Jackson Plaza

12 September 2008
1412-1229
Jackson Plaza, Willamette University, Salem, OR

The weather is sunny and cloudless and there is a light breeze, just enough to flutter the leaves on the tree above me. the water of the mill stream is clear and cool. The stream only seems to be 3-4 inches deep and only 2 inches deep in other locations. Directly infront of me there are 2 different species of seaweed intertwined together. One type has an alternating leaf structure and the leaves themselves look like tiny immitations of ferns. The other type has much wispier leaves and they branch off of the stem in small clusters in a very irregular pattern. The bottom of the mill stream is partially covered by rocks of all different sizes. The rest of the ground is covered in a silt-like material that looks brownish-grey. The water is so low that tiny cascades have formed over the rocks on the bottom creating a tiny current. By the time the water reaches me though, the current is almost completely gone.