For this second blog I decided to visit to Zilker park in Austin again, and to continue coming throughout the semester during different climates. Last time I came it was a rainy day and rarely someone was there. This time I visited the park during what I considered an extremely cold day. Yesterday, Friday 27th, 2014, the city of Austin was under a cold front. The temperature was of 2 ° C and winds of 8mph. I have to say that I was freezing myself during the visit. As I arrived I tried to look for a place where I could sit down and contemplate the park during this weather. I walked a mile and saw a ravine that took to a trail where a little green bench was. From the moment I saw it I knew that that was the place where I would write my second blog; so I managed myself to get through the steep terrain. I have to admit that it was a big challenged, however there I was, sitting and looking at the same lake I talked about in my first blog. Everything was beautiful; I had never imagined that these encounters with nature would be so relaxing and peaceful. As I was thinking that nothing could be better than being there in a Friday morning a woodpecker began tapping a huge tree that I was unable to distinguish. The bird kept tapping the tree for around 3 minutes. I was astonished. I had never seen a woodpecker in my life, nor even knew its appearance. Its red plumage on top was so beautiful the sound of the tapping enabled me to have a deep connection with nature. 20 minutes had passed and I decided to go near the lake and look for some animal species. There were no insects at all, however I did see a flock of what it seemed to be tufted ducks. As I was watching them swim around the lake, I began to wonder what it is about the ducks that makes them able to be warm and swim around the lake that is probably 0 ° C…
Moreover, I was impressed to see the difference of the environment from when it’s rainy and when it’s cold. Like Aldo Leoplod said in A Sound County Almanac, “The modern dogma is comfort at any cost”. In this particular nature blog I realized the truth of this quote. Comfort has overtaken society, depriving people to experience nature’s uniqueness. There were hardly any people during my stay in the park. However I must give credit to those who, regardless the weather circumstances, were exercising without stopping. It is interesting to acknowledge how the environment of the park changes as the climate changes. However, this experience has teach me that it is important for people to spend time outside no matter if it’s not the weather of your preference. Going outside and getting out of your “comfort” zone is the first step to the wonders of nature
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