Ortuno, September -14

Connect with your home environment:  I take part in this as much as I possibly can, beginning with the place I spend the most of my time: St. Edward’s  University’s Austin, Texas Campus. Thinking about my favorite things to observe on campus are the trees. Blessed are we, the people who make up the St. Edward’s community, to have such a scenic quotidian stage.

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Clear Texas skies with melted clouds, met by leaves to make the visible horizon. Leaves as far as I can see.

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The seasons change, and only the trees tell me so.

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After the rain, make sure to say Hay to branches you might have the pleasure of finally meeting. Make sure to shake hands.

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The joy of walking under a canopy of cool shade, met by a whirl of warm fresh breeze, your skin kissed by the little rays of sunshine that make it past the leaves.

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Presentation is everything.

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Charismatic and intimate, the lure of the Sorin Oak. There is not a more approachable being on campus. With astounding grandeur reflective of its wisdom and experience, it reaches out to you so closely earning your trust and immersing you in its comfortable vicinity.

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Teresa Hall tree, an oak near and dear to my heart. I spent many evenings hanging out on his sturdy limbs pondering about the world as a freshman. I now return a sophomore to see some large broken branches that will pretty soon start to decay, but the trunk, so approachable with natural curves and grooves that my feet quickly shuffle up. Perched up top  I feel back in my space , with not a a care or anyone to bother me; the feel the same, like the 4 months of distance never took place.

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Appreciate the little pockets of wild that can be found among the landscaping. There’s nothing like triumphant plant life, boasting their ecological success with their height and only growing taller. Too tall for us stomp all over, only a whack away from being called weeds and the beginning of their return to the soil.

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One-pose model like Zoolander; this one, however, eternally gracious.

IMG_6254 IMG_6271IMG_6274About this humble little beauty, She took my breath and reached my heart. Situated gracefully in front of Doyle Hall next to the parking lot, she steals the spotlight. As I walk closer I begin to feel my heart beat faster, my palms starting to sweat, my face starts to redden; am I about to face my crush or just take some pictures of a tree?  Given its 80 degrees, my face tan from the lack of shade and my negligence to carry a hat, I stand in the blinding parking lot heat mesmerized by her wave. ” The value of recreation is not a matter of ciphers. Recreation is valuable in proportion to the intensity of its experiences, and to the degree to which it differs from and contrasts with workday life.”

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