A UVM blog World of Wonder: NR 1090 Wonder Blogs by Devon McKinlay

World of Wonder Podcast #2 – Top 10 Things to Do Near Waterfront Park

Welcome viewers to our second podcast in the World of Wonder Blog! Link to the podcast audio file can be found here:

This podcast describes the top ten things I recommend you check out in or near Waterfront Park along Lake Champlain. The tenth item on the list is my personal favorite. I was inspired to talk about this in my podcast because I find that even just visiting a place often isn’t enough to truly get to know the various fun activities it offers. I’ve been going to Waterfront Park ever since I arrived at UVM two years ago, and yet many of these activities I didn’t know about until doing research for this project. I’m sure those listening can relate. For the various blog posts I did, Waterfront pushed me out of my comfort zone by forcing me to go into places I had never been before. Some of these areas were occupied by unhoused people, but for the sake of accurate research I ventured into these areas and sketched or took pictures even when it made me uncomfortable. I definitely feel more connected to Waterfront Park after learning the rich history of all the structures that surround it. What a wonderful world we live in!

Waterfront Park and extended. Burlington, Vermont. Tuesday, July 2, 2024.

Today was even more sunny and clear since the last time I came to waterfront park. It was a high of 81 degrees F in Burlington and there wasn’t a cloud in sight in the bright blue sky.

As the title explains, the focus of today’s blog is photography. I entered the field with this in mind. I tried to enter the most picturesque areas of Waterfront Park as I could, which led me on a fun wild goose chase around the area via bike. My trusty camera today was my iPhone 13 mini. I found myself entering areas of the park that I hadn’t explored before that were hidden behind buildings or a ways into the woods. The main question that came to me in my exploration was why was there such a prevalence of abandoned things in Waterfront Park? As many Burlington residents know, on the tracks bordering the park sits a cargo train that has been left there for years. It has been left there for so long that the metal is rusted over and graffiti decorates every single car. Beyond the Andy A. Williams Skate Park, sits another skate park in the woods that looks old, dilapidated and also covered with graffiti. Finally I took pictures of the Burlington Frame which sits looming over the lake. This structure is confusing because to most, it appears like an abandoned building project. Yet no construction vehicles or men are ever present there working on it.

Another mystery I found at Waterfront park was the many ducks sitting in the lake. I understood that the lake was currently warm enough to keep them but how long did they stay there? Where did they migrate to when Burlington becomes to cold? After some research, I learned that many of these ducks actually don’t have to venture too far. In fact they are able to survive anywhere in Lake Champlain at the edge of ice. Usually that means that they venture south a bit. Many Canadian duck species also migrate to southern Lake Champlain in the winter.

Now back to the pictures of abandoned things.

This is the wood deck overlooking the Burlington harbor at the beginning of Waterfront Park. I would say it is on themed with abandoned things because there is a lot of graffiti and trash in this under area of the deck. Yet the picture highlights the contrasting beauty of the scenic lake and boats just outside the deck area.

This is the inside of the Moran Frame at Waterfront Park. I thought it was interesting how the structure appears to be a building that was never finished. After doing some research, I discovered that the Frame intentionally has an unfinished look. It actually used to be sight of a coal fire power plant that granted electricity to the city of Burlington. In the mid 1900s this plant was decommissioned and the city of Burlington decided to convert the space into an area of art installations and community events such as movie nights. However the frame of the power plant is kept as a reminder of the site’s history.

I took a picture of this sign because I liked the juxtaposition of the words that read: “Welcome to a beautiful and functional wetland,” and the smearing of blue graffiti that covers it up. It makes it seem that someone who saw the sign disagrees that this area is a beautiful and functional space. Perhaps that is why they blocked the image. The motive is unclear however the picture still does provide an interesting visual contradiction.

This photo doesn’t show the full abandoned line of train cars however I chose it because I found the compilation of the bright blue sky, the green vegetation, the black train cars, and the vibrant, colorful wall of graffiti to be beautiful. After doing some research, I found that this train began in the late 1800s as the Rutland Railroad, which carried passengers and cargo across the state of Vermont and into New York State. It was discontinued permanently in the 1960’s due to several worker strikes. Today it provides an interesting sight in Waterfront park: an abandoned train in the lakeside woods.

Finally here is a photo of an graffitied bathtub in the abandoned skate park. I thought it was interesting how since the area was more hidden in the woods and out of the city, it permitted more creative freedom for artistic expression for graffiti artists in Burlington. The mystery of why there are two skate parks in Waterfront park, one used and one abandoned, is still unsolved.

I enjoyed the process of photography because it forced me to look deeper into a place I had been to many times. Never before did I take time to ponder questions of why certain things existed in this park. Despite the prevalence of so many abandoned things in Waterfront park, I believe they add to the charm of the park. They provide a blank canvas for graffiti artists to show off their art.

Waterfront Park; Burlington, Vermont. 06/27/2024. 4:38 pm.

It is a beautiful day today. Incredibly sunny but also not too hot at all. There is a cold breeze that blows in from the lake that almost feels like the first breeze of autumn. There are a few white clouds dancing above the horizon across the lake. The afternoon sun beams create shimmers in the surface of the water.

After my first observations, I began to venture closer to the water. I started tip-toeing along logs on the rocks bordering the lake. Looking down at my feet I noticed a dried white birch branch that almost appeared like bone due to its color, size and fragility. It had washed onto the rocks at some point and was now embedded in the rocks. Something interesting I noticed was the prevalence of vines growing out of the crevices of the rocks. The green ivy tentacles spread all over the rocks. This was likely due to the amount of rain we’ve experienced in the last two weeks in Burlington. Finally I was also struck by the beauty of the occasional flower that would grow amongst the rocks. All of these observations I made sketches of.

One organism that particularly caught my attention today was green algae at the side of Lake Champlain. After doing some research, I found the name of this algae to be cyanobacteria. Normally, cyanobacteria is an important part of lake ecosystems, however, during the summer months near Burlington, this algae can flourish to an unbalanced level. I found it interesting today watching the algae in it’s natural form. It seemed to cling to the waves and give them form as they washed ashore.

Below drawings of my observations of waterfront can be found. I enjoyed having the opportunity to go out in nature and be more present as I tried to observe what was around me on a deeper level. By looking more intently, I was able to notice things about this park that I usually took for granted. It was difficult being at the location and drawing things at the same time without a table to use. One strategy I used today and likely will next time is to take pictures and draw what I saw back at home.

Hello World of Wonder readers and hello to the NR 1090 class. Happy Summer. I feel grateful that the thunderstorms yesterday cut a little bit of the heat and humidity out. It gave me just enough time to explore the wonder of our world right in my own my back yard.

I live in a small pink house in the old North End with lime green trim. Surrounding my little house are other brightly colored houses: a wide purple house with emerald green trim, and a tall red house with purple trim. It is a cloudy day as I am writing this post. On the tip of the roof of the purple house next door, I observe a blue jay holding a twig much larger than its own body. Distantly I can hear squirrels scuttling in the branches of the tallest trees in my area. I can also hear other birds chirping. I wonder to myself how many different animal species have entered my back yard at one point. I recall seeing a large fat raccoon a block away from my house the other day. Perhaps he or she has entered my back yard too.

Now onto the plants. There are many native plant species in my back yard. Adjacent to my house in garden beds, it appears that native Vermont ferns have been growing astronomically in size since the rainstorms. On the ground itself, I can observe several tree stumps rocks, and tall grass that hasn’t been mowed for some time. The most impressive thing growing in my back yard is a tall leafy tree that easily exceeds the height of my two-story house. On each leaf there appears yellow bubbles which appear to be more of a characteristic of the tree rather than some disease.

Although this area wasn’t completed embedded in nature I was grateful for the opportunity to be more present in my own living space. Until next time!