Florida
is naturally a swamp so it always strikes me as funny when I see people refer
to retention ditches as “ponds” or “lakes.” I used to live in a community that
did this. Everyone loved talking about the lake, the fish in the lake, the
ducks on the lake, the turtles basking by the lake. It was a complete mystery
to me this obsession with a man-made lake. Sure it had a natural aspect to it
but to go on about it as though the builders had found a pristine lake and
built around it was sort of silly to me.
Florida
is like that, a man-made state. Without the development of air conditioning,
dredging and draining the swamps no one would want to live in here…at least
year round anyway. I think perhaps, especially along the coast, people forget
what nature really is. Maybe today man-made nature is the more improved
version of nature. Nature 2.0? One step closer to living in a complete virtual
environment? Even going to a state park one cannot escape the influence of
man-made: roads cut through the trees, fences line the perimeter, trails are
blazoned with signs and information, campsites are outfitted with running water
and electricity.
Sorry. Slippery slope, I know, and this blog is anything
but a tool for social reform or commentary. I am far too shallow non-confrontational for that.
Last year Cyra joined a golfing program and has since fallen
in love with the sport. The other day during one of her last lessons for the
fall session I followed her around the three-hole practice course snapping
photo after photo, paparazzi style, capturing her in action.
When I decided to participate in the photo challenge this
month, I made a point to be aware of the different themes so that I could grab
photos as they came. And as I was following Cyra around, the beautiful settling
of the golf course – and really, golf courses are very pretty and well
maintained – struck me as being off.
It’s a natural environment modified by man to suit a
purpose. Hence man-made nature. Oxymoron? Perhaps. But it fits the category.
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| Here is the course with a water hazard and on the far side a bunker. |
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| The retention ditch...I mean pond. Lake. Whatever. It's man made and that's what counts regardless of how many fish, birds or alligators live within it. |
You just reminded me of my creative writing professor in college, Robert Drake at the University of Tennessee. He told us, "Florida is the vermiform appendix of the United States". That was about 40 years ago when I took that class, but his description has stuck with me.
ReplyDeleteLee
A Faraway View
Okay, I had to look up what the vermiform appendix was because clearly I do not remember much from biology and may I say sir, "EWWW."
DeleteMan has definitely try to equal the real nature. Lovely shots.
ReplyDeleteWe do and unfortunately to the detriment of animal habitat. Although to be fair, at least at the golf course they leave the animals alone. There was an alligator in the water hazard that they just let be. So that was cool.
DeleteIn some areas here in Michigan, it's hip to have man made lakes in subdivisions. The only thing is, they are often bright blue that looks nothing like natural water, it is so baffling go me why people would want that!
ReplyDeleteThose creep me out because really how do they get the water that blue? How many chemicals each month get pumped into them?
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