Giving Thanks

The turkey has been dissected, the pumpkin pie devoured, the football game is on. But there is so much more for which we can be thankful. First on my list is family, and the opportunity to visit them way here south in Miami. There are many other blessings on my list, too: my husband and I are both working, for example. We are in good health. Our children are making us proud.
But special for me is the opportunity to observe and share creation. The wondrous complexity of our world, our universe, never fails to amaze me. Some say this intricacy is itself evidence of a Supreme Being, a creative Intelligence that designed all we see. Others observe evolution (more fact than theory!) and do not see a need to credit a Higher Power. Still others feel that these two views are not mutually exclusive.
However you think or believe, I hope you enjoy the photos and videos I post here, and learn a little about our world. And give respect… and thanks… where due.

The picture above was taken at the Paynes Prairie rest stop off I-75 in Gainesville, Florida. The gray strands hanging like tinsel from the live oak tree is Spanish Moss, an epiphyte that is not parasitic.

Monet and Me

Art, you might say, is in my blood. My mom was an artist and my brother and one of my sisters have some artistic talents. I can’t draw or paint, but I was certainly raised with an appreciation of the great artists in history. Paintings in particular interest me; I find myself fascinated by color in nature and often wonder how I could reproduce those on a canvas (as if!). Maybe someday I’ll take a watercolor course or something. Anyway, here’s a thread to post your forest art!

We Are What We Smell

According to Joan Maloof in Teaching the Trees: Lessons from the Forest, “Researchers working in the Sierra Nevada of California found 120 chemical compounds in the mountain forest air—but they could identify only 70 of them!” She also discusses the Japanese therapy of wood-air bathing, which supposedly reduces the blood sugar level of diabetics who walk in the forest. As a type 2 diabetic, I find this intriguing. You science students out there… how could I test this theory (not truly scientifically) on myself? Of course, to be valid science, numerous diabetics would have to participate in a study with a control group. But I’d still like to give this a shot, so help me design a little personal study that will mean nothing to anyone but me. Maybe someday, a doctor will prescribe a daily walk in the woods as a treatment, rather than a daily pill.

A Walk in the Park

I went for a walk in Stone Oak Park yesterday with my husband and my black Labrador, Maximus. It was a beautiful November day in San Antonio, clear skies, about 75°F. I took video and still photos of the area which I’ll post here as soon as I figure out how to do that. Because I had a FABULOUS idea!

For Thanksgiving, we are traveling to visit my family in Miami. We’ll take I-10 through Houston, Beaumont, Orange, Lake Charles, Baton Rouge, Mobile, Pensacola and Tallahassee. Then we’ll take I-75 through Gainesville, Ocala, Orlando, West Palm, Fort Lauderdale and Miami. I’d like to take videos and still shots of some of the forests I’ll be in or near. Like to help me? Research and suggest some national forests or parks on the way for us to stop for photos. Then we can discuss and compare and otherwise ready ourselves for the Sustainable Forest & Climate Change field experience!

I’m a Tree Hugger; How About You?

11/7/08
I’m a Tree Hugger; How About You?

When he heard about my upcoming trip to Maryland for the Sustainable Forests Expedition, a friend of mine loaned me a book, Teaching the Trees by Joan Maloof. In it, the author quotes a poem by Rainer Maria Rilke, “The Way In”:
“… but with your eyes
slowly, slowly, lift one black tree
up, so it stands against the sky: skinny, alone.
With that you have made the world.”

I have made some trees my friends over the years by doing just that. One looked to me like a woman, head thrown back in defiance of fate, arms open wide to embrace life. Another looked for all the world like a dragon, rearing back and spitting fire. Scientifically, I know our minds seek to impose order on chaos, to find patterns where none may exist. But I also know that trees touch more than my rational mind; they are more than schelernchyma, cork and cambium, xylem and phloem. They touch a spot in my soul that needs shade from the sunshine of rationality.

Today’s challenge then… find a poem or other work of literature in which trees play a main role. How does this depiction touch you? For the clueless: check out Joyce Kilmer or Robert Frost.

My First Post

Hi! I'm testing my blogging capabilities with this post. I'm super excited about this research opportunity. So here's a question for my APES students: In what biome will I be working during my week in Maryland? What kind of weather can I expect? (Ok, that's two questions!) Look here for more discussion soon!