observing nature

theodorkittelsen.january
“January” by Theodor Kittelsen

The place to observe nature is where you are; the walk to take to-day is the walk you took yesterday. You will not find just the same things: both the observed and the observer have changed; the ship is on another tack in both cases.
~ John Burroughs
(Signs & Seasons)

6 thoughts on “observing nature”

    1. This quote makes me think of the path my father cleared in his woods so he could take a walk every day. Each time I walked with him was different and we’d notice things the other missed, too.

    1. Me, too, Sybil. The ship is on another tack is a perfect metaphor to use on a blog called “By the Sea.”

  1. I’m thinking that when I take a walk through my back garden, after the rain we have had here this week, there will be many new sights to see, unfortunately they will be weeds! I too love the metaphor…it’s surprising how metaphors often relate to the sea, as I’m sure you will have discovered yourself. 🙂

    1. 😉 I actually love weeding the garden in the morning before the heat and humidity get to be too much. It reminds me again that no project is ever really “finished.” I shift position and then see more weeds that were not noticed before. Both the observed and the observer had changed…

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