An experimental journey

Written By Paige Menton
Caesar the Frog.jpg

Ralph Waldo Emerson said that all of life is an experiment. “The more experiments you make, the better.”

In the midst of so many stories of uncertainty and upheaval, I am going to take an experimental journey to gather fond memories of the natural world and stories of how people take care of their land. For the month of September, I will travel through communities from Pennsylvania to Alabama and listen. I will post on Facebook and Instagram and here.

Last day in Alabama for now: Bibb County Glades Preserve along the Cahaba River; work of the Equal Justice Initiative in Montevallo to shine light on the history of lynching; Shoal Creek in Shoal Creek Park
Last day in Alabama for now: Bibb County Glades Preserve along the Cahaba River; work of the Equal Justice Initiative in Montevallo to shine light on the history of lynching; Shoal Creek in Shoal Creek Park
Live Oak Landing in Baldwin County; Splinter Hill Bog with pitcher plants and longleaf pine; sinkhole pond near Conecuh National Forest; Alabama River in Lowndes County; Legacy Museum and Memorial in Montgomery
Live Oak Landing in Baldwin County; Splinter Hill Bog with pitcher plants and longleaf pine; sinkhole pond near Conecuh National Forest; Alabama River in Lowndes County; Legacy Museum and Memorial in Montgomery
Mobile Botanical Gardens and its Longleaf Pine Forest; pitcher plants in the bog at Weeks Bay; Spanish moss on a tree in Fairhope; Fairhope Friends--thank you for a lovely lunch and great conversation; the Gulf
Mobile Botanical Gardens and its Longleaf Pine Forest; pitcher plants in the bog at Weeks Bay; Spanish moss on a tree in Fairhope; Fairhope Friends--thank you for a lovely lunch and great conversation; the Gulf
Views around Hoover and Vestavia Hills: Moss Rock Preserve--the natural wonder behind my middle school that we did not know was there at the time; walking in another neighborhood; the LEED-certified transformation of the library where I worked in hig
Views around Hoover and Vestavia Hills: Moss Rock Preserve--the natural wonder behind my middle school that we did not know was there at the time; walking in another neighborhood; the LEED-certified transformation of the library where I worked in high school, which includes a trail through the woods behind it
Walking and visiting: the house I lived in from six to eight, its neighborhood; Mrs. Burnett--my English teacher, Bill and Vasha; two views of kudzu; Birmingham Friends with Nancy Whitt; the city at the end of the day
Walking and visiting: the house I lived in from six to eight, its neighborhood; Mrs. Burnett--my English teacher, Bill and Vasha; two views of kudzu; Birmingham Friends with Nancy Whitt; the city at the end of the day
Last day in Alabama for now: Bibb County Glades Preserve along the Cahaba River; work of the Equal Justice Initiative in Montevallo to shine light on the history of lynching; Shoal Creek in Shoal Creek Park Live Oak Landing in Baldwin County; Splinter Hill Bog with pitcher plants and longleaf pine; sinkhole pond near Conecuh National Forest; Alabama River in Lowndes County; Legacy Museum and Memorial in Montgomery Mobile Botanical Gardens and its Longleaf Pine Forest; pitcher plants in the bog at Weeks Bay; Spanish moss on a tree in Fairhope; Fairhope Friends--thank you for a lovely lunch and great conversation; the Gulf Views around Hoover and Vestavia Hills: Moss Rock Preserve--the natural wonder behind my middle school that we did not know was there at the time; walking in another neighborhood; the LEED-certified transformation of the library where I worked in hig Walking and visiting: the house I lived in from six to eight, its neighborhood; Mrs. Burnett--my English teacher, Bill and Vasha; two views of kudzu; Birmingham Friends with Nancy Whitt; the city at the end of the day
Paige Menton