I can hear the water flowing by. It is not a heavy rush, like in a great river, but a trickle. When I can block out the noises of the city near the creek, it is a very peaceful place. When I can look at it without seeing all the litter, it becomes more beautiful; and as Jones says in his article about the creek, "beauty is not a luxury, it is a necessity, a positive agency of survival, a deterrent to the terrorism with which our world is infested." It is nice having this beautiful place to come for a break from the fast pace of the city above. I am resting on a large slab of limestone. My stomach is flat against the rock and I can feel the coolness of the slab through my shirt, while the heat of the sun beats down on my back. If the creek had a little more water in it, this slab may be under the water; right now, though, it is dry. If I look straight ahead, I can see a small waterfall rushing down a mossy ledge. The water streaming down looks cool and I would love to take my sandals off and let it run down over my feet. There is nothing more therapeutic and relaxing than putting your bare feet into a pool of water. On a warm day like this one, it can cool your whole body. People often miss their chances to relax in nature like this. They will relax in front of the television, or maybe at a spa, but not in nature. As Finch writes in his article "Very Like a Whale", "mankind is today in...danger of cutting himself off from the natural world." Nature is soothing, and just what people need to slow down their busy lives; however, people who realize what an amazing thing nature is, are (sadly) still a minority. The water slowly winds down towards my spot on the stone. It spills out between more pieces of limestone that dot the creek bed and look a lot like the one I am on - a little bit a moss growing along the edges, and smooth surfaces. From where I lie, I can see enormous tree roots coming out of the creek, it appears the trees do no want to miss the chance to feel the flow of the water on their "feet", either. The roots of the surrounding trees are a spectacle all their own. They do not hide under the ground, like the roots on most other trees. As a result, one can easily see the tangled system they form. It is a maze of bark, both big and small sections, winding around the trees in all directions. Amazing. The tops of the tress are another thing altogether. Some people think that dead trees are not as pretty as those that have all of their leaves, I disagree completely. I was once looking at an Ansel Adams photograph of a tree in a snowstorm. It was a black and white photograph revealing the ebony branches of a dead tree, contrasted with an all white background. Upon first glance, it looked very plain to me; however, I sat and stared at it for a while, and was soon able to see so much more in the picture than I had before. I have not looked at dead trees the same since. There is so much to look at on a bare tree, details in the branches that will not be recognized when the tree is full of leaves. At this time of year, several dead trees can be found lining Waller Creek - up against a bare background (the sky), and silhouetted by the light of the sun. Like the veins of the Earth, their roots and branches grow out in all different directions. Off of the bigger limbs, grow smaller ones; and from those branches, stem even shallower pieces of the tree. Just like the veins and capillaries inside a human body, these trees pump life into the Earth, they keep things flowing. Just like a human would not survive without the branching veins in their body, the Earth would not continue without hers. The naked trees are beautiful, representing a life force, even in their death. They are an exciting and beautiful aspect of nature that often get overlooked for the trees that are weighted with leaves. Waller Creek is full of charm: it's running water; it's limestone slabs that adorn the creek bed like pearls; and it's immense trees - with roots and branches that stretch, bend, and stem out like veins piercing the Earth with the energy of life.