November 3, 9:50 am Temperature- 52 degrees, light wind from the west
My sit spot looked so dull and dreary, yet again. This time, I am sure it was from one of the extremely windy nights a few days back. As I walked in my sit spot, I could hear the water flowing through Beale Creek. It had never been so loud before! I noticed that the dogwood and yellowwood that I had identified through inaturalist have now lost most of their leaves. I sat on my chair as I usually do and took a deep long breath. The sun was right behind me, and it felt so warm! I was observing the Beale Creek in front of me and I have never seen a clearer view of the creek. The shrubs that used to obstruct my view of the creek are all gone now. I could not hear a lot of birds, just a few small ones that looked like sparrows. The noise they were making sounded much like giggling.
Dogwood (before)
Dogwood (after)
Yellowwood (before)
Yellowwood (after)
Creek
The American Sweet gum tree which is one of my focal objects has not really changed much from last time. I noticed that the leaves on certain parts of the tree that get a lot of sunlight have changed colors more than the ones that remain hidden underneath the other leaves. I have no update on the shrubs, they were gone a long time ago! The creek seemed more active than usual. The water levels seem to have increased and the flow rate on the spot I usually observe has increased noticeably.
Unfortunately, I could not see any clouds in the sky above me. The sky was clear blue. I really wanted to identify some clouds, so I went back to my sit spot on another day and took a picture. I think the cloud I saw are cirrus clouds. I hope to see and identify some more clouds when I do my next sit spot.
I tried to focus with my eyes closed. For the first few minutes, I found myself restless and eager to just open my eyes and look around. But it did get better after some time. I could hear the wind blowing, and rustling of the leaves. The sun was still behind me keeping my back warm, but my legs and arms were cold because of the wind. I could feel some leaves of the American Sweet gum beside me fall off, and the sound they made as they hit the other leaves on the ground was satisfying! I noticed that the wind blowing through different trees was making different sounds, which I felt was interesting. I was hoping to feel the presence of and hear what our little friendly squirrels were up to, but I couldn’t find a single one! The loud sound of the water flowing through the creek got fainter as the wind started blowing, and I stopped hearing it. It got really windy at one point, and all I could feel was the cold wind.
I love having this little get-away every week, even if its just for an hour. I think I want to continue just sitting outside in nature even after this semester ends. It makes me feel like everything is in track, and even if things are getting a little too stressful, this calms me down and helps me reorganise my thoughts. I usually do my observations in the morning, and it makes my day a lot better! I feel more focused throughout the day and pay more attention in my classes. I feel that I have become more curious, appreciative and attentive about the nature and natural processes around me!
Time left- 11:00 am
It is interesting to see how trees shed their leaves at different speeds, it seems like the dogwood trees that you are observing drop their leaves pretty fast.
I can relate to how you found the sound of the leaves falling satisfying. The trees in your sit spot look really beautiful and colorful!
Simran, this blog is an epitome of nature’s beauty.
Wow! I like the changes in both the dogwood and the yellow wood.
I am so thrilled by them because I have not been able to see evident changes like this in my own spot.
Stunning! Even the navy blue sky I see here, is what I was trying to capture as I saw it in my spot but the picture could not portray it as this.
They are lovely trees in America. What a name… sweet gum tree. :-):-):-):-)
Just like you say the birds were giggling. Sometimes, when I hear them, I imagine that they are chatting, joking, laughing loudly, singing, coughing and may be even sneezing.
Great work, Sim!!! (claps…)
Hi Simran, I like how you have before and after pictures of the trees, it is really interesting to see the changes. Also, I thought it was very enthusiastic of you to go back to your sit spot the other day to observe the clouds 🙂
I love your description of leaves falling and the satisfaction of the sound – it is useful to connect to places through more than one sense! Beautiful pictures – I am glad you have found peace in this process!