I visited my newly-found phenology spot a week ago.
What I found there was amazing--first, I saw two Snowshoe Hares bound away from
me. I walked farther back and flushed three Ruffed Grouse, then a
Short-tailed Weasel ran across the bog right in front of me. Without a
doubt, it was the highlight for me from the last two weeks I've spent at
Conserve School. I had my e-portfolio entry almost done. Then,
at the very last moment--Thursday afternoon--it changed.
I and five other students were atop the sledding
hill, admiring a sun positioned 20 degrees above the horizon
and shining through wispy clouds, set in a deep blue sky that belonged
somewhere farther west. We admired it until someone decided to go down
the hill on a tube. We couldn't help ourselves--we all followed
suit. When I reached the bottom, the scene struck me--it was
beautiful. Bird and Antonia stood at the top of the hill preparing to
sled down, two small figures outlined against the raw beauty of the winter
sky. It was a very powerful scene.
Too powerful to keep it to myself...
I took my camera out and started shooting away. I took
dozens of photos of Bird and Antonia on top of the hill. I looked around
for more subjects--grass outlined against the sun made a particularly good
subject. The top of a pine tree, the buds of a maple, the fence around
the gardens, the top of the warming shack... they all made great
subjects! I came away with hundreds of photos.
I already "Appreciate . . . the wonder of nature"
and "value fundamental, life-long connections with nature." What
I did with this experience was to find a creative way to express my
appreciation for nature. I learned that through creative photography, I
can convey my appreciation for nature to other people in a way that,
except for being right there with them, I can't do otherwise.
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