Dusting the Trail

Hello...

to every one interested in my blog. I have very little experience with blogging, but in the days following my acceptance into the EcoQuest program I figure no time is better than now to begin. I see this blog as being an integral part in communicating with friends and family during my foray into New Zealand. You are welcome to respond thoughtfully to my adventures or simply let me know that you are an intent reader.


I regret that in more ways than one that this shadow may be all you see of me after I begin classes on January 30th, 2008; after all, I will also double as the photographer, behind the lens, for this blog. But now, I am always here to provide a wave and a friendly gesture. I know in many ways the pictures that I take will only fuel jealousy towards the great opportunity I have been granted, but please do your best to enjoy the sights, and perhaps sounds, that I provide you with as a portal to the wonderful experience I am presumably enjoying.


This blog may also very well show more insight and personal reflection than I have ever publically provided in the past. I hope this will allow you to maintain an image of me that is compatable with the person I become while in New Zealand. No doubt, with immersion into a new country, culture, and career-based excursions I will become a new me. I do not intend on changing entirely, but merely growing in a way that will reflect my most recent experiences.


I will use this tree to make some generalizations within the blog. This picture was taken by Sean Kelley on the way back home from Hidden Acres Campground on George Palmer Rd. this summer. It so fully caught my attention I had to stop the car, in the middle of the road, and capture the image. The road, following the left side of the fence, has enabled the passage of vehicles that have destroyed that half of the tree. I shouldn't have to give any further explanation why this is so symbolic to the topic of global climate change and how much it hurt to be driving a car at that point, ask if you must. The right side of the fence has a diametrically different character. The leaves are green and plush, over hanging a juvenile corn field. We can argue about whether or not the field is sustainable, but instead we will just see it for its contrasting value to the road. I anticipate jumping the fence from the USA to New Zealand, a country claiming world dominance over sustainability policy and practice. But I'm sure at some point during my stay I will find myself curled up on the paved side of that fence looking for a small avian friend to remind me of home.

I hope I have not bored you with my first post. I intend to write, perhaps infrequently, about a few of my mini-journeys while still here, dare I say it, at home in Michigan. Stay tuned.

For now, I will see you soon, before I get my boots dirty.
Z