Observation Nov 8

Phil Colburn
8 November 2008
Location: on The field in front of goudy.
Time: 1110-1130
Weather: Cloudy

I sit on the concrete barrier in front of Goudy, and look out across the field. The UC is on my left, and there are some buildings to my right that I think are dorms, but I’ve never been over there so I’m not sure. There are some bushes in front of the bike shop that look like rhododendrons, but I’m not sure because they aren’t flowering right now, so the only clue that I have to go on is the fact that the bush’s leaves look like rhododendron leaves.

Picture courtesy of http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/r/wrhma4-lf26241.jpg

Observation Nov 7

Phil Colburn
7 November 2008
Location: The Mill Stream, sitting next to the impossible triangle sculpture.
Time: 10:30-10:50
Weather: Cloudy

As I sit by the triangle sculpture, I look at the Mill Stream, and it is worryingly low. The stream is so low that many of the rocks that make up the streambed are not only showing above the waterline, but they are actually dry. It is very unusual that the stream is so low, especially since we have had a decent amount of rainfall over the past few days. It is possible that the stream is being clogged by leaves at a point that is farther up the stream.

Observation Nov 6

Phil Colburn
6 November 2008
Location: The Star Trees
1040-1100 hours
Weather: Rainy

I take shelter from the rain beneath the Star trees, which surprisingly keep off the rain very well. The patches underneath each tree are still bone dry. Also, underneath these trees are virtually the only place on campus where there are no fallen leaves in sight. However, there are always dead needles carpeting the area immediately underneath the trees. These needles act as a way to keep the dirt and mud out, keeping the area underneath these trees one of the least muddy on campus, making it an ideal area for small animals such as squirrels to move and search for food without getting cold, wet and dirty.

Picture courtesy of http://www.salemdailyphoto.com/pics/5startrees.jpg

Observation Nov 5

Phil Colburn5

November 2008

Location: By the bridge over the Mill Stream near the Hatfield Library

Weather: Cloudy

Time: 1100-1120 hours

The plants that border the mill stream seem to be doing fine. One tree that is low to the ground has had all of its leaves turn yellow now. There are no more green leaves on the tree, proving that we are well into fall. However, one problem that these beautiful leaf colors cause is they tend to clump together in the millstream, which can obstruct water flow and turn the water stagnant. This can cause many problems, such as lowering the oxygen content of the stream and allowing algae to choke it, like it is shown in the picture here.

Picture courtesy of http://www.gardenrant.com/my_weblog/images/2007/10/30/pond_2.jpg

Tyler Starr: 11/8, The Quad

Tyler Starr

8 November 2008 from 1230-1245

Location: The northwest corner of the Quad

Weather: 55 ̊ F, no wind, raining on and off

General: It was misting slightly as I sat on Quad. A heavy bout of rain had just ended, so I decided to do an observation. The rain makes everything feel clean and refreshed. Many more leaves fell from the trees due to the force of the rain. One interesting thing that I noticed was that later, as I was walking to the football game, Pringle Creek was a very murky brown color, almost reminiscent of chocolate milk. The Mill Stream looked like that earlier this week, and I wonder if somehow the rain triggers a disruption of the sediment. The middle of the Quad is very wet and muddy. A crow descended upon the southwest corner of the Quad and was picking at the ground. Perhaps it is eating worms that come up from the ground during the rain. The squirrels, however, are not really out at all. I guess they don’t like the rain too much. It seems like all of the big trees along the north side of the Quad are in the process of losing their leaves. I can see three non-coniferous trees that are still completely green, and a couple that are mostly green. The days continue to get shorter and shorter now, so I’d imagine most of the leaves on campus will be gone soon.

Gardening

Observer: Estella Yee
Date: 11-7
Location: Kaneko’s community garden, north of the sky bridge
Time: 1516-1546
Weather: Overcast skies, 60˚F

When I had walked across the sky bridge over 12th street toward Kaneko in the past, I had never realized a small area of the land adjacent to the buildings. Usually, my eyes would be attracted to the lines of the buildings and their modern designs. Far too easy to be swept away by the crimson buildings, I had neglected a rectangle of land known as the community garden. South of the Tokyo International University of America building, six rectangles of dirt mounds were flourishing with greeneries. The soil was damp and dark as I walked over a hose lying in between the sections. Many crops were still producing. My eyes drew in sight of ripe sugar snap peas, green beans, small 2-inch buds of broccoli, vivid red Swiss Chard, and lacy cilantro. Few people seemed to bother picking the food when it was so convenient to purchase meals in the cafeteria. Yet, my friends who I met there today were intent of utilizing fresh greens in their food, endeavoring to incorporate them into a meal that they knew would eventually find its way into college students mouths through their purchases. If only others were as intent on doing so, the garden would mostly likely not had fallen into its slight neglect today. There was minimal maintenance; the peas were bursting full, zucchini’s 6 inches long, and broccoli infested with aphids. I think introducing a natural repellent or biological control would be beneficial to the community as a whole.

Uppermost picture (taken sometime in the earlier seasons) courtesy of http://tiua.edu

Tyler Starr: 11/7, Botanical Gardens

Tyler Starr

7 November 2008 from 1545-1600

Location: A walk through the Martha Springer Botanical Gardens

Weather: 63 ̊ F, still with an occasional 5 mph gust of wind, mostly cloudy skies

General: Everything feels very awake in the pleasant weather. In total, I saw 3 different squirrels scurrying around the Botanical Gardens. Many of the small birds that were out the last time I observed the gardens were out again. In particular, I noticed the bird that I always see but never can identify, with a white and gray body with a dark or black head and neck, along with several chickadees. I found an interesting fruit lying on the ground. It was about an inch long, sort of in the shape of a pear. It was light green, with beach ball-like segments. The outer layer peeled back like moist paper, and on the inside, there was a small, soft green ball. Inside of that there were many seeds that looked like those of bell peppers. The ground is very soft and muddy from all of the rain, especially towards the back of the gardens. I noticed that a group of some sort of plant had been reduced to a cluster of stems. It appeared that grounds keeping cut off the tops of all of the plants with a weed-whacker. Perhaps they are planning to plant something else there next spring.

I don't know about you, but I can't see anything

Observer: Estella Yee
Date: 11-6
Location: Mill Stream north of UC
Time: 1714-1730
Weather: Light rain, 57˚F

The sun sets earlier now that day light savings has ended, plunging the campus into dim twilight. Most of the birds have slowly disappeared to prepare for the night’s rest, yet I was surprised to find the mallards still swimming around the Mill Stream. Nearly 20 were congregating around the corner of Jackson Plaza, mostly still. A few were plunging their beaks into the water to catch a bedtime snack. As the light dimmed, the stream became dappled with lights from the surrounding buildings, illuminating the gentle ripples. I could not distinguish many of their movements from their resting, that is, floating positions. One duck ostentatiously flapped his wings in greeting to my arrival as I ventured forward for a closer observation. The movements consisted of the drakes using their beaks to clean their back feathers and wings. The females sounded their quacks momentarily. The light drizzle faded as I watched. Will the mallards stay here during the night? I remember previously that the Mill Stream was deserted during the night as I left campus. Their vision must have been better than mine, for in only 16 minutes, the scene grew dim and I could scarcely make out the shapes of the fowls.

Tyler Starr: 11/6, Mill Stream between Rogers and the Library

Tyler Starr

6 November 2008 from 1025-1040

Location: The Mill Stream between Rogers and the library

Weather: 59 ̊ F, 5 mph breeze with gusts up to 15 mph, gray cloudy skies

General: Leaves fell from the trees like rain due to the strong wind. Those that stayed on the trees clattered in the breeze. With the strong gusts, the clattering would be so loud as to drown out the construction noises from the nearby theatre renovation and Ford Hall construction. The leaves on the ground race around in the breeze. The Mill Steam is still exceedingly low, but it has a slight current, which could be due to the strong winds, which are going in the same direction. For the past two days, the water has been a brown-gray, murky, color. It started after the rain, so perhaps the rain stirred up the silt on the bottom of the stream. However, today it is back to its normal color. Maybe with the reemergence of a current, the silt resettled to the bottom of the stream. I hope that the Mill Stream returns to its original level soon, it is much more appealing. I saw a Banded Garden Spider in a web, as I often do over here. It is probably the same spider every time—from comparing pictures, it looks the same. I did not see or hear any birds though.

Smashing pumpkins

Observer: Estella Yee
Date: 11-5
Location: Botanical Garden bridge between the gardens and Belknap
Time: 1530-1551
Weather: Raining, overcast skies, 47.5˚F

The Mill Stream was filled with dirt today as the runoff from the land was washed into the waters. It was still lower than ever due to someone controlling the height of the stream somewhere to the east. For whatever purpose, I felt that the wildlife was suffering due to the decreased water. The mallards seemed to have a harder time finding food and there have been fewer birds about the Mill Stream. Two pumpkins were left over from the smash-fest during Halloween. Anonymous somebodies decided that it would be hilarious if they could take their carved pumpkins and see if they would bounce on the bottom of the stream. That made me wonder, were the pumpkins returning to nature? After all, they would eventually decompose into…something. A big leaf maple, clothed in golden drapery, overshadowed the stream, unheeding the mess beneath its slowly baring branches. Moss covered many of its branches in return. Earlier in the month, there were many cedar waxwings that had roosted there, yet now, there was only a hummingbird, a black-capped chickadee here. An occasional crow was more likely to be seen. Two mallards rested slightly upstream, a drake and a female, watching a squirrel gorge himself on the cracked corn spread along the shoreline. Leaves from the aforementioned fell softly into the dirt of the stream, barely swept away by the low stream of water. Rocks instead caught the large leaves. At the side of the bridge, moss heavily covered the concrete, yet not enough to hid the three heavy pipes lining the lowered area.

Mushy worms

Observer: Estella Yee
Date: 11-4
Location: Front of north end of Rogers
Time: 930-945
Weather: Rainy, 44.5˚F

Leaves from the horse chestnut trees were strewn across the pathway, mixtures of browns and yellow, soggy from the rain and unable to produce the sharp crisp that reminds me of autumn’s jumping-in-leaves. Soggy grass complains with a belching squish as I trudge through the field. Next to the lawn, a large mass of earthworms had crawled out to soak up the moisture from the torrential rainfall, only to be squashed by the passing student or mail cart. A few lucky enough to evade the feet were pecked on by a bird at some point. Regardless, most were starting to dissolve into the water. A stench of decay filled the air (or maybe it was solely the wet concrete). Grasshoppers or crickets were amazingly singing their chirps in the air. Did they really expect to find mates in this weather? Or perhaps they were forecasting to the rest of the insect community. Rainy days were indeed here once more, with a lightning storm a few days ago at night. I wonder if my poor umbrella will the stand a chance against the torrent. Intermittently, a mechanical leaf raker swept up the leaves that I had only momentarily passed through. With a loud cacophony, it whisked the leaves into the pyramidal compartment, ready for use later on hopefully as compost.

Umbrellas and Trees

Observer: Estella Yee
Date: 11-3
Location: East of Waller Hall, stairwell beneath Grand Fir
Time: 1515-1530
Weather: Rainy, 50˚F

Seeking shelter beneath the spreading branches of a Grand Fir, I can not help but revel in the prowess and beauty of nature. Sitting on the steps donated to the college by the class of 1925, I stare at the marvelous fir that still stands for nearly a century. Grand indeed, the cones were large and hefty, pointing vertically upward, sitting upon the branches. A branch swung low over the entryway to the chapel, forming an arc to welcome the visitors. Few could find a drier spot on this drizzly day. Most people walk by either oblivious of the water pouring down their necks, snuggled within their cowls, or else holding their umbrella imperiously over their heads. It’s hard sometimes to appreciate nature for its ability to provide the same shelter. In this technologically laden world of today, trees are primarily seen as landscape ornaments. Rarely does a person cast aside their aluminum-nylon shield to bask in the brisk weather. That’s not to say, we should all strip and dance in the rain. Birds themselves are wise enough not to fly about too much in the rain, preferring rather to conserve their energy. they seek the warmth of their homes beneath the tree branches, a few, including the black-cap chickadees, singing their songs. The larger birds, most notably the American Black crows are the few species that hang out on tops of the buildings, cawing at one another from a distance. Flights are kept short. Speaking of flying, mayflies seem to enjoy my lunch, one landing directly onto my meal. As I left, I saw a flying insect that was intriguingly straight and narrow, like a stick, about 1.5 inches long and flying in such a way as to keep its body slanted at 45˚. Perhaps it was a damselfly?

 

2 October 2008

930 – 1000

Watching the mill stream on the grassy area in front of the University Center

This weekend the mill stream had been especially low. Not only are all the decorative rocks showing but the rocks on the bottom of the stream are all completely showing as if they were a beach of black rocks. Since the low level of water prevents the speed and current of the water flow, but since it rained this weekend many leaves fell from their trees. Anyway so the leaves are all in the mill steam and now sitting below their respective trees are able to be taken down the mill run. Another funny but borderline rude thing is how there are quite a few smashed pumpkins in the mill stream. 

28 October 2008

1400-1500

In the Willamette University Bistro

I am at the Bistro ‘people watching’. For a school afternoon the bistro is quite busy there are people occupying most every couch, chair or table. And the bistro staff is chatting amongst each other waiting for more customers to get their caffeine fix or what not. The people in the bistro all are either chatting quietly with friends in small groups of two or three huddled on the couches and chairs. There are also groups or single people that are attempting to study or read. 

 

1 November 2008

1300-1400

In a tree behind Smullin and Eaton Halls.

Today I moved into a tree well sort of. Essentially my friend a I decided that climbing trees was the necessary post Halloween activity. So we went to the lawn behind Eaton and Smullin hall, near the construction site. There we found the tree that we both had the inkling to climb for a while. One we arrived at the tree it out be absolutely impossible to climb! Which was most disappointing since the limbs of the tree seemed absolutely perfect to lay upon since the were so broad. Luckily with some thought process my friend and I went into Eaton and barrowed a chair. This way we were able to maneuver around the knobby trunk and get into the tree, by leaping onto the lowest branch from the chair.  Once in the tree the branches turns out to be perfect to lay upon!! I was able to lay all the way down and look up into the canopy of the tree. This was lovely because this tree still had most of its leaves. Yet there were soo many variations in the colors of leaves, looking up was like looking at a really complicated and sporadic tie-die. So after this experience I have decided that tree life my suit me quite well. 

30 October 2008

1600-1620

In the grassy area cornered by the chicken fountain and library.

There are leaves everywhere! This is much, much different than California! The change of seasons will never stop amazing me! Since it rained all the leaves are falling much more rapidly than they would have with out the weight of rainwater. So now they  are everywhere. It is interesting to see the sidewalk covered with them or the grass with a red blanket covering them. It is also so odd to see that some of the leaves are red while some stayed yellow. I guess I always had this idea the leaves went yellow then red, but apparently not. This shows how naïve I am towards ‘real’ fallness. The other odd part of fall is that one the leaves are gone from trees it is almost sad to see the trees all-leafless. They are kind of like bare skeletons or like empty shells of what had been in the summer. It is also really interesting to see how it takes longer for some trees to change color and loose their leaves than other trees. I’m really interested to see in the spring the progression of the leaves coming back and blossoming into the green trees that I am used to. 

27 October 2008

1230-1250

We are in a small park in Salem that we arrived at by fallowing the mill stream and are now sitting by a later part of the mill stream.

Today our class went on a nature walk along the millstream and ended up at another part of the mill stream that is a ways from campus. I’m pretty sure that we are somewhere near Pringle park.. Like yesterday the weather is surprisingly warm, so that today I am tempted to be in shorts again. Were I am sitting the millstream had been created into a crescent shape pond. Here there is not much of a current and many ducks have congregated here. This is nice to see since they are becoming more and more sparse near the Willamette campus. Here are about 12 ducks just floating and sleeping in this still part of the stream.  A few are constantly ducking below the surface looking for what I would assume to be food. There is one mallard that is attempting a nap but the slow current keeps bring him to the rocky edge of the pond. These creatures the more I observe them the more comical they become! They have such a playful air to them. There is something interesting about how peacefully they look above the water but under the water they are paddling incredibly hard.  

First November Post

Observer Name: Kaitlyn Rice
Date: 27 October 2008
Time: 1300 Hours
Location: Corner of Liberty and Trade Street
Weather: Sunny, slightly warm, probably close to 60 degrees
Duck’s Playground



For class today, we have ventured to the very end of the Mill Race. After traveling through cement and falling through waterfalls, the water finds itself pooled up in a very modern area. Cement ledges circle the pond and I find myself seated at the edge of one now, looking down below me into the water. The smell is less than desirable because the water is, other the water that that is falling down the waterfalls, sitting still. Leaves rest on the top of the water and some discarded cups and plastic bottles hide away in the corners of some of the cement nooks. Looking down below me, suspended between the walls, there are spider webs, 4 or 5 in a row all lined up. I hope those spiders can swim. Across the pond from me, sits Jane, the fall foliage in full color behind her. As I have been walking across campus for the past week or so, I have been dreading the time that these leaves all fall and we are left with only the bare branches. Anyway, my gaze follows the three male ducks that are in the pond now. I laugh as they go from side to side of the pond, wherever the people are in hopes of receiving a bite of food from the gazing people. When they decide to move upstream to the west, I turn my attention to other things. One thing I think about is how, even though there is an extremely busy street just in front of me, I have not noticed it until now. The sound of the water and the entertainment from the ducks has distracted me from the rushing traffic ahead. Jane has moved around the side of the pond and her and Estella are both behind me out of my view. Looking to my west, I spot the ducks again. Two of them are up on the side now and the final one is stuck below. I noticed that the loner in the water has no white band under the green on his neck and I wonder if it is because he is younger? After talking to my wonderful and brilliant Professor though, I find that it is because he is a hybrid bird, bred out of more domesticated females that do not produce great fliers. This lack of flying strength is demonstrated when he attempts to join his comrades on the cement bank a few feet above him. After trying to make the flight and while his friends just watched him fail, the duck finally gave up. Luckily for him, there was a miniature ramp built up alongside the cement wall that led from the water to the top of the bank. He was smarter than I would have given him credit for and he used this ramp to climb up to his friends.



Date: 30 October 2008
Time: 1330 Hours
Location: North side of the Mill Stream between Hatfield Library and Rogers Music Hall
Weather: Over cast and cold—fleece jacket weather
Never Want Fall to End



Before work I decided to leave my dorm early make a nature observation on my way over. This past week, with the exception of yesterday and today, has been beautiful—blue skies and perfect temperatures. Today calls for a fleece jacket and as I sit on the north side of the Mill Stream between the library and Rogers Music Hall, I wonder how the 3 ducks (2 males and 1 female) are not freezing. Adaptation I suppose. Growing just to my left (west of me), there are shards of grass spurting from the ground. Some of the widest pieces are more than an inch across, but they all have the same general shape—wide in the middle and coming to a sharp point at the top. The colors are brilliant, all different types of green, but it is not something that you would notice with just a glance. It would take a careful observer to really absorb the spectrum of green. I have been sitting here now for over 10 minutes and I just noticed the spider suspended among the plants leaves. It is not the spider commonly seen though because this one is much more petite with spindly legs that all stretch in front of it. One of the first things that I did notice though was that this plant has white strands fraying from it sides, as though it were shedding. I wonder why.
Looking about, my focus turns to a tree to my west. With half of its leaves green and the other half a gorgeous variation of red, orange and yellow, it just reminds me of how much I love fall. Looking up its branches, my gaze falls to one spot of leaves that are bunched together in one ball. My first thought on what it could be goes back to the Mistletoe that we saw on our nature walk last week. I then thought back to one of our first nature walks ever, when we went around Olin and found the squirrel’s nest. Perhaps that is what this is. Maybe I will have Greyson climb up there and find out for me. ☺

Date: 31 October 2008
Time: 1420 hours
Location: northwest corner of campus, on a bench snuggled in the corner of collins, facing the quad.
Weather: Overcast, has finished raining, sun is shining through the fog-like clouds
Halloween: Bumblebees, nests, and falling leaves





On the sidewalk in front of me, there are two moms walking. One of them holds a small child dressed up as a bumblebee—so adorable. As another family walks in the opposite direction towards them, they call out exchanges of “Happy Halloween!” to each other. Meanwhile, as I sit on the bench so picturesquely placed beneath two trees, leaves fall around me. They are red and there are thousands of them on the ground around me, especially behind me—a red sea, so to say. I had been thinking earlier about how much I wish that fall would never end, how I wish that the spectrum of leaves would stay on the trees forever just as they are. As I sit here now though, the leaves above me being half-way done with their shedding, I realize how awful that would be. Imagine how much we would miss if that were the case! There are all sorts of good things to be seen when the branches of the trees are barren, like the nest that is in the tree to my west right now. At the very top, there is a nest of some sort, a bundle of leaves all stuck there on the branch. To my east, a crow cries from the top of Waller Hall and then flies over my head. In the lawn in front of me, two squirrels jump back and forth in search of buried treasures. My inward thoughts wish them luck in their quest. A bit further down, there is a large tree with a dark brown trunk, but its leaves are a beautiful golden yellow color. It contrasts the red leaves of the tree in the foreground of my view. And look! A Caspian Tern has decided to grace the Willamette campus with his presence. What a magnificent animal ☺

Date: 1 November 2008
Time: 2030 Hours
Location: south side of Kaneko, sidewalk
Weather: Dark out, chilly, wet from previous rain
Sluggish Weather


The rain has been going on and off today. It would rain for a few minutes and be fairly breezy and then it would stop and I even wore my flip-flops outside to go on a trip to Quiznos. Now though, it is dark and I have on normal tennis shoes in place of the flip-flops. The ground is wet and I realize that this is the prime time to see worms and slugs on the sidewalks, sliding around and trying to find a place dryer than the ground that has absorbed all of the rain. As I am walking, I spot exactly what I was hoping to see. It is one of the largest slugs that I have seen, except for the Banana Slug that I saw at a horse show last summer in Sherwood. The one here, we shall call him Sammy, is maybe a little over 2 inches long. Sammy is an earthy color, maybe a slimy form of tan. I do not really know how to describe his color actually. His body is round and comes to an end in a tip. At the other end is Sammy’s head and it narrows to a flat spot and then has two antennae that stick out in separate directions. I wonder what Sammy eats. Perhaps it is fruit like the Banana slug. Either way, as I leave, I make sure to step over him and hope that he has a good evening.
Date: 2 November 2008
Time: 1000 Hours
Location: Deepwood Estate
Weather: Overcast, turned to rain eventually
Longest Day of my Life?
It could quite possibly have been the longest day of my life. No, actually, that is probably an exaggeration. It has however been a very exhausting day. I have just spent the past 5 hours of my life pulling ivy and blackberry bushes from the earth at the Deepwood Estate. It was not too much work until it started raining. That is when it was not as rewarding to dig through the fallen leaves to find the hidden ivy roots and pull them out. When that was rewarding though, I almost enjoyed doing it. I did wonder though about the disturbance we were causing. In the beginning, at 10 A.M., there were 5 of us, all trekking around in the leaves off the sides of the path. In the next hour there was one more of us making it 6 people that are walking around in the plants, trying to only take out the invasive species. Beneath all of the fallen and brown leaves, there are little curls of ferns trying to grow. Our coordinator, while leading us to our work space, had pointed to large patches of much larger ferns and said that once the ivy were gone, there would be more patches of ferns that would be able to grow. I had never seen ivy as an invasive species that would keep things from growing, but now that I know the plant much better, I understand. It is not just a plant with a few leaves that grow out of the ground. The roots spread across the ground; they do not grow deep into it. Digging into the leaves to reach the roots, I uncovered several things, most of which I did not want to find. I saw several different types of spiders today, the worst of which hitched a ride home on my pant leg and I did not discover the large, black spider until I was getting into the shower. I was definitely not pleased, to say the least. Anyway, there was also a pale white insect, a grasshopper or cricket that was not happy about my activities off the path. When I would pull up a root that would bring up the dry dirt underneath it, I would see many rolly-pollies, or Pillbugs I guess would be the technical term. There were also 3 miniature worms that I saw. They were like baby earth worms, all very active in the way that they would crawl around, lifting their heads (I assume it is their heads) in search of who knows what. Other things that I saw plenty of were mushrooms. There were the really round ones that had a tan background and then dark red spots all around it. The other kind that I saw were much more plain; they were a pale tan color and were flatter on their tops. I cannot tell which of the mushrooms they would be in my field guide and I do not see any like the round mushrooms in there.

11/01/08

Date: 11/01/08
Location: Baxter Hall
Time: 2100 hours
Weather: Cold and wet

It rained! Oh my gosh there was a little bit of thunder and everything!! It was so exciting! It was just *bang!* and rain! I love the rain so much. It's just so calming and so much fun at the same time. How does it affect someone so? I'm not sure but I sure do love it. Unfortunately, just as quickly as it started, it stopped. I'm not sure why it stopped. The rain I'm used to goes on for hours. Is it usually this short in Oregon? I'm still getting used to this weather huh? Oh well, you learn something new everyday right?

10/31/08

Date: 10/31/08
Location: Behind the Art Building
Time: 2000 Hours
Weather: Dark and cold

I'm walking downtown to get some stuff for my roomate and there are just so many leaves everywhere! I'm almost in disbelief. I had seen the trees around campus and I guess it must just be the doing of the grounds keepers that keep it so clean but i think they missed a spot! They must be an inch thick on the ground and I almost can't see the cement. It's really interesting but really quite annoying at the same time. They like to jump up and attach themselves to my pant legs and my shoes and I have to shake them off. I'm almost afraid to see how many leaves are going to fall because there are still so many left on the trees.