3 November 2008
3:30
The Quad, Willamette University, Salem, OR
As I sit beneath a tree I am amazed at all of the beautiful leaves that have accumulated on the ground. There are several different types of leaves, round, oval, palmate, red leaves, yellow leaves, orange leaves, and so many others. One leaf in particular catches my eye, it is not especially bright, nor is it in perfect condition but it is a beautiful leaf none the less. The step on this leaf seems abnormally long for the small size of the actual leaf. Streaks of yellow run up the veins of this leaf, extending all the way from the transition point off the bright red stem to the pointed lobes that have begun to curl up as the leaf dies. This leaf has not yet reached a state of crunchiness, but instead it is light and leathery to the touch. A few of the very tips of this leaf have turned dark brown and are very brittle to the touch and they seem to shatter as I run my fingers along the edge of the leaf. Here and there are light grey patches of color, these patches seem to dot the leaf almost like cow spots. One section of the leaf has a large hole that has been torn out of it, but the surrounding edges, though only millimeters are holding the leaf together strongly. In the upper section of this leaf the golden rod vein cuts through a section of dark maroon separating the two sides and each then fades to new colors. I flip the leaf over and by no means is it as colorful, but it is just as beautiful. Instead of yellow veins and a red surface, the veins are now red lying against a light tan background. The tips of this side are dark brown and fade slowly to meet the tan.
4 November 2008
12:07
Montag Center, Willamette University, Salem, OR
Today I went to do my laundry in Montag Center and as I was sitting there doing my homework I looked outside to see a very sad sight. One of the trees on the lawn above is leaning very far down and it looks as though this has been done by people trying to climb this week little tree. The tree itself is fairly small and has bright yellow leaves, though it is beginning to bald near the top. My friend Hannah came down and sat next to me and I pointed the tree out to her, she was quite upset about the situation. I grabbed my laundry and we went outside to scope out the situation. Immediately Hannah grabbed the tree by its trunk and began trying to pull it back into position, with me pushing from the other side…needless to say this did nothing what so ever, it was fun though. After a bit more work we decided that we would make a sling for the tree, a little bit of wire, some stakes and rubber tubing and we’d be good to go. Unfortunately we have not yet been able to make this sling, but it will be coming in the near future so this tree does not slide even further out of place.
5 November 2008
11:23
Jackson Plaza, Willamette University, Salem, OR
Lately the Mill Stream has been unusually low, it is so strange to look and instead of seeing the regular flowing water, there is nothing more a couple puddles. The rocks are now almost completely exposed leaving a bare rut through the middle of campus. It seems as though there are more leaves than water in the Mill Stream, and what little water there is carries these leaves a few feet before they are deposited on a bank of rocks. Also, the water that is left is a very murky, cloudy white color and as you walk between the library and auditorium it seems as though this murkiness is intensified. It’s sad to think that a couple days ago there was a healthy flowing stream and now there is little more than puddles, rocks and leaves.
7 November 2008
12:35
Matthews Dorm/Around Campus, Willamette University, Salem, OR
Yesterday Rose and I decided to make a tree treasure hunt map for colloquium today. So we drew up a map and had various locations where we would go to climb different trees. We handed the map over to Jane to interpret and we were on our way. For a while we followed the map, but then we decided to just do whatever came to mind, so for a little bit we sat and had a conversation out in front of Olin. After our discussion we decided to head back to Matthews to watch Planet Earth, which is an amazing show. After a quick debate we wound up watching the jungle episode. I have seen this episode by far the most out of any of the others, but each time I am still amazed by all of the different animals, especially the birds of paradise. It is unbelievable to think that these birds have adapted to be so outlandishly colored and decorated. In this episode they also show a type of fungus/nematode that takes control of its host and makes them do what they want. In this case an ant had been taken over by a parasite and the parasite controlled the ant to climb higher and higher up, which would put it in a prime location for birds to spot and hopefully eat. They showed several different instances of the molds sprouting straight out of the bodies of their hosts. I was amazed to see the time lapse portions where you could literally see the molds growing straight out of the bodies of different insects. After watching all of time lapse scenes it makes me want to just turn a switch on and watch nature grow and interact right before my eyes. It is ridiculous to be able to see this evolution so quickly.