Seeing is Believing....

This week's phenology assignment was harder than I anticipated....I guess I never realized just how important my sense of sight was in my appreciation and understanding of my place.


The boardwalk is gorgeous- a feast for the eyes if you will. You have beautiful, blue Lake Champlain set to the literally breathtaking backdrop of the Adirondack Mountains, all set within the City of Burlington, which I find aesthetically appealing in itself. Sense of sight is beyond important to my perception of my place, so having to depend on my other senses for this assignment was definitely interesting.

Firstly, today is March 29th. Spring has begun and April is but just a day of two away. WHY in the world is it still snowing?! I asked myself this question as I looked out my bedroom window and nearly cried, knowing I would have to go bear the cold outdoors. With this being said, the temperature was something I clearly noted this fine morning as I walked the boardwalk. I was frigid! I guess my body just can't handle the constant fluctuation in temperature that seems to be happening daily and I was overwhelmed by the snowflakes falling overhead. The snow wasn't coming down in mass quantities, but even the little amount that was falling was too much for me.

I had a hard time tasting my place, as there isn't too much matter I would enjoy putting in my mouth down by the boardwalk. I did tilt my head back in the air to catch a snowflake or two in my mouth, but that was short lived as a result of my chilliness. As far as sounds as concerned, I heard a few bird chirps and maybe a few people down by the boardwalk, but I'm sure the weather was discouraging to most living things today.

Experiencing different textures at the boardwalk was probably one of the easier tasks of the day. Rough tree bark, wet railings at the overlook point, moist ground in the park area behind the boardwalk, and the perpetual cool, bumpy feeling the sitting rocks offer were all fun to experience. Doing this reminded me how much fun it is to touch stuff- I feel like I sometimes forget and get lost in this 'look, but don't touch mentality'. Next time I come back to my place, I'm going to make it point to touch as many things as possible!

The smells at my place were also interesting to focus on, because although I would say I have a good sense of smell, it mostly gets put to work at the times I am either smelling something very distinct, or am close in physical proximity to a person or thing. Dampness of soil was a smell I was able to pick up on, especially on the grassy park area behind the boardwalk. Also when I leaned close enough, I was able to notice the decaying elderberries from last season had a slight smell. Next time I visit, when it isn't snowing and making me crestfallen, I'm also going to focus on picking up on more smells.