In the trees

I'm still enjoying having a good view of the woods. Watching the leaves dance in the falling rain. Watching the tall, straight frames sway in the wind. Watching the leaves glow in the setting sun. And squirrels...

I do

Some times it is good to do things that you don't want to do or aren't sure you can do. I'm not exactly a social butterfly and the idea of going to social events does not fill me with delight. This has been particularly true since moving to Virginia. I don't know anyone here and therefore know that I will not know anyone at these events. I'd much rather just stay home and watch TV. Those characters, I know. But I made a deal with myself when I moved, that I would make an effort to avoid being a recluse. Today I went to a reception for new faculty at the university president's residence. I bought some new clothes yesterday that I was kind of looking forward to wearing, but overall I wasn't thrilled with the idea of going. I always imagine the very awkward scenario of standing around with a drink, watching everyone else talking. Worse yet, approaching someone, but having absolutely nothing to say. And then of course, there is the scenario where I do think of something to say, but then spend the rest of the day wishing I could take it back. Anyway, with all of these dances playing in my head, I almost chickened out and didn't go, but I decided that I would go and if it was too horrible, I would just leave. I found the place no problem. GPS at least removes the anxiety of not being able to find a place. It was a beautiful old house in the woods, and there was parking which I was also concerned about. (Yes, I am neurotic about these things. I'm a researcher. I think about potential problems.) As I was parking, I noticed a couple of guys that I met at orientation arriving with their wives. Already I was more at ease. I ended up having a pretty good time talking with them and wasn't tortured at all. I can't say that this was one of the best afternoon's of my life or even in the top 100. What I can say is that it was living. A fair amount of my time is spent in front of a computer and/or a TV and while I am content there, I've started to feel that I'm not living. Essentially, I'm just letting time pass. It takes no effort and reaps no rewards. Actual living takes effort. I have to get up and do things. Go shopping. Go to these social events. Take walks in the words. Go visit museums. Call old friends. Try new things. Meet new people. Somethings I might not want to do and may make me uncomfortable, but at least they're living. I don't know that there is a point to these things or even a point to life, but I do think that just letting time pass is beyond pointless. I was once asked what the meaning of life is. I responded that it was being as happy as you can be, while trying to avoid harming others. Don't get me wrong, I've been pretty happy with a couple of episodes of a couple of TV shows, but somehow I just don't think TV makes me as happy as I can be. At least I hope not. I need to remind myself that some effort is required and hopefully rewarded. (Life: some assembly required)

P.S.
I was actually tortured a little at the reception today. I couldn't seem to keep the new shoes I bought yesterday on my feet. They kept trying to slide off as I walked. Oh well, c'est la vie. :-)

Back to Nature

As a new professor starting my first semester, I have a lot of things to do. Oh yeah, a whole lot of things. But I also want to find some balance in my life. I don't want work to be an excuse for not doing things that I enjoy or discovering things that I might enjoy or not really living. I tend to feel bad if I have a long list of work things to do and aren't working at them, but this past weekend I set that aside and went for a walk (among other things). I was really happy being outside and walking through the woods with my camera. It seems to give me a sense of calm and peace, but also exhilaration when I see something. Anyway, here are some of the pictures I took.

I got to the lake a little before sunrise...

There were a fair number of geese that seemed to be pretty used to humans...



The lake has a 5 mile trail around it. When I started out there only seemed to be a few people on it, but by the half way point, it got kind of crowded. Here it was fairly peaceful...

There were ducks too...






I'm not sure what this little berry is. It reminded me of tea-berries. I remember seeing one when my family climbed the Roundtop, a hill across from the house, when I was a kid...

I wish they rented kayaks here. I might have spent all day...


This tree had some wild crooked branches. It didn't seem to know which way to go/grow...

Trying to get a pic of the drips. Not terribly successful...
Lots of trees...
And water...


Where there are trees there are often leaves...


It took me about 4 hours to walk around the 5 mile trail. The lake has a pretty odd shape, so when I thought I might be getting close to the end, I'd discover another a bend...


By this point, the trail was pretty busy. People passing by looked at me funny as I was laying on the ground to take this shot...
And where there is a down, there is an up. This was take in the same location as the mushroom...

There were a lot of pine cones...

This was a particularly nice section of the trail...



I was getting pretty tired after a while (I carry a fair amount of gear), so I sat down on a bench for a bit. Before long I noticed this hummingbird. I wondered how many people had passed by and not even noticed it...

A lone plant in the water...

A lone brown leaf in the green...

A big lake, but I'm almost done...

Out of the woods long enough to see some wild flowers...

And a dragonfly...