Indian Creek
is a tributary of the Blue River. The Blue River is a tributary of the Missouri River.
Quarter mile of creek in the middle of Overland Park, Kansas - a nature park in the suburbs
People will pay more for a house nearby. Property tax pays for the park services.
Light moves throughout the day making a complex world visible through a constant sparkle of reflections.
Water hugs the edge of the path, a path that is trodden by all manner of creatures, their prints leaving a trail of interwoven clues.
Heavy rains bring flash-flood violence. Old debris gets scrubbed out, downstream. New debris is left behind as force retreats and the quiet flow reclaims its reign.
Birds sing and quarrel in their perches, squirrels chatter from up high, frogs croak and leap in fright, maneuvering through the water
Wind through the chasm of creek that's been hollowed out; grabbing leaves as they fall from tall trees, flipping twisting through the air, touching down on the water's surface.
Weather.
It is the movement and blur after high rains and flooding and the slow dripping during droughts. Winter and bone cold, the rain on the earth, the overgrowth during the sweltering heat of summer
Small, intricate pieces of constant growth and hibernation. A leaf shelters rock from scalding sun
Twigs, leaves and shells on the rocky shore mingle with scads of paper and plasic. It is sand and silt
a butterfly wing securely deposited between two rocks. There was once a small white feather, cradled by a leaf, floating on the creek's surface.
insects flying about your head in clouds near the water's edge, buzzing around your face, flying into your mouth and nose.
It is the pop can smashed into a rosetta, reflecting the sun through the moss growing around it.
Shawnee, Pawnee, Osage, Pottawatomie, Kiowa, Kickapoo
Water, beneath the water? Movement, scum, oil, bubbles, sparkle
Trash, lost items- water bottles, plastic, bags, sweatshirt, cigarettes, duct tape boats, a license, credit cards, gift cards, passes, envelopes, phone numbers, healthcare signs, balls, football flag, phone, power tools, newspaper, phone book, wallet, paper...
Weather- sun, heat, sweat, leaves, changing colors, falling, bone cold, snow, ice, frost, cloud of breath, new growth, return to greenery, overgrown
Waterway, evidence of water flow, hollowed out creek bed
Full creek, dried up creek
Change of creek course due to flooding
Trees, standing, fallen, rotting
Leaves, branches
Wind
Silence
Sounds
Animals- deer, squirrels, lost coyotes, foxes, raccoons, possums, birds, crickets, fish, crawfish, mosquitos, flies, grasshoppers, chiggers, ticks, dragonflies, ants, humans
Moving during dawn and dusk
Traces / footprints
Rocks, sand, silt, clay,
Life
Death
Bridge
Trail
People
Bike tires
Jogging
Walking
Lawn mowing / pathway clearing
Houses / apartments
Nursing home
Hospital
Roads
Cars
High school, anthem, football games
Walmart
Churches
Restaurants and stores
Humming
A snapping twig
Moonlight stars black clouds rain sleet fog exhaust dust pollen floating milkweed seeds and gossamer spiderweb in glamorous sunlight