Since our first day of class I have been thinking about making the point where Little Westham Creek meets Old College Road my reflection spot. I love that it’s isolated from students rustling by and that it’s on the water, yet one can watch the cars and their passengers zoom on and off campus.
Last night I was walking around the lake with Jenni and Natalie, and in K Lot we spotted a shy little raccoon. We followed it as it skittered up the bark of a Loblolly Pine; the bright flash of our iphone sent it scurrying into the woods towards the creek. I took it as a sign.
I made my way into the woods after a quick swim, my presence leaving a trail of chlorine that permeated the crisp winter air. The unusual weather allowed an easy reflection, the edges of the lake clothed in a layer of thin ice. The snow blanketed across the surrounding watershed has been melting all day, making its way down to my spot. It’s higher than ever, and I wonder if when the water recedes, will the ice surface separate? Delicately floating a few inches over its body. Right as it passes under the road, as TLB said, the creek flattens out, coming to a lull. The water babbles out of its tunnel, swirling in patterns, slowing, frothing, freezing as it makes its way downstream. The oily pollution solidifies on the surface, forming ripples of white lather.
Cars ceaselessly passed by, seeming to mark off the edge of campus. I remember jogging by this spot with my friend Aileen; crossing into the neighborhoods always felt like a game of Frogger. In the brief moments undisturbed by engines, the sounds of campus and its wildlife neighbors would blur. I closed my eyes, but my eyelids seemed to mirror the colors all around me: white, greyed brown, and the rust orange of dying leaves. I breathed through my nose, the smell of decomposition barely perceivable under the vacuous snow air. I realized how much I miss that smell – It can be overwhelming in the damp forests of Washington, but here it’s like a rare delicacy that passes by unnoticed.
I marveled at how beautiful the sun is today, realizing my ears had gone numb. The smell of chlorine returned to me, so I stood up and made my way back to Lakeview. I’m excited to see how the water changes with the season, and the banks around it.