Nature Experience Project
For Week Five, we had been directed to find a place outside where you can be in nature for at least one hour.
I enjoy where I live; my favorite places to relax are my deck and backyard. In these two places, I can unwind from spring to fall. Unfortunately, it gets too cold in the wintertime, but the scenery is still beautiful.
Below is a picture of my deck and the stream that runs through my yard. I am outside most of the time when the weather is manageable. Last weekend the weather was in the 60's here in New York so I spent more than an hour outside. Here is my experience when I am outside.
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| Figure 1: My deck late summertime. |
One thing my wife and I enjoy doing in the Spring through Fall is to wake up early on the weekend and sit in the gazebo on the deck, enjoying the flowers and the sounds of nature. Just being on the deck in the early morning as the sun starts to rise and burn away the morning mist is an AMAZING feeling. It is hard to describe how it just melts away the stress of working in the city. I love my job; however, I love being at home even more.
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| Figure 2: The stream that runs through my yard. |
Hearing the water flow across the rocks is unbelievably therapeutic and relaxing, something I look forward too. Sometimes I feel sorry for others that can't experience the tranquility of living by a lake in the woods. When I am outdoors, I pay close attention to the sounds of nature, specifically in the early morning. There is a vast difference between nature in the morning and the sounds of nature in the late evening.
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| Figure 3: My view of nature from my sliding glass door. |
Even in the dead of winter, it is enjoyable to be outside listening to nature. One of the questions we had to ask ourselves was, Are human beings a part of nature, or apart from it? From working in New York City, I can say the people have grown apart from nature. Nothing feels natural, and there is always a feeling of tension. On the opposite end, when I am home outside enjoying nature, everything moves slow, and there is a sense of no-pressure.
Below I have attached an audio clip of a bird I hear in the late summer morning with the sound of crickets faintly. You have to listen REAL close as it is recorded with just my cell phone.
