For this blog post, I would like to share another outing I had while I was at home for Thanksgiving Break that I forgot to add.
Two Rivers Park is yet another outdoor space in Little Rock that we love to go to. It is located a bit north-west of the city, right where the Little Maumelle River flows into the Arkansas River. It features a little peninsula where, on the right, the Little Maumelle emerges from the veil of trees covering the water behind your shoulder, and on the left, the mighty Arkansas River picks it up, with its little waves sloshing and pushing its might down to the Big Dam Bridge below stream. The peninsula itself is quite large and features many bike and running trails winding around it. It also has a cute little area where people can buy or rent a plot and plant their own gardens. Vegetables, herbs, and some fruits grow in the gardens, and every time we go I see someone tending to their raised beds. I think projects like that are nice because they encourage people to grow something from the earth themselves and give people an opportunity to find satisfaction and nourishment from their own cooperation with the earth. Now that I have spent time at the Fort Worth Nature Center in class, I feel as though I now appreciate the appeal of working outside and seeing the fruit of one's own labor.
One of the best features of Two Rivers Park is a little bench that sits on the end of the peninsula and looks out down the river. When we went over break, Presley (my sister) and I walked down one of the bike paths, onto the soft, thin grass, and to the bench to sit and take in the view. A single tree kept watch over us on the bench. I wondered how many trees were here before the park was. I feel as though in every space dedicated to appreciating nature, it almost requires that it destroy nature in some way in order for us to see it. The fine balance between accessibility and accommodation for our abilities as humans and the respect and reverence for nature in its natural state struck me yet again. Nevertheless, I was grateful for this spot because it offers such a gorgeous view that I can share with people I care about. The difference between this view and that of the Big Dam Bridge is that the one at Two Rivers Park is more peaceful and less crowded. My sister and I just sat on the bench, sometimes not saying anything, and just looking. The river extended out beyond us, to places we will never go. Birds flew high above us and right beside us, enjoying the beautiful day as well and probably also looking for a bite to eat. The wind that would reach the Big Dam Bridge in a few minutes still brushed us, but it was calmer and more soothing here. This view is one of the places where nature offers comfort and rest. Your mind totally clears when you sit there, and it grounds you to what is really important as the wind carries all your ties to the real world far far away.
We sat at the bench for about forty five minutes and then drove back home to eat dinner with our family. Experiences like these is why spending time outside is one of my favorite things to do when I go home.
Two Rivers Park is yet another outdoor space in Little Rock that we love to go to. It is located a bit north-west of the city, right where the Little Maumelle River flows into the Arkansas River. It features a little peninsula where, on the right, the Little Maumelle emerges from the veil of trees covering the water behind your shoulder, and on the left, the mighty Arkansas River picks it up, with its little waves sloshing and pushing its might down to the Big Dam Bridge below stream. The peninsula itself is quite large and features many bike and running trails winding around it. It also has a cute little area where people can buy or rent a plot and plant their own gardens. Vegetables, herbs, and some fruits grow in the gardens, and every time we go I see someone tending to their raised beds. I think projects like that are nice because they encourage people to grow something from the earth themselves and give people an opportunity to find satisfaction and nourishment from their own cooperation with the earth. Now that I have spent time at the Fort Worth Nature Center in class, I feel as though I now appreciate the appeal of working outside and seeing the fruit of one's own labor.
One of the best features of Two Rivers Park is a little bench that sits on the end of the peninsula and looks out down the river. When we went over break, Presley (my sister) and I walked down one of the bike paths, onto the soft, thin grass, and to the bench to sit and take in the view. A single tree kept watch over us on the bench. I wondered how many trees were here before the park was. I feel as though in every space dedicated to appreciating nature, it almost requires that it destroy nature in some way in order for us to see it. The fine balance between accessibility and accommodation for our abilities as humans and the respect and reverence for nature in its natural state struck me yet again. Nevertheless, I was grateful for this spot because it offers such a gorgeous view that I can share with people I care about. The difference between this view and that of the Big Dam Bridge is that the one at Two Rivers Park is more peaceful and less crowded. My sister and I just sat on the bench, sometimes not saying anything, and just looking. The river extended out beyond us, to places we will never go. Birds flew high above us and right beside us, enjoying the beautiful day as well and probably also looking for a bite to eat. The wind that would reach the Big Dam Bridge in a few minutes still brushed us, but it was calmer and more soothing here. This view is one of the places where nature offers comfort and rest. Your mind totally clears when you sit there, and it grounds you to what is really important as the wind carries all your ties to the real world far far away.
We sat at the bench for about forty five minutes and then drove back home to eat dinner with our family. Experiences like these is why spending time outside is one of my favorite things to do when I go home.
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