I Missed School Because of a Sparrow

The Spring semester of my sophomore year was a pretty rough semester. Not only was I taking four art classes, (6 hours a week, each, although they only count for 3 hours a week,) but it was also my first year as a Learning Community Resident Assistant and I had other classes and commitments, as well. A lot of things went wrong that semester and made me miss school.

One of those things was a sparrow.

I can’t remember exactly what I had been working on, but I remember I had just come into the Tower Hall from the art building. I was either working on traditional photography or linoleum printmaking…both were really time-consuming and required a lot of work outside of class. Anyways, I entered Tower and walked behind the Front Desk where the RAs work and often spend a lot of time. I generally stop by to visit with the working RA before heading up to my room. RA Ariel immediately jumped up from her studying and exclaimed, “Noelle! Your residents brought something for you!” she exclaimed.

I had had a really long, hard, tiring day and I couldn’t wait to get to sleep. In fact, I had had a really long, hard, tiring semester. A little pick-me-up from some residents would be a wonderful little surprise! “Really? My residents brought me something?” I asked.

Ariel told her friend who was on the opposite side of the desk to get what the residents dropped off. She interrupted her studying and dashed to one of the tables that was in the center of the lobby. I saw her pick up a styrofoam container used for storing food you get “to-go” and began thinking, “Food? My residents brought me food? That’s sweet of them…I often miss meals because of how busy I am, so it’s nice that they thought of me.” My heart was filling with warmth until suddenly, it was crushed.

As the girl brought the container up, I became confused. It didn’t look like there was food in it…What was that? As the container was placed on the desk, I found that it was stuffed with a small blue towel. The girl pulled back the towel to reveal a small, injured sparrow. I gasped as my eyes took in the horrid sight of the bird. His head looked crushed as blood stained the feathers around his eyes and mouth. His body was limp as the bird lay in the container, wings withdrawn and legs drawn in. The bird’s entire body shuddered with each breath, appearing as if the bird was struggling just to breath. My heart dropped and my tears began to swell.

“Your residents found this bird lying in the road and came in here looking for you,” Ariel explained as her friend picked up the bird wrapped in the blue towel.

“Me? Why me?” I asked as the girl handed the bird to me.

“Well, they know how much you love animals. They figured you’d know what to do…”

“I-I don’t really know what to do…I don’t…I’m not a vet…Can we take him to a vet?” I began to hold the small bird in my hands. I held him close to my face to look him over, though it pained me to do so.

“I don’t know,” Ariel sighed. “We didn’t know what to do, either. The residents brought down this towel and we put him in this thing. It’s all we had…It’s been about an hour maybe…”

I continued to watch the small bird, holding him as carefully as I could. I felt that maybe he shouldn’t have been picked up in the first place. I watched his quick, short breaths. Huff, huff. Huff, huff. Huff, huff…His breaths seemed to be echoing his heartbeats. I didn’t know what to do. What could I do for this bird? What could I do?!

Suddenly, the huffs stopped. The sparrow did not draw another breath.

All three of us held our own breaths as we waited…

That sparrow died in my hands that night. I held that sparrow as he drew his final, dying breath. He was only in my life for about five minutes, but that tiny little bird has left a stain on my heart. I still feel deeply for that bird and it pains me to write this.

“Is he-?” asked Ariel’s friend.

“I don’t know!” Ariel cried out.

I stood silent, glancing from girl to girl, praying that the bird would begin breathing again.

He never did.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, Noelle!” cried Ariel. “Oh, I’m so sorry!” I looked at her with tears welling in my eyes. “Oh, please. Please, don’t cry!”

As soon as she finished her sentence, the tears in my eyes broke their barrier and began streaming down my face. I began crying for that bird. I cried for his pain and for his sad ending. Not really knowing what to do, I cautiously placed the bird back in the container, moving slowly and methodically. I pulled the towel over the bird, just up to his neck as if I was tucking him into bed. I wanted him to be comfortable. My mind became overwhelmed with thoughts. Why did the bird die? Why couldn’t I do anything? Why did he have to suffer? I was so frustrated.

Ariel continued to plead for me to stop crying as she relentlessly apologized. She looked as if she was about to cry, herself.

After minutes of shock, I finally broke myself from that moment. I finally moved from that spot. I finally tore my mind from that subject. I finally left the bird.

I resumed my return to my room, unlocked the door, and fell on my bed. I cried for that bird. I cried and cried and cried for him. I stayed up several hours crying in sadness and bewilderment. I cried in frustration and regret. I cried.

Although I had planned to go to bed early and wake up on time for my 8:00am class, my plans were detoured. I was up all night with that bird in my thoughts. I did not go to class the next morning. I couldn’t bring myself to do it as my mind was entangled with emotions. I just couldn’t do it.

Later, when I finally returned to class days later, I ended up bring the bird with me in my heart. We were starting a screenprinting project and I created a design honoring the sparrow that died in my hands. I drew the sparrow flying off the edge of the image, representing his fleeting life and his departure through death.

Though that spirit may have been just a bird, I loved him, and he will be missed.

I’m sorry sparrow. I’m really sorry.

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I am an Animal Artist

Drawing a Fox with Prismacolor Colored Pencils

Drawing a Fox with Prismacolor Colored Pencils

I am an animal artist. Really, I’m just an animal person in general.

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Greenbelt Alliance

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It was a forest of cactus!

“It was a cactus forest!”

In a previous post, I mentioned that my Nature & the Quest for Meaning class took a tour along Prospect Park Trail, a trail maintained by the Greenbelt Alliance, and learned all about pitching a hammock in order to better enjoy the natural areas of San Marcos. That wasn’t all that we learned, though.

After carpooling through a neighborhood area, we all pulled up to a tiny path sticking out at the end of a road with a man standing on it. The man was Todd Derkacz, a member of the Greenbelt Alliance and our tour guide for the day. He greeted all of us as we piled out of our cars and began to lead us down the path. As we first started walking, I was absolutely amazed at all of the cactus that were around. It was a cactus forest! That’s one thing about Texas that I’m actually not very fond of…I’d rather live in an area where I don’t have to see the dry, spiky plants.

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My Campus Could Give Me Rabies

Photo by Susan Hanson

Photo by Susan Hanson

Here at Texas State University, we have bats. There are bats in the allies, bats in the parking garages, and sometimes bats in the open.

It was about two years ago when I received the first email about bats warning me to stay away from them and to never touch them if I were to see one on the ground, dead or alive. The bats here are known to carry rabies, and I believe two years ago a student was bitten by a bite and came down with the unpleasant disease. At the time, I was concerned, but I hadn’t actually seen the bats. I could hear them when I walked in the Nueces Alleyway or through the Alkek Parking Garage late at night, and I could see their droppings along the walls and floors, but had never actually seen one.

Now, two years later, I’ve seen two bats and have seen a sign warning of another bat sighting.

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Snow

Born and raised in Texas, I didn’t actually see snow until I was 11 years old when my family moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota. I remember my middle school was having a contest to guess the first day it was going to snow, and I raised my hand saying, “Well…I’ve never seen snow, so how am I supposed to guess?” They told me to just give it my best try, so I wrote some random day down. I don’t remember the day I wrote down, but I do remember that it was right.

I remember the first time I saw snow…It was a dark night and it was either a Friday or Saturday. It wasn’t a school night. My family and I had gathered around outside after hearing on the news that there was a possibility of snow. After a while, the first flakes starting falling. They were so tiny and fragile. I was amazed at how quickly they would melt in my hand and how from a distance the snowflakes looked like tiny white cottonballs, but up close they looked like complicated crystals. They were amazing.

I quickly called a close family friend and as soon as she picked up the phone I exclaimed, “It’s snowing!” She had told me to say that and she’d know exactly who it was. I was so excited to see snow.

That Monday when I went to school, I was eager to see what I’d win for getting the right day, but for some reason I didn’t win. The school said something about how it didn’t snow in that area, or it wasn’t enough to count, or something weird like that. I was irked, but whatever. At least I know I guessed the day right. Not like it matters anyways…

Now, nine years later, I live in Texas again and I haven’t seen snow in five years. There are times that I miss it’s magical, mysterious beauty, but then there’s other times when I think of the negative sides of snow. After living in Minnesota for a year, my family moved to North Dakota for four years where I got to spend a lot of time with the snow.

In North Dakota, it’s common for temperatures to go below zero and snow begins falling in October and doesn’t stop until April or May. It’s not a pleasant, peaceful snowfall, though, it’s a harsh, icy experience. In North Dakota, the land is barren and flat, so wind is extremely strong and unstoppable. This can make the temperatures even more frigid than they already are. Each winter night in North Dakota, the temperatures drop so low that it freezes everything from the day previous so that all the snow is turned to ice. This can be great for sledding, but it’s awful for actually living and getting around in.

In a North Dakota winter, people need to wake up extra early in the mornings to clear their driveways, especially before the temperatures freeze the snow on the driveway into a sheet of ice. When my dad would shovel the snow into a pile next to our house, I always got excited about building snow tunnels and burrowing a snow cave, but I was always disappointed when not long afterwards it’d be a giant chunk of unpenetrable ice. Also, whenever the snow plows would come down the streets, they’d push all the snow from the streets into a little pile at the foot of everyone’s driveway. Of course this would also quickly turn to ice so every home on the street would have a frozen, icy speedbump at the base of their driveway until summer.

Another problem with snow is that it’s only pure, white, and beautiful for a limited time. Once people begin walking in it or cars start driving in it, it just starts getting muddy and sloppy. There was always a muddy sloshy mess in all of the streets and on all of the sidewalks in the winters in North Dakota. Parking lots would have a few spaces dedicated to building a giant muddy snow pile that would accumulate throughout the winter. No matter how beautiful and magical a snowy night might be, it’d always be ruined in the morning…

I can still remember the most snowy magical sight I saw, and it was one random night in North Dakota around two or three in the morning. I was downstairs in my bedroom when my dad called for me from the dining room upstairs. I ran up to find him staring out the window. “Look, look!” he said as he opened the curtain for me. Outside was a gigantic white hare, about the size of a large dog. The hare was hopping down our street, teetering from yard to yard. He came across our yard, right in front of the window we were looking out of and continued through our driveway before following down the street. He didn’t stay long, but I treasured each second I saw him. The next morning, the snow had covered up any sight of tracks and the hare was nowhere to be found. Every now and then I would hear a neighbor say they saw the hare, but I never saw him, myself, ever again.

Snow has a special place in my heart. Every Christmas Eve when I was a child in Texas, I would pray for snow so that I could have that “White Christmas,” but it never did snow…But after living a few years in the stuff, I’m glad to be done with it. I wouldn’t mind if it snowed a little here and there, but I don’t want to shovel or pick at the ice or trudge through the slush any more. It’s also nice to be able to walk to a bus stop without the danger of frostbite setting in. In any case, I love snow, but I can love it from afar.

<- Nature & the Quest for Meaning #8 | Nature & the Quest for Meaning #10 ->

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Tower Fish – Nevermind

I think it’s a little amusing that right after I wrote a post about Winston and Blanco, the two fish that have become pets at the Front Desk of the residence hall I work at, The Tower Hall, about how much I appreciate having them and how it brightens up my work shift and brings smiles to the residents’ faces, they’re taken away.

Unfortunately, Housing and Residential Life at Texas State University likes to set strict rules and guidelines in order to maintain standards and uphold quality. These can be hard to work with a lot of the time and are never negotiable. It can make my job more difficult and frustrating, especially when these standards are changed or set with little warning.

This month has been full of changes, and I am bound to write another post on the others, but this one will focus on Blanco and Winston.

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Tower Fish – Blanco & Winston

I am a resident assistant at a residence hall called The Tower Hall, in case you didn’t know. We recently had our Winter Training session in early January in which we went to different sessions throughout the day to learn more about better ourselves or our working habits. There are sessions such as eating healthy, creating eye-catching advertisesments, using Pinterest to come up with programming and decoration ideas, and even classes on sexual health. At one of these training sessions, though, our hall won an unexpected prize, fish.

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Texas State Wildlife

One of my favorite things about Texas State University is the nature encompassing it. Texas State is filled with beautiful scenery and lively wildlife. Wherever you go, there’s plants and animals to be found. I especially love the area around Sewell Park that includes the artificial lakes and the San Marcos River.

Of course the most common animal found on campus is the Eastern fox squirrel, a squirrel that is commonly found in the United States. There’s squirrels just about everywhere you go around campus. I love most animals, especially if they’re fuzzy and fur-covered, so I am a fan of squirrels and whenever I see one on campus, I like to spend a little time with him, if I’ve got some to spare. I especially enjoy watching squirrels find food, nibble on it a bit, and then bury it in the ground for later. They always look so funny when they bury things.

The Eastern fox squirrel, found on campus, is a larger-sized squirrel with a long furry tail that’s 40% of their body length! They are often silver or grey with a light red-brown stomach. They like to sit in an upright position when eating. They are excellent tree climbers because of their sharp claws and masculine bodies. They most enjoy tree-filled areas where they can collect nuts and prefer oak, hickory, walnut, and pine trees.

Another common animal found on campus is the great-tailed grackle. These birds are commonly known as blackbirds because the males are completely black. In the sunlight, though, their feathers tend to glean a variety of colors including blue and purple. I actually think that these birds are quite pretty when their feathers show a multitude of colors, especially because these colors are some of my favorites.

Female grackles are more of a grey and brown color and their feathers are often more rough-looking than their male counterparts. While the males’ feathers are long and gracefully fit along the form of the bird, the females’ feathers are often patchy and messy-looking. It makes it appear as if the bird is losing feathers or didn’t really have many to begin with.

I really have a thing for birds, especially because I love feathers. Male great-tailed grackles are beautiful in my eyes because of their spectacular colors and their long feathers. They also have very long and beautiful tails, which is where their name comes from.

I also like birds for the many, interesting sounds that they make. The grackle has a variety of calls, some melodic, but most found annoying to people. I like to hear their calls and will often try to find the bird once I hear him singing. It’s entertaining to find a grackle when it’s making a wind-up toy-esque noise because the bird will puff up, ruffling its feathers out while it makes the cry, then exhale and return to its normal size.

Around the artificial ponds surrounding the theatre building, a large variety of animals can be found including turtles, fish, and birds. There’s usually some ducks around there when you walk by. I love stopping by this area to see the animals. If I’m ever having a really stressful day, I can count on the ducks to help me relax. We’re not allowed to feed them, so they really don’t get a lot of attention and don’t like to be approached, but if you’re calm around them, they’ll be calm around you.

I’m not particularly fond of the muscovy ducks because of the weird crusty appearance of their faces, but I’m still pretty happy spending time with just about any animal. The muscovy ducks come in a wide range of colors from light to dark. They can be black or white, grey or brown, green or blue. They often have spots or patches on their feathers and can sometimes sport a crest upon their head. They enjoy lounging around the base of the trees or wading about in the shallow ends of the ponds.

A rare duck that can be found on Texas State grounds is the Egyptian goose. I’m not sure exactly why the goose can be found here in San Marcos, Texas because it’s native to Africa and the Nile River. Somehow it’s made the San Marcos River its home.

Like the muscovy duck, it’s mostly terrestrial and likes to perch around the trees we have on campus. Unlike the muscovy duck, though, they don’t come in a variety of colors and patterns. All Egyptian geese generally look alike, even the males and females, with the males only slightly larger than their female partners. The males do, however, have a different voice than the females, a hourse, subdued quack. The females are much noisier in order to protect their young.

I do enjoy the company of the Egyptian geese more, though. They like to walk around the pond and even follow the sidewalks around the water. They’re usually more active than the muscovy ducks as they rest, drink water, swim in the shallows, walk along the paths, and explore the banks. I followed one, in particular, around for quite a while one day as he, (or she,) walked from pond to pond.

About seven or eight years ago, Texas State became home to another bird, the American black vulture. These birds are said to have been attracted to the campus as the amount of litter and dead animals increased, which they enjoy feeding upon. Finding this area as the perfect home full of shelter, water, and food, they began perching within the university’s trees and upon the JC Kellum building, the closest building to the university ponds. Because of this nuisance, Professor David Huffman has placed spikes along the building’s windowsills to prevent the large birds from perching along the sides of the building. Allthough the spikes keep them from the windows, nothing stops them from perching atop the roof.

I am quite intrigued by these large, hulking, black birds. They’re size is impressive, especially when they stretch out their full wingspans. I often see them within the trees and in large groups. I like seeing them on the ground, though, because they hop and skulk about.

Another bird that has made the San Marcos River its home is the great blue heron. The largest North American heron, the great blue heron likes wetland areas and shores of open water in which it can wade. I’ve seen this bird hanging around the river in Sewell Park, wading amongst the elephant ears and other green foliage, but only once. For some reason, this bird is the most elusive of them all, or at least when I’m around.

Great blue herons are actually quite adaptable and can be found throughout most of North America. Wherever there is a water, a heron can be found, whether it be freshwater or saltwater, a marsh or swamp, deep water or shallow water. As long as the waters provide the fish the heron needs to survive, the bird can be found wading about the shorelines. Although they spend much of their time in the water, they nest in the trees and bushes along the coast and will occasionally fly about. They’re favorite places to nest are on small islands, in order to protect their young from potential predators.

A lot of birds can be found on Texas State University grounds, but I’ve saved my favorite bird found on campus for last, the great egret, otherwise known as the great white egret, common egret, large egret, or great white heron. I love this egret because of its majestic and elegant appearance. This all-white bird likes to wade in the waters on campus and looks beautiful from all angles with it’s long, thin appearance. I just love the poses this bird makes with its flexible neck, especially when it creates a distinct “S” shape.

The great egret is slightly smaller than a great blue heron and can be distinguished from other egrets by its yellow beak and black legs. I can stand over 3 feet tall and have a wingspan that stretches over 5 feet long. Because this bird is migratory, it’s not always seen around San Marcos, but when it is spotted, it’s always a treat for me. I especially like seeing this bird in flight as it looks quite majestic. The egret is one of the few birds that flies with its neck retracted up against its shoulders rather than extended, like cranes. I really enjoy whenever I get to see a great egret here on campus.

Texas State University is a beautiful campus with a wonderful environment for animals. Because of the San Marcos River that flows through Sewell Park and the many artificial ponds that surround the theare building, the campus attracts a wide variety of wildlife, especially waterfowl and other birds. Of course, there are more animals than the ones listed in this post, but these are the only ones, so far, that I’ve been able to capture on film. I love the animals here on campus and hope to continue photographing their beauty.

Texas State Faces: Nature

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I Hate Wind

Most people think I’m pretty weird when I step outside, a gust of wind blows by, and I throw my arms about and exclaim, “I hate you, wind!” I really just don’t like wind, though…There’s a few reasons why:

1. It Messes Up My Hair – All girls should agree with me on this one…I’ve got pretty long hair and I never pull it back or wear it up. I like my hair down and out of my face, but for some reason, wind does not agree with me. Wind would rather blow my hair all over the place, pulling it up into the air, right in front of my face, or even whipping it into the faces of people around me. It gets so bad sometimes that I’ll walk backwards or sideways to get the hair out of my face. This always makes it difficult to put my bike helmet on. I can’t put a helmet on my head when my hair’s being blown into several different directions, so I’ll have to face the wind to blow my hair backwards and try to herd it into my helmet. To top it all off, when I finally get indoors, my hair is super frizzy, knotted, and overall, a crazy, unkempt mess.

2. It Ruins Outdoor Picnics – I love the outdoors. I would love the outdoors even more if there wasn’t wind. I enjoy restaurants that offer outdoor seating and I like having a home with an outdoor patio set and living in a residence hall with an outdoor balcony with tables and chairs. These are all useless, though, if there’s wind. It’s hard to eat outdoors when there’s wind blowing around. You can’t keep anything in place, especially napkins and paper plates and cups. For a little while, food and drink will keep your plates and cups in place, but once you reach the end of the meal, your plates will start lifting up, and your cups will start turning over. Plus, your napkin will constantly be trying to fly away, and it’s difficult to use when it’s tucked under your plate, especially if your plate is trying to fly away, as well. I wish wind would leave me alone when I’m trying to eat outside.

3. It Makes it Feel Colder – Wind likes to complicate things so much that it even messes with our temperature. Because of wind we not only have to talk about the actual temperature, but also have to talk about the wind chill and the “feels like” temperature. It could be a comfortable 65 degrees outside, but throw in some wind, and it’s a cold 55 degrees. This is even worse if it’s already cold outside! Leave me alone, wind, it’s cold enough, already!

4. It Makes it Harder to Walk – I’m a pretty small person, so wind likes to bully me and push me around. On a really windy day, it can be pretty hard for me to walk around. I want to go one way, but the wind wants me to go another way. Take some hills into consideration and the situation gets even worse, especially when I’m on my bike. It’s already a struggle riding a bike up a steep hill, but it’s even worse when the wind is pushing against me.

5. It Can be Dangerous – One of my biggest fears is tornadoes. That’s just a cyclonic tunnel of deadly wind! Wind can get pretty strong and really be destructive and hurtful when it comes to storms, tornadoes, and hurricanes. Storms really terrify me and when I hear the wind really starting to pick up, I can’t help but get worried. Many lives have been changed because of wind, and generally, not for the better. Entire cities have even been destroyed because of wind. Think of all the money spent in hurricane and tornado relief…Wind is a monster.

So, wind and I don’t have a very good relationship. I’m not very fond of it and it’s not very fond of me as it constantly messes with me and annoys me. As it stands right now, I hate wind.

<- Nature & the Quest for Meaning #4 | Nature & the Quest for Meaning #6 ->

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Need a Break? Pitch a Hammock!

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There’s a lot of research that shows that spending time outside in a natural area can help a person relax. Not only does nature help a person de-stress, it also helps lower his heart-rate and his blood pressure. Spending time in nature really helps people slow down, relax, and focus, actually causing them to be more productive in the long-run. Because of this, some hospitals really try to provide all of their patients with an outdoor view and keep fresh flowers in their rooms.

I’m thankful to live on a college campus that is surrounded by nature. With a river running right through the campus and with ponds all about, there are always animals about and pleasant, calming sounds to enjoy. There are also plenty of parks within the city and hidden trails throughout.

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Our Water’s Cleaner Than Yours

There’s a tradition here at Texas State University to take the Glass-Bottom Boat Tour at Aquarena Springs in your University Seminar class as a freshman. Now, as a junior, I took another tour on the glass-bottom boats in my Honors course.

It was wonderful to revisit Aquarena Springs, especially because a lot had changed in the last few years. What was once an old, run-down amusement park and tourist attraction with broken down old buildings that had begun to encroach upon the river now looked like a beautiful and natural lake that actually belonged in the environment.

I always enjoy spending time outdoors and seeing animals and nature, especially when I’ve got my camera with me…

The day began off a little interesting as we were to meet at Aquarena Springs and all the available passenger seats had been taken. Taking that into consideration, I decided to bike the mile and a half trip, which just happened to be mostly uphill both ways.

Only in the Hill Country can your trip be uphill both ways!

Worried I’d be late, I was surprised to find that I had actually arrived first and was eager to begin the trip. While waiting for everyone to arrive, my classmates and I took in the beautiful environment that surrounded us and began taking photographs. There was an interesting sign on the edge of the lake with adorable little ducks on it. All the girls wanted a photo with the cute duck sign. I couldn’t quite figure out what it was trying to say, but it sure was heart-warming in the cold weather.

Once everyone had arrived, we took our seats on the boat and began to set out. Our tour guide began to guide the boat out into the lake as the Director of the Aquarena Center stood up front taking pictures of our class for advertisement use later. We are a pretty good-looking bunch. 😉

Once the boat had ventured out into the waters, everyone was drawn to peer through the glass lining bottom of the vessel. Through the clear glass and the clear waters, everything could be seen.

The San Marcos River is known for being one of the most, if not the most, clear and clean rivers in all of Texas. It is spring-fed from the Edwards Aquifer, and the waters that trickle and bubble out of the springs are often of higher grade than city regulations for tap and drinking water. Of course, once the springs feed into the river and come in contact with plants and animals, other influences affect the water and downgrade it a bit, but the source is extremely pure. I wish that I could drink directly from the springs and taste such pure water, but, apparently it’s a dangerous feat.

It was said that a man once took the glass-bottom boat tour at Aquarena Springs and was so intrigued by the purity of the spring water that he lept off the boat and dived into the water. He swam to the bottom of the lake and grasped onto the rocks in order to bring his mouth to the gushing springs and take a drink. Apparently, the water rushes so forcefully that he almost drowned from the sudden intake of water.

That’s quite an adventure just to get a sip of water!

The tour guide that guided us along our experience with Clear Lake and drove our boat around the waters was very knowledgeable and helpful. She shared her knowledge of the San Marcos River and directed us to points of interest beneath the depths. Explaining the history of the river and how it has changed and impacted the environment over the years, she explained many facts about the waters that I did not know before. I especially enjoyed hearing her facts about the plants, animals, and wildlife that lived within the area.

There were several moments within the trip in which an animal would swim past the glass and surprise us. I was intrigued by the gar that we saw, along with the many giant fish. Our guide explained that it’s illegal to fish in Clear Lake above the dam, so once the fish grow too big to be eaten by the snowy egret, the largest bird to inhabit the area, they have no more predators to worry about. At one point, a large school of fish glided underneath our boat drawing interest from my peers and me.

There were also many turtles around the area, sprawled out among the rocks and logs as they tried to soak up the sunlight to warm their cold-blooded bodies. Some of the turtles had climbed atop of each other as they fought for the best sunlight. It’s amusing to see turtles balancing on top of one another.

Our tour guide continued showing us about Clear Lake as she explained the scientific studies that were going on and the opportunities that Aquarena Springs offered. While Clear Lake is generally protected by law, it is possible to scuba dive if certified under special circumstances, and of course, the glass-bottom boats are always up for a tour.

Aquarena Springs often pairs up with Texas State University in order to protect the endangered species of the San Marcos River and to study the environment in order to better understand it and all its benefits.

After we had explored just about everything within the small lake, checking out the bubbling springs and the most interesting side-notes, our tour guide began bringing the boat back into the dock. The photographer thanked us for the photos as we thanked our tour guide and the other staff members who helped us along our tour.

With a group photo, our class came to an end.

If only I hadn’t had another class to run to, I would have loved to check out the aquatic museum center they had!

Aquarena Today

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Adventuring the Narrows

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when I say Texas? I bet you think of cowboy hats and horses set upon a sandy desert… That is, of course, unless you’re actually from Texas. Then you know that we don’t actually ride horses to school. But even I, a native-born Texan, was shocked to find this secret hidden within the Hill Country…

I was confused at first when my college professor mentioned that we would be visiting an ancient coral reef. We live in the middle of Texas…how could there be coral reef here? I actually didn’t give it much thought as I prepared for our trip. I was just excited to meet my classmates and spend time with them out on a mini-camping trip before class even started.

We were camping out at Wessendorff Ranch, a private ranch land filled with cabins for a church camp. When we drove out to the ranch lands, filled with cows and dirt roads, I had forgotten about the “coral reef” remark. I was in the familiar landscape of the Hill Country, a flat, slightly forested spread of land. Honestly, I was too busy looking for foxes to pay much attention to anything else.

After unloading everything at our cabin, we decided to venture out to the main attraction in this area: the Narrows. It was when we pulled up to our destination, hopped out of the vehicle, and were met face to face with a sign that read: “Warning Dangerous Conditions!” that I remembered that there were some supposed steep cliffs out here. They must be hiding, because I still hadn’t seen anything.

After everyone had taken their tourist pic with the death sign, we ventured along the path and came across a wide ledge. Overlooking the ledge, jagged, rough rocks could be seen. Finally it was beginning to look a little interesting.

Oh, was I in for a surprise.

I followed my classmates across the rocks, hopping precariously from stone to stone, clutching my camera tightly in my hands. After a few wrong turns, we found ourselves following a path across the rocks until we came across an enormous ledge.

Woah.

That was a site I was not expecting to see.

“You see, these are the ancient coral reefs,” my professor shouted out for everyone to hear.

“So this was all underwater at some point?” asked Amy.

“Yes, the water carved out these canyons.”

Instantly, I had been overwhelmed with amazement. To think that this whole land used to be covered in water and that these giant rocks we were scampering across were not rocks at all; they were coral reef. We weren’t standing upon cliffs overlooking a valley, we were standing on the bottom of an ancient ocean. It really changed my perspective. Suddenly, I felt very small.

Hidden within the valley of the coral reef rested placid pools of water spread throughout. In some areas, the pools were a mere trickle of a spring running gently across the rocky bottom. In other areas the pools expanded and connected to create a massive swimming hole.

“People like to come out here and swim in the summer time,” stated our professor. “Some of those pools are very deep. We can’t even find the bottoms of some of them.”

After that statement, the most adventurous of the bunch, Austin, became wildly curious. He had already been climbing atop the highest rocks and peering over the tallest edges. After hearing our professor’s statement, he wanted to try something. Suddenly he began scouring the ground looking for rocks. After finding a few, he began tossing them over the edge and into the waters. As they “plopped” into the water, he looked a bit disappointed and continued searching.

I continued stumbling over the jagged surfaces while carefully taking pictures with my prized camera. Not long afterwards, Austin came back holding an enormous rock that he had found.

“Hey, I’m going to see how deep these ponds are!” he exclaimed.

After hearing Austin’s remark and seeing the giant rock he was toting around, the entire class began scrambling among the rocks around him trying to get a good view. “Is everyone ready?” Austin asked, making sure everyone was going to see his achievement. After everyone had found a place, Austin thrust the rock over the edge.

As the rock met with the water, there was a loud clap, as if thunder had erupted in the sky. An enormous amount of water rained into the air around the rock as it began to sink. Not long afterwards, Austin heard the rock hit the bottom of the pond and was satisfied before continuing on his adventures.

After all of the excitement, everyone went back to exploring the Narrows on their own. Some stayed up near the top, far away from the steep, dangerous edges of the valley. Others carefully climbed down among wet, slippery rocks and found hiding places within the crags. Most of the class found a tranquil opening upon which to sit and chat.

I joined my friends as they ventured deeper into the valley until my own curiosities overcame me. At one point, I was off venturing by myself, soon followed by my peers.

We spent several hours at this amazing landmark, taking in the magnificent scenery and enjoying the fresh dose of nature before heading back to our cabin for the night.

The Narrows left such an impression upon us, though, that we returned in the morning before finally heading back home.

Even now, I am amazed at what beauty lies hidden within the Hill Country.

“The Narrows Texas” On The Blanco River Hike

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