Observer: Eloise Bacher
Date: 7 October, 2008
Time: 1225-1240
Location: Bridge between Goudy and Smith.
Weather: Sunny, a slight breeze, some clouds.
I’ve see this Scrub Jay before, I think s/he was the one that screamed at me a few weeks ago in this spot, from the small twisted tree by Smith. Now he’s on top of the rock next to the bridge and the Mill Stream, alarming again. I can see bands on his left leg; one of them is red. I get out my camera, but s/he’s too quick for me and flies across the path and into a tree. S/he starts out low on the tree, but continues hopping up, in and out of sight, until I can’t hear or see hir anymore. It seems like s/he’s disappeared completely, but then I see hir at the top of a tree a little ways down the path. Then s/he flies away again, back into hir original tree. I circle around the tree to see if I can find hir, and two crows fly through the tree, heavily flapping their wings. The jay is on the ground on the other side of the stream, pecking at the dirt.
12 October 2008
Tyler Starr: 10/12 pm, Mill Stream between Library and Rogers
Tyler Starr
12 October 2008 from 1600-1615
Location: The northern bank of the Mill Stream between the library and Rogers
Weather: 60 ̊ F, mostly sunny, no wind
General: The feeling of fall is definitely in the air. The mallard ducks appear to have left. I saw one yesterday, but I have not seen any today. At the same time, squirrels and birds are rapidly foraging for food to make it through the winter months. Every day more and more color change in the plants is apparent. From where I am sitting, I can see many of the shrubs along the southern bank of the Mill Stream are beginning to change. Large deciduous trees are also beginning to change colors and shed leaves, as I see many leaves floating down the stream. Looking at the stream, I notice the tenacious weeds that cling to the bottom of the stream and sway with the current. I wonder what they do during the winter. Do they photosynthesize all year long? I don’t know if they are actually a plant, or just algae formations. I will wait and see what they do as fall progresses and the sun becomes weaker. There is one squirrel rustling among the bushes along Rogers, but besides that, there isn’t much wildlife out at this time. I see a spider web on the other side of the stream, but I cannot distinguish a spider among its creation.
Tyler Starr: 10/12 am, Walk along the North Side of Campus
Tyler Starr
12 October 2008 from 1200-1215
Location: A walk along the North side of campus from Belknap, between Smullin and Eaton, past the Star Trees, and North of the Art Building, and back
Weather: 53 ̊ F, no wind, mostly sunny skies, very autumn-like day
Willamette's Forest.
Leo Castillo
11 October 2008
Climate: Cold like 45 degrees.
Location: The new forest that Willamette perched for environmental science.
Well today coach decided to take the team out to this place and do the workout there. So we head to the Westside of Salem and the south towards the cost. So once we get their coach said, “don’t get out the road or you will get poison oak and you will itch.” Basically we did a hill workout that went around in a loop and we did tree loops. Oh and did I mentioned that is getting colder outside. This plant is a two tone colored plant, green in some leafs and other red, orange, yellow and it was everywhere out side the road all along the bushes. Not jus that but another factor that coach forgot to tell us about was that, I was hunting season. We saw a couple hunters and hared a couple shoots fired, the good thing was that some of us wear wearing bright colors. A little more info about poison oak, it’s related to poison ivy and the poison sumac. It has Urushoil, which means it gives you a rash and it’s caused by oil that can be active for five years.
11 October 2008
Climate: Cold like 45 degrees.
Location: The new forest that Willamette perched for environmental science.
Well today coach decided to take the team out to this place and do the workout there. So we head to the Westside of Salem and the south towards the cost. So once we get their coach said, “don’t get out the road or you will get poison oak and you will itch.” Basically we did a hill workout that went around in a loop and we did tree loops. Oh and did I mentioned that is getting colder outside. This plant is a two tone colored plant, green in some leafs and other red, orange, yellow and it was everywhere out side the road all along the bushes. Not jus that but another factor that coach forgot to tell us about was that, I was hunting season. We saw a couple hunters and hared a couple shoots fired, the good thing was that some of us wear wearing bright colors. A little more info about poison oak, it’s related to poison ivy and the poison sumac. It has Urushoil, which means it gives you a rash and it’s caused by oil that can be active for five years.
The Museum
Leo Castillo
10 October 2008
Climate: 56 Degrees
Location: Museum on Sate, Salem
Today for class Leo Castillo had a great idea, which was going over the museum after class discussion. As the class head over to the museum, I almost stepped on a baby squirrel that was on it’s one and looking for food. We played with them for a while, didn’t touch them because I just did want the to bite me. Anyways we arrived at the museum and went in explore and learned that the chain the ware around there neck was money.
10 October 2008
Climate: 56 Degrees
Location: Museum on Sate, Salem
Today for class Leo Castillo had a great idea, which was going over the museum after class discussion. As the class head over to the museum, I almost stepped on a baby squirrel that was on it’s one and looking for food. We played with them for a while, didn’t touch them because I just did want the to bite me. Anyways we arrived at the museum and went in explore and learned that the chain the ware around there neck was money.
Leo Castillo
9 October 2008
Climate: 55 Degrees
Location: Westside of the Stadium, Salem
While on a warm up for a workout, I looked over to my left as if you were headed left. Noticed that there was quite an amount of dry grass that was burned. It appears to have the same look of burned food, if you have ever burdened anything. The thing about burned grass is that it never burns completely there are some parts that don’t get burned and there are patched hear and there that aren’t burned and it jus looks dreadful. I don’t know what the point of burning grass in a public park like this would be. The good thing about this would be that they will clean it up and it still looks bad. I would probably not guess that they would do such thing out hear. My guess would be that they get some grass killer that will kill the grass and not make it look bad. The outside of the burdened area is still green and it seems that that had no damage what so ever. I will come over later and add some more to this observation and let you know how it looks after a couple of days. Later that week I went back to the same spot ante they some how managed to clean it up and make it look like if nothing happened.
Leo Castillo
Time: 3:00-3:30
8 October 2008
Climate: 62 degrees
Location: Hatfield Fountain, Salem
I walk by it every time I’m headed to work and never take time to notice and observe this work of art that is filled with water. Today is different I decided to go early to work and take some observations in this fountain. I take out my pen and notebook and let the pen write away. I notice that there is a huge boulder outside the fountain and it seem odd cause its just pout there and the rest are all in the fountain. This fountain has two eagle’s, a mama eagle and papa eagle the are on top of these boulders that are standing vertical to each other as you hit the top of both boulders you can see that the water runs down, somewhat like a water fall, the water fall’s and hit’s the rock in the middle of both. Today the fountain has water and it’s dark green and other day’s there is no water in the fountain. Just the other day it was blue which seems odd, and who knows it might be red next time. Last time I went by there was also a couple of middle school kids playing around it seems like there class was on a field trip.
Fall Stream
Leo Castillo
Time: 4:00-4:30
7 October 2008
Climate: 53 degrees
Location: Stream in the Westside of Salem.
Right after class my friend, and me headed to the Westside of Salem for an epic adventure. Actually we wear looking for a store that was located in that area and so we headed that way. Along the way we crossed a steam, the name of the stream was unknown. But something captures my attention and I had to get off my bike and take an observation of the stream. In this little stream there are leaf falling into the stream ant it just looked cool so I decided to check out some more. As you can see the whole fall colors are in the stream and with its clear water that fills the steam you can notice the leafs. The bright orange and light brown are some colors that you will notice in this stream. Also you can see the reflection of the trees if you look really close, another ting about this stream is that you can see that the water is kind of like looking into a window and you can see the mud and anything that lies beneath it. As we got back on our bikes and headed back, we decided to go back the dangerous way, which wasn’t the smartest. That way was going back on the main highway, which was riding for your life.
Collin's Observations Week 5
C.Jones
7 October 2008
Millstream
1423
The air is chilly to the point where you can almost see your breath. Hundreds of reflections dance on the surface of the dark water. Clumps of upturned grass liter the ground, I notice that the grass is rather green today. I can smell the rain in the brisk air, the clouds are pale, typical rain weather. Behind me, the needles of the trees have specs of gold on their tips. The water level of the stream has definitely risen since I was last here, although no ducks are present. The distant air seems almost misty, it seems a cold front is settling in. I can hear bird calls around me, perhaps they are announcing the weather. The rocks still seem submerged, and the river continues to flow.
www.acquapro.us/reflections.jpg
C.Jones
8 October 2008
Outside Shepard
1504
I see birds sitting in a tree above me. One just flew off over the building. The sunlight betrays the temperature, it is cold and windy. Te green plants look lazy as they just hang and move with the wind. Looking at the ground, I see a few ants scurrying across the concrete. The dirt looks damp, perfect for an ant colony. Some of the leaves are cup shaped, perfect for holding rain drops. Some of the leaves are brown and crusted, a mark of the recent humidity in the air. I can hear a crow calling in the air. The sun creates dancing shadows on the ground. A grey squirrel just ran up to me and then into a nearby bush. Maybe it's going to its home.
http://i.treehugger.com/images/2007/10/24/bird%20in%20a%20tree-jj-001.jpg
C.Jones
9 October 2008
Millstream
1400
The air is very cold outside and the sky is pale. The flowing water is dark in the stream and the rocks seem chipped. The grass here has a lot of yellow leaves sprawled over it and the trees behind me look extra green today. There is a sort of mist in the air and I can feel a few rain drops coming down. I notice clover shaped leaves in the grass and I hear a crow call overhead. You can almost see you breath in the air, it is also slightly windy with the occasional cold breeze. I think I saw a bird out of the corner of my eye behind me and I heard a call in the trees. The air becomes less frigid as the sun comes up.
koti.welho.com/ivilkki/dark%20water.jpg
C.Jones
10 October 2008
Brown Field
1025
The sun is high in the sky and the air is cold and frigid. The green field is covered in brown leaves signifying fall. The field looks like it's alive as the leaves turn in the wind. I can see a pale sky far away to my left and a clear sky straight ahead of me. The field looks fairly traversed and I notice a bug resembling a dragonfly crawling below me. A clump of bushes 40 yards ahead of me seems to make the perfect home for the grey squirrels I often see running around this area.
C.Jones
12 October 2008
Outside Shepard
1419
The air is cool and there is little wind outside. I can see a lot of ants scurrying around to my right, their nest must be somewhere around here. The rows of plants look particularly green and dense all clumped together. It almost looks like a wall. Right ahead of me is a mound of very fertile looking soil, it's black and overturned, possibly the entrance to the ant colony. The rest of the soil around it looks brown and crusted. I can hear birds calling overhead, they are probably perched in one of the nearby trees.
7 October 2008
Millstream
1423
The air is chilly to the point where you can almost see your breath. Hundreds of reflections dance on the surface of the dark water. Clumps of upturned grass liter the ground, I notice that the grass is rather green today. I can smell the rain in the brisk air, the clouds are pale, typical rain weather. Behind me, the needles of the trees have specs of gold on their tips. The water level of the stream has definitely risen since I was last here, although no ducks are present. The distant air seems almost misty, it seems a cold front is settling in. I can hear bird calls around me, perhaps they are announcing the weather. The rocks still seem submerged, and the river continues to flow.
www.acquapro.us/
C.Jones
8 October 2008
Outside Shepard
1504
I see birds sitting in a tree above me. One just flew off over the building. The sunlight betrays the temperature, it is cold and windy. Te green plants look lazy as they just hang and move with the wind. Looking at the ground, I see a few ants scurrying across the concrete. The dirt looks damp, perfect for an ant colony. Some of the leaves are cup shaped, perfect for holding rain drops. Some of the leaves are brown and crusted, a mark of the recent humidity in the air. I can hear a crow calling in the air. The sun creates dancing shadows on the ground. A grey squirrel just ran up to me and then into a nearby bush. Maybe it's going to its home.
http://i.treehugger.com/images/2007/10/24/bird%20in%20a%20tree-jj-001.jpg
C.Jones
9 October 2008
Millstream
1400
The air is very cold outside and the sky is pale. The flowing water is dark in the stream and the rocks seem chipped. The grass here has a lot of yellow leaves sprawled over it and the trees behind me look extra green today. There is a sort of mist in the air and I can feel a few rain drops coming down. I notice clover shaped leaves in the grass and I hear a crow call overhead. You can almost see you breath in the air, it is also slightly windy with the occasional cold breeze. I think I saw a bird out of the corner of my eye behind me and I heard a call in the trees. The air becomes less frigid as the sun comes up.
koti.welho.com/ivilkki/
C.Jones
10 October 2008
Brown Field
1025
The sun is high in the sky and the air is cold and frigid. The green field is covered in brown leaves signifying fall. The field looks like it's alive as the leaves turn in the wind. I can see a pale sky far away to my left and a clear sky straight ahead of me. The field looks fairly traversed and I notice a bug resembling a dragonfly crawling below me. A clump of bushes 40 yards ahead of me seems to make the perfect home for the grey squirrels I often see running around this area.
C.Jones
12 October 2008
Outside Shepard
1419
The air is cool and there is little wind outside. I can see a lot of ants scurrying around to my right, their nest must be somewhere around here. The rows of plants look particularly green and dense all clumped together. It almost looks like a wall. Right ahead of me is a mound of very fertile looking soil, it's black and overturned, possibly the entrance to the ant colony. The rest of the soil around it looks brown and crusted. I can hear birds calling overhead, they are probably perched in one of the nearby trees.
Observation Oct 12
Phil Colburn
12 October 2008
Weather: clear
1350-1410 pm
Location: Behind Smith on the edge of the Mill Stream
I am sitting behind Smith looking across the Millstream towards the UC. People constantly pass in front of me even though it is a Sunday afternoon, and most people are still in bed being lazy. I am sitting right next to the sculpture of the impossible triangle. The sculpture is a very interesting exercise in perspective. Because I am sitting next to it, it just looks like 3 unrelated beams. However, to somebody standing across the millstream, it looks exactly like the impossible triangle. Unfortunately, I was unable to spot any wildlife of note, other than the omnipresent algae in the millstream.
12 October 2008
Weather: clear
1350-1410 pm
Location: Behind Smith on the edge of the Mill Stream
I am sitting behind Smith looking across the Millstream towards the UC. People constantly pass in front of me even though it is a Sunday afternoon, and most people are still in bed being lazy. I am sitting right next to the sculpture of the impossible triangle. The sculpture is a very interesting exercise in perspective. Because I am sitting next to it, it just looks like 3 unrelated beams. However, to somebody standing across the millstream, it looks exactly like the impossible triangle. Unfortunately, I was unable to spot any wildlife of note, other than the omnipresent algae in the millstream.
Observation Oct 11
Phil Colburn
11 October 2008
Weather: clear
Location: The Star Trees
Time: 2300-2320 hours
I decided to come hang out at the Star trees late on Saturday night, in hope of possibly seeing some nocturnal animals. Most of the time I was out there I didn’t see anything, but just as I was about to leave, I saw a raccoon that was crossing the street in front of the state capital. It crossed onto the lawn near the star trees, but when I moved, it sprinted into the nearest bushes, and knowing about the vicious and possibly rabid nature of cornered raccoons, I made a prudent exit.
Picture courtesy of http://www.acm.vt.edu/~clint/download/imagedump/raccoon-by-nal_miama-at-flickr-275356843_bba2ef0ab1.jpg
11 October 2008
Weather: clear
Location: The Star Trees
Time: 2300-2320 hours
I decided to come hang out at the Star trees late on Saturday night, in hope of possibly seeing some nocturnal animals. Most of the time I was out there I didn’t see anything, but just as I was about to leave, I saw a raccoon that was crossing the street in front of the state capital. It crossed onto the lawn near the star trees, but when I moved, it sprinted into the nearest bushes, and knowing about the vicious and possibly rabid nature of cornered raccoons, I made a prudent exit.
Picture courtesy of http://www.acm.vt.edu/~clint/download/imagedump/raccoon-by-nal_miama-at-flickr-275356843_bba2ef0ab1.jpg
Observation Oct 10
Phil Colburn
10 October 2008
Weather: Clear
Location: The garden next to Gatke Hall
Time: 1130-1150 hours
I’m sitting in on the lawn next to the Gatke hall building just behind Baxter. There is a small bush with both red and green leaves next to me. I hear a call that sounds like a scrub jay. However, I can’t locate the bird visually. In any case there are several animals around Gatke. Since Gatke is practically a deserted building, this proves that it isn’t the architecture that scares away the animals, as I hypothesized before, but the actual people that scare away the animals. Thus, much of human structures could be abandoned and the animals and plants would take it back over fairly quickly. Just as an unrelated sidenote- the scene of the abandoned city being taken over by plants in the beginning was really cool to see.
Picture courtesy of http://sdakotabirds.com/species_photos/photos/western_scrub_jay_1.jpg
10 October 2008
Weather: Clear
Location: The garden next to Gatke Hall
Time: 1130-1150 hours
I’m sitting in on the lawn next to the Gatke hall building just behind Baxter. There is a small bush with both red and green leaves next to me. I hear a call that sounds like a scrub jay. However, I can’t locate the bird visually. In any case there are several animals around Gatke. Since Gatke is practically a deserted building, this proves that it isn’t the architecture that scares away the animals, as I hypothesized before, but the actual people that scare away the animals. Thus, much of human structures could be abandoned and the animals and plants would take it back over fairly quickly. Just as an unrelated sidenote- the scene of the abandoned city being taken over by plants in the beginning was really cool to see.
Picture courtesy of http://sdakotabirds.com/species_photos/photos/western_scrub_jay_1.jpg
Observation Oct 9
Phil Colburn
9 October 2008
Weather: cloudy
Time: 1100-1120 hours
Location: Sparks Field
I went down to the Sparks field today to see if I could find any sort of wildlife that lived on the field. However, all I found was the grass that naturally grew on the field. It seems that all of the animals around here tend to avoid any areas where there are consistently large groupings of people. Of course, this makes sense, but I was thinking at least birds would come around to these places where people congregate. This makes the hazard of human expansion encroaching on the natural habitat of animals abundantly clear. We need to protect places like Bush park and Minto Brown park from the expansion of humans.
9 October 2008
Weather: cloudy
Time: 1100-1120 hours
Location: Sparks Field
I went down to the Sparks field today to see if I could find any sort of wildlife that lived on the field. However, all I found was the grass that naturally grew on the field. It seems that all of the animals around here tend to avoid any areas where there are consistently large groupings of people. Of course, this makes sense, but I was thinking at least birds would come around to these places where people congregate. This makes the hazard of human expansion encroaching on the natural habitat of animals abundantly clear. We need to protect places like Bush park and Minto Brown park from the expansion of humans.
Observation Oct 8
Phil Colburn
8 October 2008
Time: 1520-1540 hours
Weather: Cloudy
Location: Rose Garden behind Eaton
Today I decided to go to the Rose garden behind Eaton. There were many different kinds of roses there, and I even saw one or two bumblebees, which is unusual because not only is this not the proper season for bumblebees, as they tend to die quickly when outside the hive in the cold, but bumblebees are also just getting rarer and rarer in the world in general for unknown reasons. Hopefully we can figure out what the problems with these bumblebee are, how we can get them back into the world at large and save them from extinction.
Picture Courtesy of http://sarahmeyerwalsh.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/honeybee.jpg
8 October 2008
Time: 1520-1540 hours
Weather: Cloudy
Location: Rose Garden behind Eaton
Today I decided to go to the Rose garden behind Eaton. There were many different kinds of roses there, and I even saw one or two bumblebees, which is unusual because not only is this not the proper season for bumblebees, as they tend to die quickly when outside the hive in the cold, but bumblebees are also just getting rarer and rarer in the world in general for unknown reasons. Hopefully we can figure out what the problems with these bumblebee are, how we can get them back into the world at large and save them from extinction.
Picture Courtesy of http://sarahmeyerwalsh.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/honeybee.jpg
11 October 2008
Baby Squirrels-10-11-2008
Time: 1215-1245
Date: 11 October 2008
Climate: about 52 degrees, clear
Location: Almost to State Street on Winter Street
I was telling some friends about the baby squirrels that we saw on our way to the Museum with our class. They were all so intrigued by the fact that we were petting and holding baby squirrels that they wanted to as well. We got to the same place as we were with class almost to state street but still on winter street. I saw one baby squirrel start to come out of a little bush. It is the bush that i think their nest is in. Every time they get scared or nervous they seem to run towards that one particular bush. We walked very quietly, relaxed, and slowly. The baby just stared at us. After scoping out the area we noticed another near the tree closest to the road. We managed to pet the one on the tree and it stay for a second and then bolted. It is so interesting to watch these tiny creatures because they are so unsure about everything. They are not sure what to make of us humans. They are timid and nervous but they are still not smart enough to stay away from humans. The adult squirrels are very fast but these babies are so slow and unsteady on their feet. They stumble and climb up the trees but their climbing is very rough. It is not a straight shot of the tree, it is more choppy and not smooth. It is so cool to watch because when you watch a baby grow up it is like seeing something that you know will eventually be an adult in the world and that is how these squirrels are. They will someday be off on their own fending for themselves but now they are still babies that have so much to learn.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/44/138589413_46455c939c.jpg?http://www.wunderground.com/history/airport/KSLE/2008/10/11/DailyHistory.html?req_city=NA&req_state=NA&req_statename=NA
talking a late night/super early morning walk- 10-11-2008
Time: 0130-0230
Date: 11 October 2008
Climate: 35 degrees, SO cold
Location: mill stream to riverfront park
Its about 1:30 in the morning and i am walking with some friends around campus. We are walking along the side of the mill stream closest to the UC center. There are Mallards in the water squawking very loudly but it is too dark to see if they are male or female. There are 2 under a tree and that is it. There are a few people walking and talking around the stream but for the most part it is deserted. We decided to walk to riverfront park even though it is freezing cold out. While we are walking through Salem we notice a big group of people walking and screaming at each other. We quickly took a detour and went down another street to avoid any unnecessary drama. When we got to Riverfront Park the first thing we see are flashing lights. There are people having light saber fights that they were very intense about. They soon saw us and tried to get us in on their games but we were uninterested. We walked down a path and went towards the giant globe. We went to where our class was when we came here and hung out by the water. I lied down and looked up into the sky. At first i couldn't see any stars but then when my eyes adjusted and i looked very hard i could see some. I love to look at the stars because I know that my friends back home are looking at the same sky just in a different place. There is a sense of comfort in that. When i was in Africa i would always look at the sky and find the big dipper and for some reason i felt closer to home just because i could see it at home and in Africa.
http://www.wunderground.com/history/airport/KSLE/2008/10/11/DailyHistory.html?req_city=NA&req_state=NA&req_statename=NA
car in the mill stream? 10-10-08
Time:1810-1845
Date: 10 October 2008
Climate: 50 degrees, chilly, but clear out
Location: Mill stream next to Goudy Commons
On my way to dinner on friday night i heard screeching and and bang. I look over and there is a car on its side in the mill stream. The driver had been trying to get away from the police apparently for bank fraud. He saw himself going strait into the mill stream so he leaped out and ran across campus, ultimately getting caught. While this is all very exciting and crazy it also sparked thoughts in my mind about whether or not this would potentially effect the mill stream as a whole. Will this put chemicals into the mill stream that could hurt it? would it change the PH of the water and kill whatever wildlife is living there? This could be very dangerous to things living in the mill stream. If the car leaks fluid into the stream like gasoline, this would definitely effect the wildlife in e negative way. Anything that isn't good to touch would not be good for fish and birds eating things out of the stream. If the car is taken out fast enough then maybe the negative effects wouldn't be so bad, but any amount of gasoline could be harmful. It would definitely be a good idea to make sure that the water is tested and treated if something is wrong. It would not be good if this had long term effects on the mill stream.
http://www.wunderground.com/history/airport/KSLE/2008/10/10/DailyHistory.html?req_city=NA&req_state=NA&req_statename=NA
Environmental Science class-10-10-2008
Time: 0937-1000
Date: 10 October 2008
Climate:45 degrees, cold, overcast
Location: end of the mill stream in between law buildings
For my environmental science class we were assigned a field book writing assignment about the restoration of the mill stream. Kaitlyn and i went to the very end of the Mill stream to observe and saw some very interesting things. We walked there and there is a waterfall. I did not remember ever seeing a waterfall however it is quite obvious due to its size and the noise it makes. It is loud, and has rushing water flowing very quickly over it. It is interesting to me that the stream is so fast here because in some spots it is almost completely still. There are many many pine trees around, and huge oak trees towering above me. There is a grate at the end of the stream so i cant see where the water exactly goes when it gets to this point. The roads pick up and that is all you can see. I picked up a bunch of different pine cones to try and identify them and figure out which came from what tree but i was unsuccessful. There are a lot of different leaves on the ground, varying a bit in shape and size. The ground is covered with acorns, pine cones, and fallen leaves that are all a dull brown. They are all dead on the ground but the trees around me still seem healthy. This part of the mill stream seems very rustic but when you walk towards the law buildings, it looks more and more taken care of, and logistically planned and thought out. I like this area more because it really feels like nature as opposed to the non native plants and flowers that are put to brighten the area.
http://www.wunderground.com/history/airport/KSLE/2008/10/10/DailyHistory.html?req_city=NA&req_state=NA&req_statename=NA
Japanese Garden- 10-9-08
Time: 1353-1417
Date: 9 October 2008
Climate: chilly, 52 degrees, warmer in the sun
Location: Japanese Garden between Olin Science building and the Art Building
I am sitting in the Japanese Garden studying for a philosophy test when i realized how different the garden looks already compared to just a few weeks ago. Before the garden was full of vibrant colors and rich green plants. Already the plants are beginning to wilt and not look as lively. I cannot pick a specific plant to have changed the most but as a whole the garden is not as alive. It may be due to the surroundings of the garden but it really feels different from before. I see nobody walking around which was the same as it was before but this time it is almost a dreary feel as opposed to a serene one. I love the summer and early fall but now the weather is beginning to become depressing. The rain does make everything brighter when it is sunny but for a majority of the time, there isn't sun. Today it is nice, and not too cold, but it will get much colder, very soon. I like the cold, but the wet cold that makes it nearly impossible to get warm is not fun. It sends a chill through your body all day that you can't get rid of. While i am sitting here i realize how much the weather can effect one place. I used to love sitting here, and came for a relaxing place to study and yet i am so distracted by the completely different feel that this garden now has.
October 6-12
Observer Name: Kaitlyn Rice
Date: 7 October 2008
Time: 1030 hours
Weather: Partly cloudy, chilllllly
Location: At the Mill Stream where it meets Winter Street
Tuesday Morning at the Mill Stream
I always debate with myself about what I should do on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. I do not have any classes on these days and do not have to be at work until either 2 or 2:30 in the afternoon. Do I sleep in and waste half of my day? Or do I actually do something with my life and get out of bed and complete some work? This morning I definitely decided that it would be best to get out of bed. By the time that I got around, I was at my destination by about 10:30. Not too bad. I like this spot because it sort of is contradictory in a physical sense. The stream meets Winter Street in a perpendicular fashion and the two just do not mix well. Anyway, leaning over the green rail, I begin my observation of the area around me while cars pass behind my back. Leaves cover the ground completely. The only things coming out of it are a type of plant with a waxy leaf shaped almost like a bird’s feather. The branches twist up and out of the earth to be about 3 feet tall. The other plant that grows up out of the earth and the leaves is the tree that the leaves fell from. It does not seem to be too old, compared to some of the other trees on campus. Its bark is a gray color and has some moss growing on it randomly in spots. The branches stretch in all directions, over me and over the Mill Stream.
Date: 9 October 2008
Time: 1300 Hours
Weather: cool breeze and the sun is shining through a partly cloudy sky
Location: Below my room on Kaneko grounds
A Closer Follow-up
This is round two of observing the Kaneko ground around me. Last week, I made an observation from my balcony of the ground below it. Today, I have gone downstairs to observe these plants up close. Before I even got to the plants that I observed last week though, I stepped out of the door and was automatically distracted. As I was walking towards the plants, just before them, I saw a spider web and started to write about it. Strung between the branches of a tree and the tops of a bush of flowers, I wondered why the spider chose this spot as its home. It seems that it is not the most secure of places and I would expect it to be more in the corner of the building or something. Then again, I suppose that more food would fly through this way than into the corner of Kaneko. There was no spider in the web and it made me wonder again about where they go when they are not in their homes. It is not really something that I seriously want to consider. Anyway, my eyes went from the top of the web to where it was connected in the tree, up the branch, and onto something quite curious. Was it a berry? I could not say how many times I had walked past these trees and never noticed any sort of berry on them. They were almost the size of a ping-pong ball—slightly smaller. They were a strawberry red and hung from about a 3 inch stem. The peculiar thing about them is that there are tiny thorn-like objects sticking out randomly around the object. I was afraid to touch it, but figured the thorns were not too large. As I did touch it, I was not harmed (not too badly ☺) and I squeezed it together to see if it was hard. It was not and felt as though there was some sort of meaty-inside to it. How cool!
Date: 10 October 2008
Time: 0930 Hours
Weather: Overcast, cool
Location: Very west end of the Mill Stream on Grad School campus
The End of the Mill Stream
Jane and I have traveled to the very end of the Mill Stream where it meets a less than desirable end. After traveling down a cement canal, it plunges down about a 4 foot waterfall and back into a more natural setting. The bank on the south slopes steeply down and is covered with a layer of ivy. On the north side, the side that I am sitting on, the bank slopes more gently down and is instead covered in grass. There are also tons of acorns all around me from the trees that span overhead. Jane is sitting at the edge of the road where it goes over the stream. Below her is a grate that is there to stop anything that does not belong in Pringle Creek from entering. There is a white, plastic bag that is stuck in it. Looking up the stream, back to the east, I look back at the waterfall. It really is very pretty, even if it is man-made. In the corner closest to the south side of the bank though, I notice a green, plastic pop bottle. It sort of bobs around in the quiet corner and then forward into the rapids where it is pushed back into the corner again. I wonder what it would take for the bottle to be removed. Could it eventually make its way out, or would it take human intervention to stop it from its dead-end journey?
Date: 11 October 2008
Time: 1149 Hours
Weather: Sunny but crisp outside
Location: Objects found at the end of the Kaneko bridge, but am now sitting on the west side of the Kaneko apartments
It’s Time for your Close-up!
For my observation today, I grabbed two different pinecones. They were different in both size and development. It is a gorgeous day outside with not a cloud in site and a cool crisp in the air (perfect football weather!). I wanted to observe, instead of an entire place, just one object and note some details about this object. My first pinecone is the larger one. It is fanned open in that classic depiction of a pinecone and everything about it is completely symmetrical. The tops of each separate part are a light brown color, but there is a hint of the green that the pinecone used to be. Just below where the light brown ends, there is a band of a more reddish-brown color. It is very thin and where it ends, the rest of the part is a dark brown, almost a black. Looking at the cone, I find trapped inside a pine needle and a white fuzzy thing. For the most part, when holding the cone, I find that it is smooth to the touch.
My next pinecone is smaller in size and is not developed enough to have spanned out like the other one. Because it is not open, I cannot see the different colors inside of it and it appears to be the one, light brown color. The cone is not as easy to hold and I would not squeeze it as it is pointy to touch. Despite the fact that this pinecone is smaller, it still seems to be slightly heavier than the open cone.
Date: 11 October 2008
Time: 1640 Hours
Weather: Sunny, actually maybe warm? Slightly ☺
Location: Walking along Bellevue Street
Quick Observations
I was walking back from the football game and was taking in some of the trees that lined Bellevue Street. They were young, especially compared to other trees on campus. My biggest question was why the moss grew on them so randomly. What makes a place a good place for moss to grow?
Date: 7 October 2008
Time: 1030 hours
Weather: Partly cloudy, chilllllly
Location: At the Mill Stream where it meets Winter Street
Tuesday Morning at the Mill Stream
I always debate with myself about what I should do on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. I do not have any classes on these days and do not have to be at work until either 2 or 2:30 in the afternoon. Do I sleep in and waste half of my day? Or do I actually do something with my life and get out of bed and complete some work? This morning I definitely decided that it would be best to get out of bed. By the time that I got around, I was at my destination by about 10:30. Not too bad. I like this spot because it sort of is contradictory in a physical sense. The stream meets Winter Street in a perpendicular fashion and the two just do not mix well. Anyway, leaning over the green rail, I begin my observation of the area around me while cars pass behind my back. Leaves cover the ground completely. The only things coming out of it are a type of plant with a waxy leaf shaped almost like a bird’s feather. The branches twist up and out of the earth to be about 3 feet tall. The other plant that grows up out of the earth and the leaves is the tree that the leaves fell from. It does not seem to be too old, compared to some of the other trees on campus. Its bark is a gray color and has some moss growing on it randomly in spots. The branches stretch in all directions, over me and over the Mill Stream.
Date: 9 October 2008
Time: 1300 Hours
Weather: cool breeze and the sun is shining through a partly cloudy sky
Location: Below my room on Kaneko grounds
A Closer Follow-up
This is round two of observing the Kaneko ground around me. Last week, I made an observation from my balcony of the ground below it. Today, I have gone downstairs to observe these plants up close. Before I even got to the plants that I observed last week though, I stepped out of the door and was automatically distracted. As I was walking towards the plants, just before them, I saw a spider web and started to write about it. Strung between the branches of a tree and the tops of a bush of flowers, I wondered why the spider chose this spot as its home. It seems that it is not the most secure of places and I would expect it to be more in the corner of the building or something. Then again, I suppose that more food would fly through this way than into the corner of Kaneko. There was no spider in the web and it made me wonder again about where they go when they are not in their homes. It is not really something that I seriously want to consider. Anyway, my eyes went from the top of the web to where it was connected in the tree, up the branch, and onto something quite curious. Was it a berry? I could not say how many times I had walked past these trees and never noticed any sort of berry on them. They were almost the size of a ping-pong ball—slightly smaller. They were a strawberry red and hung from about a 3 inch stem. The peculiar thing about them is that there are tiny thorn-like objects sticking out randomly around the object. I was afraid to touch it, but figured the thorns were not too large. As I did touch it, I was not harmed (not too badly ☺) and I squeezed it together to see if it was hard. It was not and felt as though there was some sort of meaty-inside to it. How cool!
Date: 10 October 2008
Time: 0930 Hours
Weather: Overcast, cool
Location: Very west end of the Mill Stream on Grad School campus
The End of the Mill Stream
Jane and I have traveled to the very end of the Mill Stream where it meets a less than desirable end. After traveling down a cement canal, it plunges down about a 4 foot waterfall and back into a more natural setting. The bank on the south slopes steeply down and is covered with a layer of ivy. On the north side, the side that I am sitting on, the bank slopes more gently down and is instead covered in grass. There are also tons of acorns all around me from the trees that span overhead. Jane is sitting at the edge of the road where it goes over the stream. Below her is a grate that is there to stop anything that does not belong in Pringle Creek from entering. There is a white, plastic bag that is stuck in it. Looking up the stream, back to the east, I look back at the waterfall. It really is very pretty, even if it is man-made. In the corner closest to the south side of the bank though, I notice a green, plastic pop bottle. It sort of bobs around in the quiet corner and then forward into the rapids where it is pushed back into the corner again. I wonder what it would take for the bottle to be removed. Could it eventually make its way out, or would it take human intervention to stop it from its dead-end journey?
Date: 11 October 2008
Time: 1149 Hours
Weather: Sunny but crisp outside
Location: Objects found at the end of the Kaneko bridge, but am now sitting on the west side of the Kaneko apartments
It’s Time for your Close-up!
For my observation today, I grabbed two different pinecones. They were different in both size and development. It is a gorgeous day outside with not a cloud in site and a cool crisp in the air (perfect football weather!). I wanted to observe, instead of an entire place, just one object and note some details about this object. My first pinecone is the larger one. It is fanned open in that classic depiction of a pinecone and everything about it is completely symmetrical. The tops of each separate part are a light brown color, but there is a hint of the green that the pinecone used to be. Just below where the light brown ends, there is a band of a more reddish-brown color. It is very thin and where it ends, the rest of the part is a dark brown, almost a black. Looking at the cone, I find trapped inside a pine needle and a white fuzzy thing. For the most part, when holding the cone, I find that it is smooth to the touch.
My next pinecone is smaller in size and is not developed enough to have spanned out like the other one. Because it is not open, I cannot see the different colors inside of it and it appears to be the one, light brown color. The cone is not as easy to hold and I would not squeeze it as it is pointy to touch. Despite the fact that this pinecone is smaller, it still seems to be slightly heavier than the open cone.
Date: 11 October 2008
Time: 1640 Hours
Weather: Sunny, actually maybe warm? Slightly ☺
Location: Walking along Bellevue Street
Quick Observations
I was walking back from the football game and was taking in some of the trees that lined Bellevue Street. They were young, especially compared to other trees on campus. My biggest question was why the moss grew on them so randomly. What makes a place a good place for moss to grow?
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