[ view seen above]

I chose a sit-spot behind the Beale Gardens. My spot is in the very back of the gardens, which it looks out on, with my back to the church. I chose this spot because of the slightly elevated view it gives of some of the gardens, as well as because of how the light filters through the trees, the leaves that cover the ground, and much more.

Here’s my little sketch of the spot… the circles are clearly leaves.      

There are several lovely trees in my immediate area, as well as many in the distance. Some of this fauna blocks my view of much of the gardens, but it also blocks the view of any buildings, so the sight I’m left with is truly a beauty. I also happen to sit right under a very nice, wide-canopied tree with pretty leaves. All of the leaves on the trees are lush, healthy shades of green. However, they greatly contrast against the deep fall colors (reds, oranges, browns…) of the leaves that coat the ground. All of the other surrounding fauna are deep, vivacious greens that are all intact. The grass of the ground beneath me is well kept- the length must be around the length of my palm, and is a lovely green. It is not thick grass, like what you might see on a golf course or front lawn, but that is completely okay!

I should start off with my account of my experience with the fact that I was dressed in dark colors, which mosquitos love. Unfortunately. Many of them swarmed me as I first sat down, and I’m still scratching at the swollen, red bumps they left behind. Although, one (little) benefit was that I was able to observe that some of them had white stripes on their legs, which was neat for about a millisecond before irritation and panic set in. I also noticed a sleek grey squirrel spiraling down one of the trees I’m facing. It had a bushy tail and soft-looking fur, and adorable patches of white on her belly. I also saw a few spiders (all very small), jumping and skittering about under their canopy of grass. I heard a few birds tweeting, in addition to a cicada or two that started to singing in the distance after I had been there for a little over an hour.

I could hear the stillness of the air when there is no wind, as well as the breezes that would shake the leaves on the trees as they passed through. The air smelled soft and sweet. That oh-so-fall- smell of crisp fallen leaves is not yet in the air. In the sky, the sun hit right above some of the trees in the distance – it was around sunset at this point when I began writing in my notebook. There were not many clouds I could see, because of the canopy above me, but I could tell that the sky was a beautiful, light blue.

There were ups and downs to my first sit-spot session. For instance, the view was stunning and the weather was perfect, but I was attacked by several zealous mosquitos and I’m still feeling those consequences. I know I’ll be able to enjoy my time there and fully relax without worrying about being a feast once the weather starts to cool down. I can already picture myself in cozy sweaters or wrapped in a blanket as I sit on my picnic blanket in the Beale Gardens – not to jinx myself. Anyhow, three things I will follow over the course of these blog posts are the tree I face that is closest to me, the amount of grass visible vs. the leaves on the ground, and the number of creatures I can observe from my spot. I believe that all of these factors will have notable differences as the seasons continue to change

. [Canopy of tree closest to me] [ ground (clearly) ]

See you guys next time,

Emily