A Final Visit
I really didn’t expect to be as saddened as I was that this would be my last blog post and that I wasn’t going to have to go to Rock Point every month to notice changes. That’s not to say that I can’t, but it’s a great reminder about all of the changes that are not only happening phenologically at Rock Point but in my life as well. I have come to learn so much through the past semesters that each time I returned to Rock Point I knew more than I did before, and it’s strange to think that as I have taken the time to notice the changes at Rock Point, I now know what many of them mean.
When I got to my sit spot to sit and sketch, I felt more inclined to write about the prompts, and I probably spent about forty minutes or so writing. Just taking the time to soak in my spot, and remember all of the ways that I have seen it change. I’m going to include what I wrote here, with photos in between that will scale the entire length of my visits to Lone Rock Point.
Some Spring Images From Today’s Visit!
My Sit-Spot Writing
When winter came, and the deciduous trees lost all their leaves, I added layers of jackets and hats for warmth and felt the same cold that the trees did. On days when it was snowy and brisk, I experienced that with Rock Point too, and left with my icy wet hair. When all the snow froze, slick and icy, I held to the cedars and oaks that lined the paths for support.
When the snow melted, leaving muddy trails, puddles, and damp air, I left Rock Point with that very same mud caked on my boots and speckled onto my leggings.
I have walked the golden yellow and brown covered foliage that hid the paths in the fall, passing the trees bare and vulnerable.
I have heard the birds come back, and the squirrels and chipmunks appearing from their wintertime disappearances.
I have come to Rock Point at nearly every landmark of its phenological timeline, and so I had asked myself: What’s Changed?
The Northern White Cedars, still strong and sturdy went from golden brown in the fall to freezing over with ice, and then back to the vibrant green that they once were.
The Leaves that once overwhelmed the pathways have gone back to the trees, with buds blooming all around. The rocks on the shore are no longer frozen together, and the sounds of the Limestone Cedar Bluff have re-emerged.
These changes are hard to spot with the everyday eye, but focusing on Lone Rock Point has shown the complex and distinct changes that have come with a phenological calendar.
Humans… Hurt or Help?
The sign that is to the right of my sit spot that once read, “Please do not cross roped area; protected wildlife habitat.” is no longer there, there’s hope that this was a change for the better?
Storms? Massive Changes to the Landscape?
The forest and all of its surroundings survived the fairly mild winter, and with no major changes due to storms, the landscape remains for the most part the same throughout the seasons.
My Major and Minor Landmarks
I have become familiar with the community garden and mini library that Elise, Isabella, and I have stopped to look at each walk down to the point. I’ve become familiar with the Paper Birch tree I have spent the last month analyzing and visiting (which is now budding!!) Familiar with the ferns that line the ground beside the base of the Northern Red Oaks and Eastern White Pines. I’ve become familiar with the ever-allusive Adirondacks, which have been green, gray, snowy, and completely hidden by dense fog, but now are back and on display.
How are Humans, Culture, and Nature Intertwined at Lone Rock Point?
Rock Point School and Episcopal Stewardship maintain Rock Point, as well as the respect and adoration of the beauty of the spot of all the people who come to visit. It is undoubtedly that nature and culture are intertwined at Lone Rock Point, as well as the people who partake in admiring the view.
How do I fit in?
I do consider myself a part of Rock Point. I feel so obliged to take care of the landscape and as I have been sitting listening to birdsong, and feeling the sunshine peak through the leaves of the Cedar above me, how could I not consider myself a part of this place?
Strength In Numbers!
I have had such a great experience coming to Rock Point, and I have learned so much about what it means to be a part of a place and to have a relationship with it. I didn’t do it alone though, I have great friends (and a brother) that have accompanied me, and I am so glad to have gotten to share this place with them too!
Words of My Own!
I usually end with a quote, but I thought that I would end with a poem I wrote with magnets on my dorm fridge, just because this is my last post about Lone Rock Point, and it generally fits the themes of what I usually choose!
I feel like spring so today I dance beneath the stars and like the flowers my heart will bloom too Lauren Holloway