Nature Observation 2

The white, puffy clouds span the bright blue sky, filling about half of the surface area of the dome above that surrounds everything below. The masses are moving west, slowly. The same wind that carries the clouds away blows through the trees near me, creating faint melodies by the leaves and fruit mingling in the boughs. The clouds are mostly white, but areas of grey give them a dimension that is imperceptible if one only glances at them. You have to really look to try and understand their shape. From below, we can only see a flat picture. By tracing the areas of grey and how the sun shines through them, we can create a mental image that is truer to their nature. It takes me a few minutes to really consider a cloud, and by the time I feel like I know it, it has moved across the sky.

Nature Observation 1

On a still, Texas morning, the trees do not move, and the air sits heavy - an unwelcome humidity. The trees outside my residence hall frame the building’s entrance. The modest common crape myrtle tree nearest to the entrance is at the end of a blooming season. The once pink, then white flowers have almost all fallen, leaving behind small, circular buds that blend in with the green leaves. The stump leads to four main branches, which gives way to many intertwined limbs and branches.  The bark is peeling away from the tree, leaving a swirl of clay red and dark, off-white spots. From afar the bark looks smooth, but when you touch the tree, you can feel the grainy texture.