Meadow Lake at Franklin D. Roosevelt Park

It was a beautiful day today! 

The sky was blue, and the wind was blowing! You can see the tree in the second picture tilting to the side due to the wind's breeze.

Photo taken: April 29, 2010

Location: Meadow Lake at Franklin D. Roosevelt Park

Mr. Spider

I was walking with a few friends towards Nesbitt Hall today at noon. As we walked up the steps, I noticed a black dot on the floor moving. At first, I thought there was something wrong with my eyes. But as I bend down to take a closer look---it was a little spider! I quickly took out my camera and took quite a few pictures. This was the only one that turned out well. It wasn't easy trying to snap pictures of a small moving spider.

Photo taken: April 29, 2010

Location: Steps to Nesbitt Hall at Drexel University

Louv

This week's reading of Louv included a lot of talk about being bored. I really appreciated the statement that bordem could be associated with sin. The relation is that if you are bored, you are not appreciating God's gift to the world. Many religions stress the importance of honoring God's creations and the beauty He has given. Although I am not a follower of religion, I strongly identify with this.

Without turning this into a political piece, I am curious about the kinds of progress that could be made all of the pro-life protesters focused their energy on encouraging their families and communities to enjoy the gifts of God and live a happier, more social life.

Wind Turbines

I know that this doesn't directly affect Philadelphia, but the Cape Wind Project was finally okayed by the government. 130 wind turbines will be put in Nantucket Sound, and this could become the nations first offshore wind farm. Some concerns about the project are the birds that fly in the area, the water life, and views of residents with shore homes. This idea could be useful however, it will generate power for the region and save money also. Atlantic City may also be getting some wind turbines, which would be about 17 miles off the coast. The master plan calls for 1000 megawatts of electricity to be generated by 2012 and triple that by 2020, which would be possible with the NJ, Massachusetts and Delaware projects that are being developed.

I personally don't understand why people think this is a bad idea, everyone always talks about helping the environment, but when it comes time to do it, people find reasons to halt the progress. I'm from the Midwest and there are wind farms every where, and nobody seems to mind them.

This is actually a picture of a wind farm about 2 hours from my house, there are hundreds of them, and it stretches on for miles, which you can kind of see if the picture was larger.

here's the article about the wind farms that will be put in off the Northeastern coast.

Blankets!

So we have all been walking through some part of the park and happened to come across people laying on blankets; whether a couple, a picnic, or just two people relaxing. Until today I thought they were, to be quite honest, a bit worthless. I have always passed people and simply thought... Wow, I would rather be on my bike or hiking through the woods. However earlier I was looking for a nice spot to read with my friend, and she happened to bring a massive blanket/towel monstrosity. I have now realized that not only is relaxing on a blanket (especially by the river) a great place to concentrate while reading, but it is a great place to simply look at the sky and realize everything taking place in your life. I highly recommend it! My life might never be the same.

Planting Trees

Chester High School did something green on Tuesday, they planted 35 trees on their campus, of various native species. I thought that this seemed like a great idea, it was partially funded by a national pilot program by the US Forestry Service. It took place Tuesday afternoon after school let out, and it was not just a school event. This was also a pilot program to help get Universities to get more involved in their communities, Widener University helped out with the planting. Other communities organizations helped out as well, the city streets department helped dig the holes, the city water department supplied the water, and a local Wawa even donated hoagies for the students and other volunteers who were there helping out.

I found this article very interesting. It made me think about all the schools near Drexel and how we could easily help them with projects like this, or even initiate something like this. I don't know how one would go about organizing something like that, but I think it would be a fun project and a good way to teach the students about trees and other native plants in Philadelphia.

here's the article.

New Trees!

Today I saw some new (for this spot) trees being planted. Sadly, people you don't know usually get offended when you take pictures of them. Therefore, my picture of the people actually planting the trees is a little distant. It was strange to see the wrapped trees just sitting there, waiting to be put in the ground. I saw some men digging holes with shovels that seemed pretty shallow for such big trees. They didn't appear to be using the clamshell diggers and dirt prodders that we got to use on our service project while building the fence; they were only using pointed shovels.

I thought about how the roots of these plants must take really quickly since the hole was so shallow. I also thought about if they had dug up old trees in order to put these here. It's rare to see things like this in progress. This is similar to watching someone change the letters on the glowing signs with the black words; it's really rare. I'm always excited to see the process of things of whose process we normally don't consider.

Little Geese Babies!

I found this cute little family of geese today. Spring time always brings tons of new babies!

The H Tree

I saw this hiking in the woods a couple months ago. I've never seen two trees grow and merge and thought it was one of those rare miraculous events that occur in nature. I might be wrong - it could happen all the time, but when I saw it I was a little bit amazed. The root structure and how each trunk grows out of it and then is connected in the middle is intriguing to look at.

Philadelphia Canoe Club

The Philadelphia Canoe Club is located off Ridge Ave, right where the Wissahickon meets the Schuylkill. in the late Spring, they usually have an open house event day were they offer canoe and kayak lessons and outings. They also sell equipment, boats and food. Two of my roommates and I all kayak, and have found everyone at the club to be very friendly and knowledgeable about the local waterways. They also host a general meeting every third Monday of the month if anyone is interested in meeting the members and signing up to go on a canoeing or kayaking expedition.

Community Garden

Here are some images of a community garden on my block. It makes the area look a bit nicer, but it's sad to see all the litter that gets blown into the shrubs.

Murals!

There are a lot of cool murals between the city and the park if you walk up 33rd street!!

Carbon Footprint

While calculating information for an environmental politics paper, I came across this website. Though i've learned about how an individual's impact on the environment is often measured by their carbon footprint, i've never had the opportunity to calculate my own. Turns out my carbon footprint is lower than the national average! After recieving my results, I browsed through the links provided with tips on how to reduce your impact on the environment. I found these both interesting and informative.

Hunting Park

On the van ride back to Drexel last friday from Wissahickon, I was struck by the levels of poverty in North Philly. I had never seen poverty to that degree so close to a place I call home. In the last few days I have been researching and reading about poverty and what is being done and what needs to be done. I came across a blog written by communication students at Temple about Philadelphia Neighborhoods. I want to share an entry on Hunting Park in our blog.

Hunting Park Blog Entry

In short, the article is about reclaiming Hunting Park. Drugs, violence, trash, and prostitution are many of the problems seen in Hunting Park that prevent many people from using the park. A special project by Michelle Holloway at Nu Sigma Youth Services with help from Fairmount Park Conservancy have started an initiative called HEAL. Heal stands for Healthy Eating and Active Living and is trying to start a community garden and farmer's market in the Hunting Park area to bring fresh food to North Philly and educate children on safe and healthy lifestyles.

It's great to see some people setting good examples on what needs to be done instead of blaming the parents, society, school systems, their government or anything else.

Fire Hydrant Found at Wissahickon Valley Park

During our hike at Wissachickon Valley Park on Thursday, April 22, 2010. I noticed a fire hydrant near the stream by the construction site that the water company was working at. To me, it seemed a bit out of place in the picture. We were in the middle of the park, and out of no where, there's a fire hydrant. It sure wasn't something I expected to see.

Photo taken: April 22, 2010
Location: Wissahickon Valley Park

Unexpected

I often find it funny, and quite beautiful, how nature makes a presence in places you’d least expect it.

Location: Schuylkill River Trail (Near Boat House Row)

Wissahickon Park

Some black and white photos from our trip to Wissahickon today--click through for album.

Vandalism Found in Wissahickon Valley Park

During our hike through the Wissahickon Valley Park on Thursday, April 22, 2010 (Earth Day), I noticed some vandalism on the trees and rocks that we passed by. The first photo shows some carvings people made on the tree, which seems to be a popular thing in our society. You see it in shows and movies, and may even know people that do it. Yes, it's sweet, but it's no good for the tree. In the last two photos, you can see spray paint on the tree and rock.

Photo taken: April, 22, 2010

Location: Wissahickon Valley Park

Toad

Here's a little toad we saw today in Wissahickon Park.

For Earth Day, Drexel was letting students pot plants. The little plant in the red solo cup is the one I potted today, the other two are my roommates plants from fall. It's a little Impatient plant and it's annual, so it'll die and if I want another one next year I'll have to go buy more, or wait for this annual event that Drexel seems to do. Perennials are the plants that come back every year, which kind of seems backwards at first, but then as you think about it makes sense. Annuals, you have to replant annually, and Perennials, well you don't. So hopefully the little Impatient will bloom and look pretty for a while, sitting on my windowsill.

I was going to post this earlier, but CAB was a little unprepared and they didn't bring any potting soil with them, so I was kind of running late getting back after my morning class and didn't have a lot of extra time.

Cherry Blossoms!

(I have really enjoyed spring in Philadelphia thus far)
Happy Earth Day!

Bugs!

So it has definitely hit the point in the year when the bugs seem to be multiplying at alarmingly fast rates. If you walk down by the river, especially by boat house row, it becomes extremely apparent. It seems like a nice reminder that summer is quickly on its way.

I can state this happily now because I am at home and no longer swallowing large quantities of the little things on my bike.

From the eyes of Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both.

Butterflies!

Landscaping

Do you think this is pretty? I don't. I like my nature a little more natural. Sometimes landscaping is beautiful, but often it looks overly done. I feel like flowers, trees, and shrubs should be placed in more organic sequences.

Everyone knows that these trees were placed here intentionally. However, they look lush and natural. This is definitely a better means of landscaping. The absence of a symmetrical design sequence is what makes this patch of nature beautiful.

What do you think? Do you have any pictures of symmetrical landscaping that looks nice? Do you think the organic chaos of nature is beautiful or unsettling?

Just a Minute to Relax.

My favorite place to relax when the weather is nice is a little bit before the rocks on the right side of this picture. The grass is always so high and clean and it's like a natural mattress. I often leave for work (at Trader Joe's) a little early just to stop here and clear my head for a minute. If you can't tell, this is on the path by the river just beyond the Chestnut Street Bridge.

More Before and After

The progression of spring shot from my bedroom window

Before: March 20th, 2010 - cherry blossoms just beginning to bud

After: April 8th, 2010 - full bloom

(Thanks to Amy for the idea)

Global Warming...

Some people still think that Global Warming is not an issue, that nothing is wrong with our planet and that we don't need to do anything about it. I feel that Global Warming is a real issue that we need to be dealing with globally as an entire planet, not just a few countries. In the article, "Earth Day? So What?" the issue of clean drinking water is brought up, and it made me think about our trip to Water Works and Rittenhouse Town, and learning about the water in Philadelphia. Even if the water may look clean, it probably isn't because of runoff from streets and the chemicals that are used on plants and elsewhere. The article also brings up many ways to help make cities, like Philadelphia, greener. One idea they talked about was to plant more trees to make cities prettier, and it was stated that trees also reduce crime. Ways to make homes greener was also mentioned, like planting plants on roofs or painting them white to reflect the sun. It was a very interesting article, and it makes me wonder how people still don't think that we have a problem with our planet and we need to do something to clean it up and make sure it's still here for future generations.

http://www.philly.com/philly/living/green/20100421_Earth_Day__So_what__Green_activists_say_we_still_need_it_after_40_years.html

Creative Recycling Idea

I stumbled across this flower patch this afternoon. I thought it was creative to use old glass bottles as a decorative barrier for a garden bed.

Saunders Park

Saunders Park is located on the 3900 block of Powelton Ave, right across from Penn Presbyterian. It's well maintained and would be a nice place to eat ice cream or lunch on nice summer days. A large snow pile also accumulates there over the winter if your into romping around in winter weather.

A Turtle in Rittenhouse Square

Spring in the city with my red eared slider.

Invitation

Oh do you have time
to linger
for just a little while
out of your busy

and very important day
for the goldfinches
that have gathered
in a field of thistles

for a musical battle,
to see who can sing
the highest note,
or the lowest,

or the most expressive of mirth,
or the most tender?
Their strong, blunt beaks
drink the air

as they strive
melodiously
not for your sake
and not for mine

and not for the sake of winning
but for sheer delight and gratitude --
believe us, they say,
it is a serious thing

just to be alive
on this fresh morning
in this broken world.
I beg of you,

do not walk by
without pausing
to attend to this
rather ridiculous performance.

It could mean something.
It could mean everything.
It could be what Rilke meant, when he wrote:
You must change your life.

___ Mary Oliver, Red Bird

Hidden River Park

South of the Locust Street entrance to the river trail from Center City is a "Hidden Park". I call it hidden because from the Walnut Street Bridge, trees shield it from the highway traffic.

This park has basket ball and tennis courts, a children's playground, a dog park, 1 large open field for soccer, and a large well kept community garden. The area surrounding the park is made of very wealthy individuals. The cars that line the streets are what I call "designer".

Either way, it is a very nice park and a well designed open space with something for everyone.

It's so close to Grey's Ferry that I assume residents from there will come up. I would need to investigate further to know for sure.

Nature changes right before your eyes...

                     BEFORE              AFTER
            (Thursday, April 1, 2010)         (Monday, April 19 2010)

Location: Korman Quad, near Matheson and Pearlstein Hall on Drexel University's Main Campus

                    BEFORE               AFTER

            (Friday, April 14, 2010)           (Monday, April 19 2010)

 

Location: Outside of Creese Student Center on Drexel University's Main Campus

Peace Valley County Park

This past holiday season, I received the book Hikes Around Philadelphia by Boyd & Linda Newman. The book features 40 natural sites within the Philadelphia region, each with trails that range from 1.0 to 12.6 miles in length. For each location, the book provides specific information including the elevation of the hike, an estimated time, trail surfaces, insects and vegetation growth, history of the site, etc. With the weather warming up, I have finally been able to take advantage of this fantastic gift! This past weekend, I traveled to Peace Valley County Park, located just north of the city in Doylestown. This 4 mile hike offered multiple scenic views. Midway through my hike, I came across this tree and became quite fascinated by its ability to stand on its limbs, supported only by it's broken trunk.

Natural Spring Water

During our hike in the Poconos, we found a natural spring with water gushing everywhere. We cleared out some of the paths that had been blocked by rocks or chunks of wet leaves so that water could flow more freely. I took a chance at drinking it and it was really cold and fresh. I was hoping that the moss purifies the water.

Rittenhouse Town

Lonely Staircases

While wandering Fairmount Park, I came across the small park that borders Brewery Hill Road. Being in an adventurous mood, I decided to meander into the forest on what I believe was an old trail (now almost completely covered in vegetation). After walking aimlessly for quite some time, finding remnants of BMX jumps and what looked like the habitat of a homeless man, I decided to maneuver my way back to the open park. Taking a different direction, I came across these old staircases, covered almost completely in moss and ivy. Somewhat creeped out by the eeriness of staircases that lead absolutely nowhere, this discovery makes me wonder what used to sit at this site.