Bubbling Spring, Alton Jones

Among the days that are the most eagerly anticipated on my schedule are those I'd call teaching days: the times that I'm asked to pass on my natural history expertise to the next generation, or, in truth, the one... even ones... before that. Today was a "teach the teachers" invitation at the Environmental Education Center at the University of Rhode Island's W. Alton Jones Campus, and I hope that working with the field staff is as eagerly anticipated by the crew as it is by me. Alas, I wish I felt that it had gone better. I certainly had fun hiking with the young educators, but I didn't really feel like one of them, as I often delude myself into imagining. It was a cold, raw day, and I felt cold and, well, if not raw than uninspiring—almost intellectually hypothermic. One of my feet hurt. The vernal pool I was hoping to show off was so hard-frozen that I was able to walk on it. When we finally got to Bubbling Spring and open water, there was precious little to identify, and what was under consideration, I wasn't at all sure about. By the calendar, spring may be here, but by nature's calendar, the natural world remains on hold and still in that other season. I'll just have to schedule a return visit when there's more to work with.