Another Midnight Walk

Once again, I wandered around campus exploring the new dark corners. My favorite part of my walk was a question that someone asked me when I passed him and his friends. I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt, and as I passed the kid, he asked, "Dude! Aren't you freezing?" He and his friends were all wearing sweats and sweatshirts, but they still looked like they were having trouble staying warm. I laughed and answered, "No, are you?" Then they just looked at me in disbelief as I turned the corner and headed through campus. His question got me thinking about why I wasn't cold. As I walked in a random pattern, I searched for an answer.

I didn't notice that it was cold. The feeling that I get when I walk outside isn't like the feeling when I touch something cold. When I touch an icy pole, the pole immediately draws heat from my hand, and it is a rather drastic temperature change. Entering the cool air outside doesn't make me shiver, and it doesn't give me 'goose bumps.' The air outside is something of a constant temperature that doesn't draw heat from my body as drastically as the cold pole. After a few seconds of entering the cold, I become used to the temperature change and pay little attention to it. I was walking around with an ice-cold beverage, and I didn't even realize that my hand had gone numb to the feeling of the drink.

One thing I do notice about the changing temperature is that I am much more alert than I would normally be. There were no people on the pathways that I walked, but I was constantly scanning for movement and noises. At one point I heard a leaf crunch behind me, but I did not see anything. I knew where my knife was if there came to be a situation where I'd need it. I love walking when there is the possibility of danger, for it keeps me vigilant.

Architecture

George and I decided to make our walk very long so that I could accomplish both walks and assignments in the same trip. We walked for a total of four hours starting at 11 P.M. On our walk, we wandered down to the local 24 hour Mexican food restaurant and got burritos. When we meandered over to get our food, I looked at all the houses that we passed as well as the stores that we walked behind. The houses on my street are almost all 1 story, and they aren't that big. One two story house is new, and it was built only a year ago with a different style than the original older houses that most of Orangevale consists of. As we reached Savemart, we noticed what looked like a group of three teenagers running away from a police car. When we investigated further, we realized that the kids were running to see what had happened behind the Mountain Mikes store. The stores that we stood behind were all only one story, and they were consistent with the design of many other store fronts all over the country. I know little about architecture, but I do know that the houses in my area were built a few decades ago, and most if not all of the m seem to be unique. I have yet to see any two houses that are exactly the same, but there may be a few. The diversity in design gives way for people to express themselves. These lots that the houses rest on also give the owners lots of room to design and create what they want to. People in my neighborhood tend to have lots of houses and designs that resemble that of a small rural community. The lack of tall buildings keeps it from feeling anything like a city. I really like how my hometown is organized and styled. I cannot wait to go walk there at night again.

Orangevale History Today

Orangevale, my hometown used to consist of large orchards and many farms. These orange orchards dominated the town, until cattlemen moved into the local area. These farmers started many farms that were spread around the town and clustered around orchards. Then one cold harsh winter swept in and destroyed most of the plant life in the small town. After the winter cleared, Orangevale pushed on and moved towards the classification as a small rural town. Orangevale today consists of many small farms surrounded by houses as well as a few orchards that had survived the harsh winter.

One of my adventures through Orangevale a few months ago led me to learn about some of the history from the eyes of a local citizen. While exploring, I met an older man who seemed to be running an old orchard with his family. I approached him and asked him about the history of the orchard. His grandfather started the orchard, and his family seemed to follow in his footsteps. After returning from WW2, he settled down with his family and took care of his family orchard. This showed me that people here respect the history of the town, and how it is represented today in modern society.

My actual walk was an exploration of my town, late Saturday night and Sunday morning. My friend George and I decided that we should go out and enjoy our walk and journey around my neighborhood. Unafraid of what I would experience in Orangevale, I put on my darkest clothes, something that most people wouldn't approve of on a dark night. Then we began our expedition as we walked down the center of the street. As we wandered around my neighborhood, I took note of all the different farms and orchards. I first noticed the local farm that sells fresh eggs. We walked by the dark farm and heard the quiet and gentle breathing of the two horses that share the farm with many other animals. A few of the animals seemed to stir when we walked by. These farms and orchards seemed to be originally from before the violent winter. I love exploring the streets and examining my surroundings when I am back at home.