Since the beginning of the semester when we were told about the reflection blog I knew exactly what place I could revisit and see major noticeable transformation. This place is on a more hilly part of Austin. A place where I knew that would experience the most fascinating change and the utmost resilience, Sandy Creek Park. Northwest from Austin, this park overviews the edge of Lake Travis and is a perfect getaway from all the city commotion. The first thing you will recognize at Sandy Creek are all the rocks. The first time that I had visited the lake I didn’t wear proper shoes and was slipping and sliding everywhere. You have to be prepared to be semi active but as they say, the view is worth the climb except in this case you climb downhill. The terrain is much diversified and as the weather changes, the terrain changes with it. 
The first time I went the sun was mildly shinning but the heat had been relentless around that time. It wasn’t surprising to see that the part of the lake that I observed was already tapered off and the rocky substrate was all around before you could reach the water. I didn’t see a lot of wildlife either. Maybe it was because there were children playing by the water or it was just that day. There were, however, a lot of bugs. This is not unusual when there is water around. Although there was dryness, there was water and that almost guarantees flora. Once I had gotten close to the water, the greenery was spectacular. It was as if I was in a completely different part of the park. The grasses flourished and some had grown wildly all around the perimeter of the lake. 
On a closer inspection, the water housed green algae and although I didn’t see any water animals, I was sure life to be around when the waters were still. In the distance, there was an abandoned boat/ boat deck that I had to check out. The only way to get to the deck I had to travel was on a large water pipe if not, I would have had to go through the wild grass and if the water pipe seems unsafe, the wild grass wasn’t any better. My experience was definitely an adventure. The deck was filled with fine grains of sand. It was as if the deck had been abandoned so long, and the weather had been so dry that over time, the weathering of the rocks and the wind carried it to the pitted area of the deck. It may sound eerie, but it is the best place to get out of the sun and rest from all the walking. The view from the boat was oddly lively. It was elevated from the wild grasses but the view of the lake was marvelous. I could see the difference in terrain and looking in the distance was even more special. I had visited this park several times throughout the semester and it was definitely a big part of my semester reflection.
My reflection of the semester is best summarized by this Aldo Leopold quote: “it is apparent that the backward farmer’s eye is nearly twice as well fed as the university student or businessman”. Although this can be taken philosophically, Leopold actually did a study on the different flora species seen in a busy area versus a farm area on a series of different months. However, getting back on the philosophical side, if I didn’t have as many adventures I had exploring the different “country” sides of Austin, I wouldn’t have noticed the diverse scenery that is Austin. Looking at our class’s word cloud, it is evident that a lot of things were noticed. A lot was seen as beautiful. What I found what was lovely about the word cloud is that time was one of the most used words. In time, we observed different things, those things change. We observed them and existed at that same time and space. With that, time is just as a part of the interconnectedness of all we have observed for our blogs. Sandy Creek Park is a perfect example.As the weather changed from dry to cold then to wet, the flora also changed. As it got colder, a lot of the grasses were affected and as the rain became prominent the plants began to flourish as spring arrived. Lake Travis was not the only one that experienced these changes but every place I had observed changed with its environment. Although this is obvious, it is really amazing to see time change these places and brought it back to a thriving nature. It was also fascinating to see how my mood would become more peaceful. Whenever I sat down and took the time to recognize the little things, it had helped me organize my thoughts and relaxed me. It took “let me get some fresh air” to a whole other level. Having different places to observe over the semester helped me refuel my love for exploring. It made me realize that the pictures I take can never quite capture the beauty I want to encompass. Although I had visited Sandy Creek Park several times throughout the semester it is difficult to compare all of the locations I went to into one single reflection. Each location had a different sense to it. Sandy Creek was more secluded than the bustling Zilker Park. More animals were seen at Zilker than at Sandy Creek (meaning that those animals probably had more human tolerance). What we, as humans, lose sometimes is the fact that we are also part of the way the environment acts. We too are very much a part of nature observations as the plethora of flora and fauna that we see. Over this year, I have been able to become more in tune with the world simply by observing. I have always had a respect for nature but now I have a newfound perspective on how the land is just more than a pretty view.