Nature Savvy

      Taking pictures of the nature I encountered throughout the semester has been fun. Having this top of mind throughout the semester caused me to seek out beauty around me and take out my camera when I saw something that inspired me. I hope you enjoy the following 10 photos from my encounters these past few months.          

“We are obliged, therefore, to spread the news, painful and bitter though it may be for some to hear, that all living things on earth are kindred” – Edward Abbey             This is my last blog post, and I wanted to use it to reflect on this quote and relate it to a recent encounter at TCU. The last group to present concluded with this quote, and hearing it once more was such a great reminder of the connectedness we find in nature, a connectedness that we are a part of. How differently everyone would treat the world if we all understood how deeply intertwined we all are, from the sky-high mountains to the trees I used to walk by everyday in the commons! We hold a place in the connection, and therefore we hold great responsibility.             I have a new respect for the nature around me and its marvelous perseverance despite human’s failure in the connection. Nature agains...

         One of my favorite movies as a kid was "Confessions of a Shopaholic," which may explain my love of shopping.  I am a firm believer in retail therapy. I have fond childhood memories of going shopping with my mom, and this is still something we love to do. I am not necessarily obsessed with collecting things for myself. I love stepping inside boutiques, exploring stores, seeing the latest trends, and finding nice gifts for others. I enjoy shopping with friends, as I believe it is a fun thing to do together. That is why I am surprised that when I visited Bainbridge Island, an island known for great shopping in the cutest stores, I was not interested in going from store to store. I wanted to explore nature.            Bainbridge Island is a small island accessible by ferry from Seattle. The island is surrounded by the Puget Sound, and it is filled with glorious nature. Before this class, I likely would have spent the ent...

We had a wonderful time putting together this project! Check out our video at the following link: https://youtu.be/6ke6R2qRPtY Rachel Brenk, Thien Ly Nguyen, Savanna Simmank, and Rachel Baniewicz Dr. Williams Treks and Texts 02 December 2022 Final Video Presentation       When choosing how to structure our video and what style to do it in, we decided to keep it simplistic and intimate. We value the thoughtful, deep discussions we had in class, and we wanted to emulate that in our video. To make our answers as heartfelt and unscripted as possible, we wrote down questions and had each other draw them on the spot. Having a question and answer format for our video allowed us to recall the memories made and insights gained from our class readings and discussions. The background music in our video features “Big Yellow Taxi” – a song we discussed in one of our early classes – which we believe perfectly encapsulates the meaning found throughout the class.  After fi...