What a day...for poems.

This week's phenology assignment couldn't have surfaced on a more appropriate day for me personally.

I awoke in a jolly mood, despite the rain, which I happen to like a lot for some reason. But while in my first class, before visiting my place, I found out a friend I knew from home passed away this morning. He was only 19 years old. I've found myself wallowing in the reality of human mortality all day. Going to my spot helped- it gave me some time to think to myself and to reflect on the unpredictability of life. My place on the boardwalk helped me conceptualize the loss of life through the lens of nature, which was and is really beneficial. It makes you realize that all living things die- it is inevitable. And although the hard times are hard, that just makes the good times all the more special. I ended up writing a haiku about how my place made me feel today while thinking about the loss of my friend. The events of today also made me think about my life and how blessed I am. I thought about my memories with friends and family, the things I've gotten to do in my life, and the things I'll get to do in the future if I'm lucky enough.

This week's poetry assignment was really therapeutic for me, and I really enjoyed it. It let me connect with my place on a newer, and even deeper, level.

I have to ask: How can one place make a person feel so many emotions?! And recall so many memories?! It is amazing. Here are a couple haikus I wrote, plus ten words that jump to mind when I ponder my place...


Does it end?


The lake seems serene. 
Touched by rain drops, and not tears. 
Is that how he feels?

For the first time


A veil of sunshine
Warms me from the inside out
Here, in my new home. 

• Solitary
• Indelible
• Warm
• Expansive
• Connected
• Awe-Inspiring
• Bustling
• Alive
• Accesible
• Ever-Changing

Leafing through the Layers

Using the Burlington.kmz file to check out the layers of my place via Google Earth, I noted a few things:

~Firstly, the parcels option showed me how the area around my place is divided, and it is much like I expected! The property begins in the middle of the rotary area near where the pier and boardwalk starts. The Boardwalk property extends along the bike path, which I also expected, however not quite as far as the parcels image depicted. I was interested to see that the Boardwalk property also included the little sandy area at the start of the boardwalk where you can enter the lake and dip your feet! I suppose this makes sense though, considering it can be thought of as land and not necessarily part of the lake itself.

~Secondly, the contour option showed me where the land at my spot dips and shapes in different ways. The park area has land that is contoured, but the boardwalk is obviously level and flat considering it was designed and constructed. Going to my spot you can tell that the park land is a bit uneven in spots, so the contours of the land are visible in many ways, although the park area that is part of my overall place is pretty level relatively speaking. However, because I am inexperienced with the Google Earth application we used, I'm not exactly sure what the contour lines indicate, other than that they are measured in feet. I hope to learn more about this app for future reference though!

~The results of the remainder of the application options were pretty redundant. The census block data came up nonexistent for my place because it is public property and no one lives there (at least as their permanent address!). The hydrology of my place showed up as Lake Champlain, which was entirely predictable. There are no other water sources nearby. The historic map option was completely off!! The lines drawn by the historic map did not line up with the contemporary map in any way shape or form. They appeared to indicate a street was where Lake Champlain was, which I highly doubt.

Tuesday at the Boardwalk....

Visiting the boardwalk last Tuesday, April 12th was a great experience. 

It was the first day this year that individuals were out and about on the boardwalk, enjoying it as it was intended to be enjoyed. Alyssa and I experienced our spot together for the first time today. We walked up and down the boardwalk, but took extra time to sit and reflect on one of the benches at the lookout point. The sun was high in the sky, and one of the first things I noticed upon getting to my spot was that there was a rather large crew of sailboats in the lake today! It was so awesome to finally see the lake come alive in this way. There were also more people down by the waterfront today than I have seen yet this year. It was encouraging and heart warming to say the least! My event map is not the most artistic, but I tried to convey the things I saw and perceived while down at my spot...

Just Visiting

I have to say that visiting other people's spots provided an interesting frame of reference. I'm so used to going to my spot, looking at the space from my perspective, and noticing the things I value most and pick up on the easiest. So needless to say, going to other people's spots and trying to conceptualize them from their points of view was a nice lesson in cognizance.

Visiting Allyson's spot on Redstone campus was very interesting. Her spot, like mine, is in a somewhat populated area that is very much developed. Keeping this is mind, focusing on the natural and man-made components of the space kept me busy. Here I was amid the plant life, while also clearly seeing dorms and students walking around. The ground was mushy and patchy. I found a definite solace in this place even though I consider it to be somewhat in the middle of everything- campus, a community, a city, etc. I liked the balance of seeing people function in their daily lives while also feeling soft earth beneath my feet and bushes and plants around me. Reflecting on Allyson's take of her place, I feel like she must also value the sort of equilibrium that is present here.

Visiting Erica's spot at Oakledge Park was so much fun! I love the treehouse here. I almost claimed this spot as my own when contemplating a spot to choose for this project, but decided not to after considering the waterfront's implication on my life here in Burlington and at UVM. Even so, I do love Oakledge Park. I feel like the environment here is so versatile. Looking around, I almost don't know what to take in first. The ground, like everything else, is wet. But what can you do, rain is a frequent occurrence here in Burlington. I explored the tree house a bit, but tried not to stay too long because I could honestly spend my days living in that tree house if it were legal. But even the open space to run and play appealed to me. It is a shame that I came here on a rainy day, although most days this and last week have been gross weather, because I would have enjoyed the sunshine and the opportunity to explore the space at the park. Next time, I plan on visiting again on a dry day. But reflecting on Erica's attraction to this place, I feel like she must value the fact that this spot has so many places to explore and that you can easily see humans and identify with their adventure or be alone and simply be a part of your own. Those are things that I value about this place at least.

When I visited my spot down by the boardwalk, I of course appreciated the lack of snow that I saw! However, in Lake Champlain closer to the shore and boardwalk there were still large chunks of snow and ice floating in the water. Beyond the boardwalk that floats on the water, the lake was alive with movement and to my extreme happiness, no ice! The water had a lot of movement today, which I am assuming was a result of the rainfall and odd weather. The sky in general had a haze to it and kinda had me feeling in a fog (probably also because I was feeling extra contemplative today as well).

I tried to think about my place here from the perspective of Alyssa, who shares my same spot by the boardwalk. The parts of this spot I value most are it's obviously beautiful views of Lake Champlain and the Adirondack Mountains, the physical layout of the boardwalk, the sitting rocks that line the boardwalk, and its altogether location and setting within the Burlington city landscape. I wonder if Alyssa values these same attributes, or what exactly she finds most appealing about this place. I think about my attachment to the boardwalk and what it symbolizes for me and the life I've built at UVM. Namely, how my first memories of Burlington took place here and how so many strong memories are subsequently tied to this very location. This assignment has really helped put my relationship with the boardwalk into perspective, as well as the relationships of my peers to their places. Living well in place, indeed!!

The first weekend of school, we came to the boardwalk & Waterfront Park.
Little did I know just how great of an impact these people and this place would have on my life....