I chose my sit-spot on a hill overlooking Hollins. When deciding where to sit and spend time I looked at several places, along the creek, near the pond, out past the west parking lot in the woods. When I came across the hill that overlooks Hollins, I loved it. Everywhere else seemed to be a place where I would go on a walk, however, the overlook was somewhere where I wanted to spend time. This was important in my search for a spot. I had to want to be there, not just be there because I had to for an assignment in class.

Before going and sitting down to journal and spend time I scouted out locations. On one of my several scouting trips, I noticed a herd of deer strolling around in the meadow hills. This intrigued me and I wanted to know more about the spot, so I went back. On my second scouting trip to the location, I noticed several deer trails leading into the meadow from the woods. It was daylight so there were no deer to be seen and I felt safe to explore a bit more. I don’t want to disturb the wildlife when I am doing this project so I will ensure that before going to spend time, that it will not interfere with their lives.

When I finally chose where I would sit, I decided to face Northwest. This put me looking towards the tree line; however, I still have a nice view of the meadow. I began observing and a lot happened. I got startled many times, I kept getting bitten by bugs, it was hot out, the sun was shining directly on me. When I got to my spot it was about 4PM, I had been working on homework and studying all day, so I was tired, and the heat only made me more tired (I almost fell asleep while trying to tune-in).

I heard many birds calling throughout my time. I, unfortunately, have forgotten the many birdcalls I learned when I was younger so I can no longer identify them by sound. I saw many bugs, in particular crickets and grasshoppers. I had a few ants crawl on me and a few fly visits, but the pesky bugs did not seem to bother me this time. I chose to sit under a tree, hoping it would bring me some shade; however, its small oval-shaped leaves brought little shade. I was startled by a doe walking through the woods, I heard her walking and jumped up immediately. I then saw her walk farther into the forest and away from me so I continued to sit and observe.

For my three items that I will follow I have chosen, the tree I sit under, the yellow flower, and the crickets. I want to follow these things to see the drastic changes that take place during the fall semester. Some of the leaves on the tree have already fallen; however, the tree is still teaming with life. The season change from summer to fall and fall to winter will bring many changes that I am looking forward to observing.