned up all the way, taking turns playing either the sappiest, manliest, coolest, chillest, or funniest song. Sam, another pledge brother, is on his computer but somebody has taken the mouse to his computer. I don't know why but for some reason everybody is laughing so hard they are almost falling over or out of their chair, including me. All Sam ever says is “Dude! Who's got the mouse!?” It keeps going on for a while, and some of the brothers hear the commotion and come in to see what is going on. They laugh so hard that they even join in. Worth, another pledge brother that has the mouse under his forearm, quits moving the mouse when the brothers get on the computer and mess around, proving to Sam that the computer does work. It's not that Sam does not know what is going on, he knows what is going on, it's just the way he reacts and says things that makes everybody laugh.
All of the pledge brothers have cleared out and have started setting up for Chapter, a meeting that the fraternity has every week with all of the brothers. I am the only one still in the foyer, and it is actually quit and enjoyable; peaceful almost, except for the ruckus coming from the front room. The pledges are not included in the chapter meeting since we are not really considered brothers, so we are all going to go to Moe's Grille and eat dinner, then come back and clean up.
Professor Holtzmeister
English 1100
19 September 2008
I sit here, in the foyer of the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity house, doing school work. Of all places I am here because I need to be for pledge-ship. Yes, I am a pledge at Phi Tau and it is hard work.
There are two tables lined up in the shape of an “L.” And these are not the nice wooden tables that fraternities pull out the big bucks for; these are the cheap tables-pledge tables-made of plastic with fold out legs, the kind that people usually cover up with a table cloth or something to hide its true identity. They both are sticky with only God knows what. Probably the Hardees burger that one of my pledge-brothers, Will, is eating, or any of the other take-out or fast food places that all twenty-two of the pledges eat for lunch or dinner. Of maybe is is caked on beer from the beerpong and flip cup games that took place last night.
At first it was just Will and myself, but seeing as it is getting to be the afternoon, pledges keep coming through the tall double doors leading to the front room-the room where all the brothers get to hang out and watch television-in handfuls, all coming from the Tiger Transit stop on the corner. Some come in with Chick-fil-a or sushi that was bought in the New Student Center. They also come into the room clutching a metal fold out chair, which are all also sticky when you sit down in your nice khaki pants that are part of the pledge-ship uniform. Sticky with perhaps beer, but the chairs are put up at night in a rack, but still I cant help but wonder, along with everybody else, what keeps you from sliding around in the “supposed-to-be-slick” metal chairs. Another rule of pledge-ship is no sitting on anything comfortable; hence the reason for the metal chairs. But the sofas and leather chairs spread throughout the foyer and front room tease all of our eyes and butt cheeks. The dark leather and patterns distract our eyes from the work at hand that needs to be done, but the smooth feel makes us all want to be brothers even more.
There is a cleaning bottle sitting on one of the tables. It's a clear bottle without a label, filled with some yellow liquid. Pledges have to clean everything; the bathrooms, the windows the floors, and I am assuming that mysterious liquid is used for one of them. It was probably left out this morning from cleaning up after last night.
By this point all but a couple pledge brothers are in the foyer. Some are doing work but most are either walking around or hovered over a computer on Youtube or Facebook. Kyler, a pledge brother sitting just to my left, is watching motocross video after motocross video. With his right leg folded up onto his left, he is talking to Chase, another pledge brother sitting across the table from Kyler. It is funny because Chase has a completely clueless facial expression and obviously has no idea what Kyler is talking about. The tall double doors open and for a split second a breath of fresh air leaks in, along with a brother anxious for a ride to Wall Mart. Anxious to make their lives a little bit easier in the upcoming weeks, the four brothers jump out of their chair and offer a ride.
Everybody switches from Youtube to a “Music Library Challenge”-a major event between guys and their music. Everybody is huddled around people with laptops, their volume turned up all the way, taking turns playing either the sappiest, manliest, coolest, chillest, or funniest song. Sam, another pledge brother, is on his computer but somebody has taken the mouse to his computer. I don't know why but for some reason everybody is laughing so hard they are almost falling over or out of their chair, including me. All Sam ever says is “Dude! Who's got the mouse!?” It keeps going on for a while, and some of the brothers hear the commotion and come in to see what is going on. They laugh so hard that they even join in. Worth, another pledge brother that has the mouse under his forearm, quits moving the mouse when the brothers get on the computer and mess around, proving to Sam that the computer does work. It's not that Sam does not know what is going on, he knows what is going on, it's just the way he reacts and says things that makes everybody laugh.
All of the pledge brothers have cleared out and have started setting up for Chapter, a meeting that the fraternity has every week with all of the brothers. I am the only one still in the foyer, and it is actually quit and enjoyable; peaceful almost, except for the ruckus coming from the front room. The pledges are not included in the chapter meeting since we are not really considered brothers, so we are all going to go to Moe's Grille and eat dinner, then come back and clean up.
The Forgotten Place
Eryn Vincent
Professor Holzmeister
ENG 1100
19 September 2008
The Forgotten Place
Everyday when I walk outside of my apartment to begin my daily activities, I see this old abandon fraternity house. I often wonder to myself how that building that I’m sure used to be full of life and energy, got to be in the shape it is now. All of the buildings in this area are very attractive with freshly cut lawns and painted facades, but this one is almost falling apart. With the rough cold concrete rubbing my bare legs and the hard brick wall as my back rest, I now sit here beside my front door, just staring at this place.
The old house is pretty large in size, like most of the newer fraternity homes up and down the same street, but now the bricks are decaying making it very unappealing. The lower part of the home is one-story, where I believe the old occupants had their congregation area, and a small set of stairs leads to the further part of the house which is two-stories tall. The windows are no longer in tact allowing any creatures to explore the remains of this broken down place. Through those holes in the walls where the windows used to be, I can see antique furniture still remaining from the previous residents. This furniture looks like it was very stylish back in its day, but now all the chairs and sofas are ripped apart with their stuffing protruding out of the material. The shrubs and bushes on the outside have begun to take over the forgotten lot. They now grow freely all over the entire house. Vines and weeds are creeping their way up the sides of the remaining walls and even the roof. Besides the weeds hanging over the edge of the covering of the home, there are also black stains lining the white trim that circles the top of the structure. I’m not exactly sure if it’s mold or the scars from a previous fire, but whatever it is, it has been there for a long while. There is graffiti of all different colors that has been painted on many of the doors and sides of the building by younger people expressing their thoughts. I can see the white walls on the inside have also been covered with the paint, and some of the doors have been taken down from their hinges.
There is a parking lot right behind this depleting structure, and I’m seeing many cars come and go throughout the time I’m sitting here observing. No matter how many people come to the parking lot, even if they park their car, no one ever enters that building. They just keep walking by without even glancing its way. Most of the people coming are fraternity boys parking their cars just to walk across the street to join their friends at the newer frat house that is actually occupied by numerous people. I can smell the smoke from their cigarettes as they pass by, and I watch as they flick the butts of them towards the old home when they are finished without a care. There are beer cans and fast food wrappers beginning to pile up in the parking lot and the untamed grass growing around the lot. I watch as one childish drunken boy throws his solo cup across the beaten up cement at one of his friends, and then turns around to walk toward to excitement on the opposite side of the road and doesn’t think twice about picking it up. These people do not seem worried about trashing the space, because it is already so junky. I hear laughter and music, but it all come from across the street. The run-down house is completely empty and silent. The silence of this old place is very strange, because there is commotion going on all around it and yet it remains standing alone. I wonder what will happen to this place in the future. Will it remain for people to abuse and use as they please, or will it one day be entirely destroyed, just to be replaced with another more elaborate structure?
Professor Holzmeister
ENG 1100
19 September 2008
The Forgotten Place
Everyday when I walk outside of my apartment to begin my daily activities, I see this old abandon fraternity house. I often wonder to myself how that building that I’m sure used to be full of life and energy, got to be in the shape it is now. All of the buildings in this area are very attractive with freshly cut lawns and painted facades, but this one is almost falling apart. With the rough cold concrete rubbing my bare legs and the hard brick wall as my back rest, I now sit here beside my front door, just staring at this place.
The old house is pretty large in size, like most of the newer fraternity homes up and down the same street, but now the bricks are decaying making it very unappealing. The lower part of the home is one-story, where I believe the old occupants had their congregation area, and a small set of stairs leads to the further part of the house which is two-stories tall. The windows are no longer in tact allowing any creatures to explore the remains of this broken down place. Through those holes in the walls where the windows used to be, I can see antique furniture still remaining from the previous residents. This furniture looks like it was very stylish back in its day, but now all the chairs and sofas are ripped apart with their stuffing protruding out of the material. The shrubs and bushes on the outside have begun to take over the forgotten lot. They now grow freely all over the entire house. Vines and weeds are creeping their way up the sides of the remaining walls and even the roof. Besides the weeds hanging over the edge of the covering of the home, there are also black stains lining the white trim that circles the top of the structure. I’m not exactly sure if it’s mold or the scars from a previous fire, but whatever it is, it has been there for a long while. There is graffiti of all different colors that has been painted on many of the doors and sides of the building by younger people expressing their thoughts. I can see the white walls on the inside have also been covered with the paint, and some of the doors have been taken down from their hinges.
There is a parking lot right behind this depleting structure, and I’m seeing many cars come and go throughout the time I’m sitting here observing. No matter how many people come to the parking lot, even if they park their car, no one ever enters that building. They just keep walking by without even glancing its way. Most of the people coming are fraternity boys parking their cars just to walk across the street to join their friends at the newer frat house that is actually occupied by numerous people. I can smell the smoke from their cigarettes as they pass by, and I watch as they flick the butts of them towards the old home when they are finished without a care. There are beer cans and fast food wrappers beginning to pile up in the parking lot and the untamed grass growing around the lot. I watch as one childish drunken boy throws his solo cup across the beaten up cement at one of his friends, and then turns around to walk toward to excitement on the opposite side of the road and doesn’t think twice about picking it up. These people do not seem worried about trashing the space, because it is already so junky. I hear laughter and music, but it all come from across the street. The run-down house is completely empty and silent. The silence of this old place is very strange, because there is commotion going on all around it and yet it remains standing alone. I wonder what will happen to this place in the future. Will it remain for people to abuse and use as they please, or will it one day be entirely destroyed, just to be replaced with another more elaborate structure?
Joe McDonald
Holtizmeister
English 1100
9/19/08
Beach Observation
I went to the beech for my observational study. It was Kiewah Island beech in South Carolina. I was there on Saturday September 13, 2008. The time was one o’clock when I started with the hot sun right over head. The wind was calm with a light breeze coming from the northwest. The weather was beautiful. The sand was white with a hint of light brown to it. It was not like the white sand like the Caribbean though. I was sitting in a beach chair as I observed. People walked past me, kicking up sand in the breeze as they passed by. The air had a salty smell to it. It was right off the ocean. The waves were breaking right on the beach. The water was a little choppy but it was not too bad. The sound the ocean made was rhythmic and was relaxing. There were little kids playing in the sand. It was fun watching them play and make sandcastles. It reminded me of when I was little and would play in the sand at the beach. I watched them for quiet awhile as they giggled and played on the beach. They buried a kid in the sand. Some people were trying to fly kites but since the breeze was not that strong they were not very successful. There were a couple of people skin boarding. It looked like they were enjoying themselves. The designs on the boards were interesting looking. They had different colored patterns and shapes. One kid whipped out pretty bad. He landed on his back. It looked like it hurt, but he kept skin boarding. The beach was pretty crowded since it was a Saturday in South Carolina. The weather was awesome and very enjoyable to be out in. There was a game of Frisbee going on the beach. It looked like they were having a good time playing. The Frisbee was orange. There were also some people playing soccer. It was not very organized but they had some type of game going. The ball was white with some color design on it. People were eating a picnic about ten yards away from me. I could hear the crisp, new bag of potato chips being opened. I caught a whiff of the sandwiches that they were eating. It smelled delicious. I also heard the cans of soda being opened. I started to get board after awhile. I ran my hands through the sand. It felt so smooth. The sound of the waves crashing on the beach was relaxing. I started to watch the horizon line. While looking out on the ocean I saw two bottle nosed dolphins come surface for air. They went through the water very smoothly. They surfaced a couple of times. The sea turtles were in season, so you could see the nesting spots. We did not see any sea turtles though. There was a fishing boat probably about two miles off of the coast. Its nets were down and they were fishing. I went down to the water and went into the water to my knees. It was probably eighty degrees. Once I got out of the water, I looked down and noticed the sea shells that were being washed up onto the shore. They were in all shapes and sizes. Some were big and some were small. I collected some of them and left the others for the ocean. Then I went back to my chair and continued to observe. I looked up into the sky and saw some seagulls flying in the wind. It was neat to see them flying in one spot. It was almost like it was effortless for the birds to just float there in the air. There were people lying out in the sun. While I was there I noticed that they were being to burn. By the time I was leaving they were burnt really bad. I guess they did not put any sun screen on. It was really relaxing sitting on the beach. It is amazing how much stuff you see going on when you sit back and watch to observe.
Holtizmeister
English 1100
9/19/08
Beach Observation
I went to the beech for my observational study. It was Kiewah Island beech in South Carolina. I was there on Saturday September 13, 2008. The time was one o’clock when I started with the hot sun right over head. The wind was calm with a light breeze coming from the northwest. The weather was beautiful. The sand was white with a hint of light brown to it. It was not like the white sand like the Caribbean though. I was sitting in a beach chair as I observed. People walked past me, kicking up sand in the breeze as they passed by. The air had a salty smell to it. It was right off the ocean. The waves were breaking right on the beach. The water was a little choppy but it was not too bad. The sound the ocean made was rhythmic and was relaxing. There were little kids playing in the sand. It was fun watching them play and make sandcastles. It reminded me of when I was little and would play in the sand at the beach. I watched them for quiet awhile as they giggled and played on the beach. They buried a kid in the sand. Some people were trying to fly kites but since the breeze was not that strong they were not very successful. There were a couple of people skin boarding. It looked like they were enjoying themselves. The designs on the boards were interesting looking. They had different colored patterns and shapes. One kid whipped out pretty bad. He landed on his back. It looked like it hurt, but he kept skin boarding. The beach was pretty crowded since it was a Saturday in South Carolina. The weather was awesome and very enjoyable to be out in. There was a game of Frisbee going on the beach. It looked like they were having a good time playing. The Frisbee was orange. There were also some people playing soccer. It was not very organized but they had some type of game going. The ball was white with some color design on it. People were eating a picnic about ten yards away from me. I could hear the crisp, new bag of potato chips being opened. I caught a whiff of the sandwiches that they were eating. It smelled delicious. I also heard the cans of soda being opened. I started to get board after awhile. I ran my hands through the sand. It felt so smooth. The sound of the waves crashing on the beach was relaxing. I started to watch the horizon line. While looking out on the ocean I saw two bottle nosed dolphins come surface for air. They went through the water very smoothly. They surfaced a couple of times. The sea turtles were in season, so you could see the nesting spots. We did not see any sea turtles though. There was a fishing boat probably about two miles off of the coast. Its nets were down and they were fishing. I went down to the water and went into the water to my knees. It was probably eighty degrees. Once I got out of the water, I looked down and noticed the sea shells that were being washed up onto the shore. They were in all shapes and sizes. Some were big and some were small. I collected some of them and left the others for the ocean. Then I went back to my chair and continued to observe. I looked up into the sky and saw some seagulls flying in the wind. It was neat to see them flying in one spot. It was almost like it was effortless for the birds to just float there in the air. There were people lying out in the sun. While I was there I noticed that they were being to burn. By the time I was leaving they were burnt really bad. I guess they did not put any sun screen on. It was really relaxing sitting on the beach. It is amazing how much stuff you see going on when you sit back and watch to observe.
observation
19 September 2008
Observation
Observing in the new student center on Auburn University’s campus, there are many things that catch my attention. The big, heavy glass doors open and close, open and close. The man is staring, watching each girl walk by. He is wearing a white jacket and boots. He approaches the ladies and asks them if they have seen a little girl about three. He then went into the stairwell. The chairs are orange. They are high like bar stools. There are also stuffed arm-chairs that many students sit in to ready or to study. The tables are shaped like a circle. They are plastic. The exit signs are glowing orange. There are very modern-looking lights along the brick wall. They are about two feet tall and glow brightly. There are other dining tables that are round-shaped as well. These can fit about four or five people around them. As some African- American young men sit around the table, they tell jokes and laugh. There is a Bravo Croton plant directly behind them. From my point of view I can see seven exit signs. There is a man mopping the dirty floor. He is wearing black pants and a black and white shirt with a nametag. He has gray hair and appears to be fairly old. He just arrived and he is not happy because he does not like mopping. I can tell by his grumpy attitude. There is this old woman sitting about fifty yards away from me. On the silver doors are these doorknobs. They are the kinds that have levers. The hinges are also silver with a scratchy look. The receptionist answers the many phone calls. Unlike some receptionists I have encountered, she seems very pleasant to talk to on the phone. One of the callers was wanting to know when The Student Union closed for the night. The receptionist told her and got off the phone in a very nice manner. She has on a red button down. It appears to be corduroy. She has a nametag on that says, “Hello my name is LaTosha.” She was very short, about five feet tall. She has brown heels that make loud noises when they stomp against the floor. I think that LaTosha has talent because I know that I could never walk in those heels. The walls are white with green trim. There are a lot of coming and going. They are talking and carrying on. They are eating chick-fil-a chicken, Mama Leone’s pizza, and most of them are drinking a drink (probably something caffeinated so that they can stay awake and alert in class). They are enjoying their meals. There is an old “Aubie” uniform in a glass case. It is in the lobby, near the reception desk. I begin to imagine where that uniform has been and think of all the great games that it attended. It looks quite different than the uniform “Aubie” wears now. It is more of a brown color than a bright orange and there are many more stripes. There is a set of double doors that one would use if she or he wanted to go to the next room. These doors led to the stair well. We are o the second floor. There is loud commotion due to the restaurants near. My group is in study hall and they are in the room to my left. Inside there are around forty people. The atmosphere smells unique. It is a mixture of a fresh coat of paint and greasy foods. The tables are covered in crumbs and many have the remains of a spilled drink on them. Underneath several of the tables, there are dirty crinkled up napkins. A trashcan near by is overflowing. It seems the student union has been very busy throughout the day. One can hear the loud noises of the machinery just outside the windows. From what I can see, there is still a lot of construction work to be done. There are many workers, some wearing hard hats, others not. The machines cause dust to cover the outside of the windows. As I look out at the construction work, I notice groups of people eating and talking at tables outside. I also see a couple of people smoking along the railing outside, some making small talk, others listening to music. The student union is a very busy place and there never seems to be a dull moment.
Thomasville
I am sitting on a black, metal bench in downtown Thomasville, Georgia. It is a warm afternoon with a little breeze. Beside me I see a tall, beautiful tree and around the base of the tree are little red flowers. Enclosing the area of the tree and flowers is a small fence about an inch tall. There is also a life like statue of a black dog lying down. As I touch the statue, I can feel the intricate details of the face. Towards the end of the sidewalk, there is a tall and skinny black light pole with a round globe at the top. As I look down the road, trees line all of Broad Street. These trees shade all of the cars and sidewalks. At the corners of Jackson Street and Broad Street, there are urns with many different types of plants in it. I can also see many yellows bows tied around trees, light poles and the benches reminding me of the soldiers who are fighting in the war. Behind me are many parked vehicles, and even more vehicles driving through downtown. I can hear the tires on the cars as they roll over the uneven bricks on Broad Street. Looking at the bricks, I can tell they have there since the early 1900’s. They are worn and broken from all the carriages and automobiles that have gone over them through the years. They have been there so long that grass is even starting to grow between the bricks. Sitting on the bench, I hear the Courthouse clock chime. I look towards the big, white courthouse and I see men in suits walking towards their cars with briefcases in their hands. The courthouse looks very old, but has very detailed architecture. The Courthouse takes up a whole block and has a beautiful fountain out front. There are two flights of stairs going up to the front door. It appears to be recently painted, and looks gorgeous. The architecture of the storefronts is Victorian style with lots of trim work. Most of the trim looks to either be made of stone or wood. One of the storefronts is made out of white and gray marble. The buildings appear to be in excellent shape for their age, looking to have only been remodeled a few times, trying to keep the look of the early 1900’s.
Downtown Thomasville is crowded with people today. Everywhere I look, I can see lots of people walking around and shopping. Women are going into Thomas Drug Store to get prescriptions filled while men are going into Kevin’s sporting goods to get hunting supplies. The children are pulling their parents into Shapes and More to play with all of the toys or going to Izzo’s Ice Cream Parlor to get ice cream. As I look back to the right, I see a group of four teenagers walking down the street to the Billiard Academy to get a famous poolroom hotdog, the best in Thomasville. The Billiard Academy is a bright orange building with a green canopy. There is a window for ordering and the teenagers have to wait in a long time to get their food. After the teenagers get their hotdogs, they sit down on a round cement table outside of the building to eat their food. The smell of the wonderful hotdogs is beginning to fill the air. I hear the train blow its horn as it approaches the intersection on Broad Street. The railroad warning bell rings and the lights flash to warn drivers of the train approaching. The whistle blows again and I can hear the metal as the train passes the rails and the creaking of the boxcars as they rock from side to side.
The Business Exchange building is a five-story brick building. On the fifth floor, there are Palladian windows. The front door has massive 9-foot double doors made of solid oak with six feet of glass in each door. Next to the Business Exchange building I can see four workers painting the luxury apartments that are being built above Trolly’s, Loli’s, and Savannah Moon. The apartments are made with brown bricks with bright white trim that shows a lot of detail of the building. There is a terrace at the top of the apartments that people can walk onto to get a bird’s eye view of Thomasville. A yellow lift is alongside the building for the workers to be elevated up to the third floor. I can smell freshly baked bread from Flower’s bakery down the street. The smell of bread is so strong; it is like the bread is right in front of me. As I sit here, I can’t help but think of all the times I have been downtown Thomasville and never noticed how beautiful and historic this town is.
Observation Analysis
As I sit here on Peachtree Industrial in the tall and itchy grass, I keep catching myself staring off into the gorgeous sky high trees with the baby blue sky in the background. Four-wheeler engines keep coming closer, and then quickly fade away. A couple seconds later I taste the gritty and dry red dirt crunch in my mouth, and it does not taste, sound, or feel good. At the same time, I find myself constantly scratching the sides of my leg. Little knats and random pesty bugs keep crawling on me. My legs are totally covered with red scratch marks and now they are sore, which is just great. The happiness I get from seeing the most adorable father and son out in the distance makes up for my uncomfortableness. The dad of the young boy was coaching him how to ride a four-wheeler even though the little tike was doing pretty darn well on his own. At least he was better than I would be. This reminds me of times when my dad used to teach me how to ride my pink bike.
As I am watching, some dirt from the eight year old’s wheel blows over to me within seconds and gets in my eyes. It hurts and my eyes tear but when I clear my eyes, there is all of the sudden a mountain biker, drenched with sweat from riding up and down all of the hills, flying right towards me. I kind of lean over as if he is going to run into me but he oviously passed several feet away from me. He was polite and said excuse me then disappeared.
I stare back at the father and son, now joined by the mother and even smaller son who bounced out of the black excursion SUV. He pounces on a little battery charged four-wheeler and takes off, trying to match up with his big brother. It is so adorable and I cannot stop giggling to myself about it.
I get a whiff of exhaust which burns my nose for a few seconds then goes away. There is faint whispering of the music from the unseen crickets nearby and far away. This is the only sound I hear. Wind brushes by my ears and I all of the sudden become drowned in a feeling of relaxation. The yellow butterfly zigzagging is the only figure I can focus on with its bright color against the dirty trails. The trails go up and down, left and right. Starting off into the distance through the run rays, I see muddy trails getting smaller, shrinking as my eye leads back and back. The electrical wires seem so tiny, but I look to the left of me and see how enormous they actually are.
As I sit, now glistening in sweat, in these tall weeds, I start reminiscing a few summers back before my brother, Stephen, went off to college. We drove around here all of the time in his best friend’s lifted trucks which were solid black or cherry red, had big wheels, and a sound system that just about blew my ear drums out. The boys always blasted their rap and country music as loud as possible.
I keep dazing off into those thoughts and my eyes slowly follow one of the muddy trails, eventually running across a good sized pile of newly fallen or cut town tree logs. Some of them look burned, probably because last night a couple teenagers of boys and girls came out and partied. I looked a few feet behind me and there was a Dos Equis beer bottle, followed by a Mountain Dew soda can. But in the South, this is what teenagers do. We come out late in the night any chance we get with our best buds and sit out in the breezy nights with our trucks, bonfires lit, and music blaring. This was the most awesome feeling in the world.
I tune back into the dad cheering his young boy on and smile again. A honk on the highway caught me off guard and my heart jumped a little since the only sound I am hearing before was the faint music of the crickets. Wind passes again and makes a deep sound in my ear, as if someone purposely blew in my ear to annoy me.
I stand up since by bottom is getting sore and walk forward some steps. The rocks and gravel are so big that I feel them through my warn in flip flops. Now my feet hurt, great. The beautiful scene takes over my small pain though. Now that I am standing I can better see the dainty pale yellow flowers. I cannot tell what kind of flower, but they are so peaceful looking. The purple flowers catch my eye with the soft lavender that sticks out along with the yellow, and trace me back to those trails that go on for miles.
As the family starts to load their SUV up with the four-wheeler on the trailer, I decide I should probably leave as well since I do not want to stay there alone. Sitting here so long helps me reminisce the old days, especially seeing the truck tire trails and blackened wood from bonfires.
As I turn, I take one last glance at the Peachtree Industrial trails and my eyes follow the trails back and back until it disappears. The beauty of the rough and red trails, thick and wet mud, and the green, yellow and purple life amazes me once again. I turn to my right and push off of a rock about a foot high to get up the smaller hill to my car. I close my eyes to imprint the image of Peachtree Industrial in my head and drive away without looking back.
As I am watching, some dirt from the eight year old’s wheel blows over to me within seconds and gets in my eyes. It hurts and my eyes tear but when I clear my eyes, there is all of the sudden a mountain biker, drenched with sweat from riding up and down all of the hills, flying right towards me. I kind of lean over as if he is going to run into me but he oviously passed several feet away from me. He was polite and said excuse me then disappeared.
I stare back at the father and son, now joined by the mother and even smaller son who bounced out of the black excursion SUV. He pounces on a little battery charged four-wheeler and takes off, trying to match up with his big brother. It is so adorable and I cannot stop giggling to myself about it.
I get a whiff of exhaust which burns my nose for a few seconds then goes away. There is faint whispering of the music from the unseen crickets nearby and far away. This is the only sound I hear. Wind brushes by my ears and I all of the sudden become drowned in a feeling of relaxation. The yellow butterfly zigzagging is the only figure I can focus on with its bright color against the dirty trails. The trails go up and down, left and right. Starting off into the distance through the run rays, I see muddy trails getting smaller, shrinking as my eye leads back and back. The electrical wires seem so tiny, but I look to the left of me and see how enormous they actually are.
As I sit, now glistening in sweat, in these tall weeds, I start reminiscing a few summers back before my brother, Stephen, went off to college. We drove around here all of the time in his best friend’s lifted trucks which were solid black or cherry red, had big wheels, and a sound system that just about blew my ear drums out. The boys always blasted their rap and country music as loud as possible.
I keep dazing off into those thoughts and my eyes slowly follow one of the muddy trails, eventually running across a good sized pile of newly fallen or cut town tree logs. Some of them look burned, probably because last night a couple teenagers of boys and girls came out and partied. I looked a few feet behind me and there was a Dos Equis beer bottle, followed by a Mountain Dew soda can. But in the South, this is what teenagers do. We come out late in the night any chance we get with our best buds and sit out in the breezy nights with our trucks, bonfires lit, and music blaring. This was the most awesome feeling in the world.
I tune back into the dad cheering his young boy on and smile again. A honk on the highway caught me off guard and my heart jumped a little since the only sound I am hearing before was the faint music of the crickets. Wind passes again and makes a deep sound in my ear, as if someone purposely blew in my ear to annoy me.
I stand up since by bottom is getting sore and walk forward some steps. The rocks and gravel are so big that I feel them through my warn in flip flops. Now my feet hurt, great. The beautiful scene takes over my small pain though. Now that I am standing I can better see the dainty pale yellow flowers. I cannot tell what kind of flower, but they are so peaceful looking. The purple flowers catch my eye with the soft lavender that sticks out along with the yellow, and trace me back to those trails that go on for miles.
As the family starts to load their SUV up with the four-wheeler on the trailer, I decide I should probably leave as well since I do not want to stay there alone. Sitting here so long helps me reminisce the old days, especially seeing the truck tire trails and blackened wood from bonfires.
As I turn, I take one last glance at the Peachtree Industrial trails and my eyes follow the trails back and back until it disappears. The beauty of the rough and red trails, thick and wet mud, and the green, yellow and purple life amazes me once again. I turn to my right and push off of a rock about a foot high to get up the smaller hill to my car. I close my eyes to imprint the image of Peachtree Industrial in my head and drive away without looking back.
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The Green Field
I was sitting on the edge of what soon will be a Greenfield at my hunting club in Bullock County. I was surrounded by woods. Purple Martins were flying over the grass in the field that was taller than me. It has not been cut for a couple of months now. The Purple Martins were eating mosquitoes as they flew over the grass. The sound of crickets and grasshoppers filled the air. The smell was of fresh grass. I don’t know the woods just have a distinct smell that I can’t explain. Suddenly I heard gunshots from a ways off. More than one shot so I figured people were dove hunting across the property line. A buzzing bee flies by right by my ear. To my left are the woods with a shooting house on the edge of them. To my right is the uncut Greenfield. Another sound is the breeze blowing through the trees and the grass. It is very hot, the sun is shining bright. I notice some wildflowers that are growing amongst the grass in the field along with some stickers.
Then I hear a golf cart driving up from behind me. It is my dad telling me to take the four-wheeler and drive straight into the grass and see what I find. When I finally get through what seems to be never-ending grass I get to a part of the Greenfield that had been bush hogged. I found a perfect circle that had been cut with the grass surrounding it. No one would have ever known it was there. It was awesome. Now I was covered in little bugs that lived in the grass.
I know observe a new scene. It seems to be a little bit hotter in the Greenfield now. There is not a breeze in the center of the grass. It is so peaceful in the center because I had no clue what was going on around and really didn’t care. I notice the clouds in the sky. They are gorgeous and make really cool shapes. I notice that in the middle of the cut field is one lonely stalk of grass that the tractor must have missed. A beautiful yellow butterfly visited me and landed on the four-wheeler. He stayed there for a while. I see movement in the lower far-left corner of the field. Three deer step out into the field. After a few minutes of feeding they spot me and the four-wheeler and they take off back into the grass and then into the woods. Very little bugs are crawling all over my paper as I write. Dozens of birds are still flying over me and the field. I can hear them singing from in the woods. I am now sitting next to a hay bell. It looks like it has been sitting here for a while. Now the smell is of fresh cut grass. I have really bad seasonal allergies and I can just smell the pollen in the air.
A beautiful blue dragonfly just flew across the field. I hear more gunshots. The ground is covered in fresh cut hay along with stickers and little green berries that must have been growing amongst the grass. The breeze has picked up a bit and now I can hear it blowing through the trees in the woods. I now have a new friend. A brown, tan and orange butterfly has landed on my shoe. He has spots that look like eyes on his wings. He flutters around for a while landing on my pant leg and then the four-wheeler.
Right now the Greenfield is not green it is brown and filled with dead grass. There are tractor tread marks in the ground so it must have been a little wet when it came to cut the grass. As I look at the freshly cut field all I can see is what will come of this field. Soon it will be planted with different oats. In a couple of months it will be filled with beautiful green grass that is about a foot tall. It will be perfect for hunting season. Soon the shooting house will be full with people waiting for the perfect deer to come out on the perfect Greenfield. That, to me, is the best feeling in the world.
[IMG]http://i36.tinypic.com/34pz3mb.jpg[/IMG]
The Green Field
I was sitting on the edge of what soon will be a Greenfield at my hunting club in Bullock County. I was surrounded by woods. Purple Martins were flying over the grass in the field that was taller than me. It has not been cut for a couple of months now. The Purple Martins were eating mosquitoes as they flew over the grass. The sound of crickets and grasshoppers filled the air. The smell was of fresh grass. I don’t know the woods just have a distinct smell that I can’t explain. Suddenly I heard gunshots from a ways off. More than one shot so I figured people were dove hunting across the property line. A buzzing bee flies by right by my ear. To my left are the woods with a shooting house on the edge of them. To my right is the uncut Greenfield. Another sound is the breeze blowing through the trees and the grass. It is very hot, the sun is shining bright. I notice some wildflowers that are growing amongst the grass in the field along with some stickers.
Then I hear a golf cart driving up from behind me. It is my dad telling me to take the four-wheeler and drive straight into the grass and see what I find. When I finally get through what seems to be never-ending grass I get to a part of the Greenfield that had been bush hogged. I found a perfect circle that had been cut with the grass surrounding it. No one would have ever known it was there. It was awesome. Now I was covered in little bugs that lived in the grass.
I know observe a new scene. It seems to be a little bit hotter in the Greenfield now. There is not a breeze in the center of the grass. It is so peaceful in the center because I had no clue what was going on around and really didn’t care. I notice the clouds in the sky. They are gorgeous and make really cool shapes. I notice that in the middle of the cut field is one lonely stalk of grass that the tractor must have missed. A beautiful yellow butterfly visited me and landed on the four-wheeler. He stayed there for a while. I see movement in the lower far-left corner of the field. Three deer step out into the field. After a few minutes of feeding they spot me and the four-wheeler and they take off back into the grass and then into the woods. Very little bugs are crawling all over my paper as I write. Dozens of birds are still flying over me and the field. I can hear them singing from in the woods. I am now sitting next to a hay bell. It looks like it has been sitting here for a while. Now the smell is of fresh cut grass. I have really bad seasonal allergies and I can just smell the pollen in the air.
A beautiful blue dragonfly just flew across the field. I hear more gunshots. The ground is covered in fresh cut hay along with stickers and little green berries that must have been growing amongst the grass. The breeze has picked up a bit and now I can hear it blowing through the trees in the woods. I now have a new friend. A brown, tan and orange butterfly has landed on my shoe. He has spots that look like eyes on his wings. He flutters around for a while landing on my pant leg and then the four-wheeler.
Right now the Greenfield is not green it is brown and filled with dead grass. There are tractor tread marks in the ground so it must have been a little wet when it came to cut the grass. As I look at the freshly cut field all I can see is what will come of this field. Soon it will be planted with different oats. In a couple of months it will be filled with beautiful green grass that is about a foot tall. It will be perfect for hunting season. Soon the shooting house will be full with people waiting for the perfect deer to come out on the perfect Greenfield. That, to me, is the best feeling in the world.
Woodland Observations
I am sitting out in the middle of some woods back in my hometown, Clanton, Alabama. It is a very dark day. There is not much sun, as it is overcast. The lack of sun makes it very ominous. The sky is nothing but a sheet of dark clouds. Shortly into my visit, it begins to sprinkle, making the air hot, muggy, and humid. I can hear the raindrops hitting the leaves. It sounds like the pitter-pattering of rain drops hitting a tin roof. The treetops keep me from getting wet.
The entire scene is green and brown. The floor of the forest is covered by dead leaves and twigs. They crunch beneath my feet as I walk through the woods. It is impossible to move without being heard. Old, rotten gumballs also litter the ground. The remnants of a decomposing tree form a pile in the middle of the woods. There is a path cut through the woods right to the spot where I am sitting. Whether this came from animals or humans, I will never know. Rocks are randomly placed around the floor. They are brownish-red and no two are alike in shape. Tree trunks have fallen around the forest. They are now decaying and are obviously used by animals for protection and food. The trunks almost look alive, since they are covered in vivid, green vines and leaves. There are remnants of an old fence located about three-hundred yards away from me. It shows obvious evidence of wear from time and nature. There is a random, white cinderblock. It is covered by vines and weeds. Several of the smaller trees in this particular area are bent over. It is obvious that something big came through here, forcing the trees to lie down, almost like they are trying to stretch out to take a nap. The only spot of color in the entire forest is some purple berries on a tree. They are round and very petite. The purple of the berries really pops against all the green.
I am surrounded by trees. There are huge trees that tower over me like giants. They are extremely intimidating. There are also little, short trees that allow for easy vegetation for small animals. I am sitting by one particular tree. It is a pine seedling. The tree is only around four feet tall. Its branches are green and pointy. The treetops form a canopy over the floor of the forest. There are only a few small holes available to look through to see the sky. The bark on the trees is rough. It feels like sandpaper. The way it looks reminds me of the scales of a fish. One particular tree stands out. It is in the middle of a large group of trees. This one tree has no bark. The tree is smooth to the touch. This was probably caused by some animal rubbing the bark off, or disease. The branches of all the trees put together, look like a giant spider web. There is a dead tree trunk that is covered in a mysterious orange powder.
A cricket started chirping as soon as I got settled in. It continued on until after I left. For all I know, he could still be going. The birds are constantly singing back and forth. One bird chirps and many others answer him back. It is almost like they are trying to talk to each other. For a moment, there is complete silence. Then, a bird lands close and starts singing. It scares me. I can hear a woodpecker every once in awhile, as it beats on a tree. It sounds like someone knocking on a door. There is a continuous noise from acorns and leaves falling from the trees and plummeting to the ground, with a loud thud. I can hear tons of movement coming from far away. It sounds like large animals running through the forest, but I cannot be sure, since I could not see anything through the dense underbrush.
My place is not far from the highway. I can constantly hear cars traveling up and down the roads. The drivers rev up their engines, getting ready for the lights to change to green. I can hear a truck and trailer go rattling over a large bump in the road. Not far off, there are people yelling and banging stuff around. Someone shot off a rifle. Just down the road, someone is clearing the timber off of their land. I can hear the equipment trucks. There are dump trucks emptying their loads. I can hear the constant beep of the machines as they back up. There is a saw going to work by cutting up some timber. I can hear a tractor off in the distance rev up its engine.
As I settle in, a granddaddy long leg joins me. He is huge. His body is only about the size of a pencil eraser, while his legs are about fours inches long each. His body is disproportional to his legs. He is fascinated by me. He patiently sat by me through my whole time in the forest. The spider was the only object in the whole forest that was calm and still. A little green and yellow bug takes interest in my paper. He crawls back and forth across my paper and the rings of my notebook. He stays for a long time. He is trying to decipher this new contraption. Gnats gradually start to come out and land on me. I have a black and yellow sweat bee come within buzzing range of me. He left, but soon returned to check me out. A mosquito decides he wants to take up residence on my leg. He is black and stealthy. He is on my leg for quite away before I finally realize he is there. Not far from me, there is an intense spider web. It is very intricate. It is composed of millions of tiny pieces of silk. The spider had to have worked for days to get it to be this big. There are tiny particles caught in the web. They look like snow, when there has been a light dusting.
By the time I am ready to leave, it is dusk. The air is cool and moist. Dew is about to set in. The air smells of wet grass, because of the rain. It also smells like sap and mildew. As I get up to leave, there is a lot of noise. Several small creatures had come up while I was sitting there, and they take of running as I begin to move. Several squirrels jump from tree to tree, rattling the branches in the process. A cool breeze blows in. The trees sway in the breeze. It rustles the leaves. As I leave, I notice a random pulley that was not visible to me at first. It is a metal pulley that is suspended by a tree. The pulley is rusted over, giving signs that it has been there for awhile. It makes me wonder why it is there.
The entire scene is green and brown. The floor of the forest is covered by dead leaves and twigs. They crunch beneath my feet as I walk through the woods. It is impossible to move without being heard. Old, rotten gumballs also litter the ground. The remnants of a decomposing tree form a pile in the middle of the woods. There is a path cut through the woods right to the spot where I am sitting. Whether this came from animals or humans, I will never know. Rocks are randomly placed around the floor. They are brownish-red and no two are alike in shape. Tree trunks have fallen around the forest. They are now decaying and are obviously used by animals for protection and food. The trunks almost look alive, since they are covered in vivid, green vines and leaves. There are remnants of an old fence located about three-hundred yards away from me. It shows obvious evidence of wear from time and nature. There is a random, white cinderblock. It is covered by vines and weeds. Several of the smaller trees in this particular area are bent over. It is obvious that something big came through here, forcing the trees to lie down, almost like they are trying to stretch out to take a nap. The only spot of color in the entire forest is some purple berries on a tree. They are round and very petite. The purple of the berries really pops against all the green.
I am surrounded by trees. There are huge trees that tower over me like giants. They are extremely intimidating. There are also little, short trees that allow for easy vegetation for small animals. I am sitting by one particular tree. It is a pine seedling. The tree is only around four feet tall. Its branches are green and pointy. The treetops form a canopy over the floor of the forest. There are only a few small holes available to look through to see the sky. The bark on the trees is rough. It feels like sandpaper. The way it looks reminds me of the scales of a fish. One particular tree stands out. It is in the middle of a large group of trees. This one tree has no bark. The tree is smooth to the touch. This was probably caused by some animal rubbing the bark off, or disease. The branches of all the trees put together, look like a giant spider web. There is a dead tree trunk that is covered in a mysterious orange powder.
A cricket started chirping as soon as I got settled in. It continued on until after I left. For all I know, he could still be going. The birds are constantly singing back and forth. One bird chirps and many others answer him back. It is almost like they are trying to talk to each other. For a moment, there is complete silence. Then, a bird lands close and starts singing. It scares me. I can hear a woodpecker every once in awhile, as it beats on a tree. It sounds like someone knocking on a door. There is a continuous noise from acorns and leaves falling from the trees and plummeting to the ground, with a loud thud. I can hear tons of movement coming from far away. It sounds like large animals running through the forest, but I cannot be sure, since I could not see anything through the dense underbrush.
My place is not far from the highway. I can constantly hear cars traveling up and down the roads. The drivers rev up their engines, getting ready for the lights to change to green. I can hear a truck and trailer go rattling over a large bump in the road. Not far off, there are people yelling and banging stuff around. Someone shot off a rifle. Just down the road, someone is clearing the timber off of their land. I can hear the equipment trucks. There are dump trucks emptying their loads. I can hear the constant beep of the machines as they back up. There is a saw going to work by cutting up some timber. I can hear a tractor off in the distance rev up its engine.
As I settle in, a granddaddy long leg joins me. He is huge. His body is only about the size of a pencil eraser, while his legs are about fours inches long each. His body is disproportional to his legs. He is fascinated by me. He patiently sat by me through my whole time in the forest. The spider was the only object in the whole forest that was calm and still. A little green and yellow bug takes interest in my paper. He crawls back and forth across my paper and the rings of my notebook. He stays for a long time. He is trying to decipher this new contraption. Gnats gradually start to come out and land on me. I have a black and yellow sweat bee come within buzzing range of me. He left, but soon returned to check me out. A mosquito decides he wants to take up residence on my leg. He is black and stealthy. He is on my leg for quite away before I finally realize he is there. Not far from me, there is an intense spider web. It is very intricate. It is composed of millions of tiny pieces of silk. The spider had to have worked for days to get it to be this big. There are tiny particles caught in the web. They look like snow, when there has been a light dusting.
By the time I am ready to leave, it is dusk. The air is cool and moist. Dew is about to set in. The air smells of wet grass, because of the rain. It also smells like sap and mildew. As I get up to leave, there is a lot of noise. Several small creatures had come up while I was sitting there, and they take of running as I begin to move. Several squirrels jump from tree to tree, rattling the branches in the process. A cool breeze blows in. The trees sway in the breeze. It rustles the leaves. As I leave, I notice a random pulley that was not visible to me at first. It is a metal pulley that is suspended by a tree. The pulley is rusted over, giving signs that it has been there for awhile. It makes me wonder why it is there.
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