
Of course, my sister and I are very like-minded (we both LOVE beaches). Besides the beach, I would like to take my sister to different restaurants on the journey, just to try new and interesting foods.


I
decided to take advantage of the beautiful and serene lake, so I rented out a
canoe, and I headed down the lake. As I canoed, I was surrounded by beautiful,
dark, green trees, and the sounds of the birds happily singing. Throughout all
of this, I was able to relax and remove all the stress and worry from my mind
and body. I also began to think: why can’t people just notice and enjoy the
simple beauty of nature? After this unexpected stop by the Kentucky Lake, I
will be heading to Nashville, Tennessee very soon, then I will make it to my
final destination: Myrtle Beach.
For my
first stop, I drove an hour and forty minutes (106 miles) to Mt. Vernon,
Illinois. While I drove, I listened to the radio and I was very observant of my
surroundings (mainly highways and fields of grass). When I got to Mt. Vernon, I
visited the CedarHurst Center for the Arts. It was filled with various art
pieces from all over the world. My favorite painting was by William James
Glackens called “Summer Day” and of course it featured the thing that inspired
my journey: the beach. I stayed there for about two hours, ate lunch, then I continued
my journey onward to Tennessee, where I will make a few more stops before I get
to my final destination to Myrtle Beach.
On April 24, 2015, my class and I went
a beautiful walk through our school’s “outdoor classroom”. This “outdoor
classroom” is like a small forest/woods. Just like Thoreau said, “When we walk,
we naturally got to the fields and woods”. When I first stepped outside, a cool
breeze rushed through my hair. I could feel the warm rays of the sun. We walked
over to the outdoor classroom, which is basically a small trail that leads to a
creek. As I approached the trail, I saw
some small, dark-green, leafy plants sticking out of the ground, and there was
a mint smell in the air. I tore off one of the leaves and smelled: it was peppermint
leaves.
the stress. I remembered what Thoreau wrote in
his essay: “Walking”. Thoreau said, “You must walk like a camel, which is said
to be the only beast which ruminates when walking.” So I “ruminated” about the simple
beauty of nature and how it is easily overlooked.
Later down the trail, I spotted
many types of plants. I saw small white/light purple flowers, and a bright, beautiful,
yellow dandelion standing out between the wood on the ground. I also saw a peculiar
green