Trip to the Beach

After an exhausting week and a lot of hard work, my family decided to go to relax and to the beach on the Labor Day. The weather was just perfect: not too hot and partly sunny. I was able get some sun and to soak my body in the ocean. The water is not worm any more. And the promised hurricane Earl did not visit us that day. I love spending time with family. It is brings peace and takes stress away. We took with us my husband’s little brothers. It is nice for brothers to have some bonding time, especially because there such a great age difference between them. 

This is my lovely husband and I at the beach. We went to our favorite beach called Casperson.  

This is Benjamen Hatsitski, He is a very smart boy. At age of 9 he already has a great sense of humor.

And this is Ivan Hatitski. The youngest in my husband's family. He is the cutest little boy. He loves to draw and dreams to become a soldier. 

Boys brought a fishing gear with them. We caught two little fishies and then we decided set them free. 

  We had a lot of fun building castles from the send. 

Then we went for a walk, and met this cute little crab. We had to chase him to take this picture.

And also we saw these birds. But I am not sure what's their name is.

I enjoyed spending time with my family in the nature under the sun. I think we should cherish those moments and go out more often with the people you love.

Freshwater Systems Field Trip

Last Thursday our class went on the very first field trip. Although I came home late, exhausted and bitten by mosquitoes, it was the most memorable event of this month. We went to Corkscrew Sanctuary.  I’ve never heard of this place before. We learned about watershed, drainage basin, surface water flow, hydro-period, aquifer, run-off, and so on. For the first time in my life I saw a real living machine. Our professor walked us though pine uplands, ecotones, wet prairies, and cypress swamp. After this trip I was able to recognize many trees and plants. That day I learned that bald cypress, the swamp and the wood storks make this sanctuary special. Also Corkscrew Swamp is a part of a freshwater swamp system that covers 315 square miles of southwest Florida. The system is fed solely by rain that falls though the watershed.

Our FGCU naturalist told us about beautiful birds called Wood Stork. Back in the day, women liked to use their fathers in the hats. But today they are protected in this Sanctuary. 

Even though we were not lucky to meet them, our Floridian nature has a great variety of animals and birds.

  On our way we encountered a huge alligator. I didn't get a good picture of it, but this is the best one:

The first tree we saw was Slash Pine tree. Our professor mentioned that it is green at the top to protect it from the fire. People would live next to pine trees because land is dry there. 

On the next picture you can see a Cabbage Palm tree. On this trip I learned that this is our state tree.

Next, there is a Wax Myrtle tree. It smells like spices. Our professor told us that people used to make candles out of it. 

I was glad I went with pr.Coventry's group, she thought us many interesting things and facts.

There are tons if Cypress trees. There are plants that grow on them, but feed from the air. They are called Airplants

. There is a fungus that grows on the Cypress called Liken. It is everywhere. It shows that the air is fresh.

 To me the most fascinating tree was a Pond Apple. There are real apples that grow on them!!!

Alligator flags is the plant that indicates where alligator gather. It shows then that it is deep enough for them.

Next picture shows Cypress Knee, they say it is needed for the gas exchange.

Nursery Log is pretty amazing too. Even though the tree is dead. It provides a home for thousands of plants. 

  I enjoyed walking that board walk, breathing the fresh air, and connecting with the nature. I did not know that there are so many interesting places in our area. It was just magnificent to sit there, in the woods, for 5 minutes, just thinking and listening that’s nature telling us though the winds, plants, insects. If it wouldn’t for this class, I would never knew, that such place existed and that it could be so interesting learning about our water system.      

Personal Introduction

Hello!!! My name is Alesia Dunchyk, and I am very excited to create my first blog. I am 22 years old and I am a junior at FGCU. Currently I am working on my bachelor degree in Biology, but some day I am hoping to become an optometrist. I was born and raised in the small country in the middle of Europe called Belarus. When I was 15 my family decided to move to the United Stated. We came to the most beautiful state of Florida and did not moved ever since. Every time I go to the different state I can’t wait to come back. Florida has a special place in my heart. I fill like I belong here. On 7th of February I married the most wonderful man on Earth. His name is Vladimir.

Our Wedding Day

We live in the house located in Port Charlotte. I love this house. Even though we are just renting it, some day I hope we are going to buy it. I enjoy spending time there. It’s just a cozy and peaceful place.

My husband is very artistic person, so he painted all the walls in out house in very creative ways. I didn't know about his designer's skills before we got married.

Yesterday, after a tough day at school, I decided to take a walk around my neighborhood. The weather was just perfect: worm and not humid. There was a nice breeze and I felt like the fall is coming really soon. And that thought brought a smile to my face. First thing that I met on the way was my little garden of flowers. It made me realize how little time I spend enjoying it. My pride and joy are the roses. For some reason not many people have them in Florida.

 In our backyard we have lemons, oranges and pine trees. I was surprised that we already have oranges. They are still green, but I didn’t know they were there! We have very special oranges because they smell like lemons, and our lemons look just like oranges. So when you pick them, you never know what you are going to get.

I was fascinated when I saw this scene. They made me think about my husband (he is away at this moment), and made me miss him even more. God created us and all animals to love and to be loved by someone. Even animals understand that, but unfortunately not all people do.

My parents live a few blocks away from us. I decide to stop by. My father has two houses for the bees. Every once in the while, they give us organic honey that they get from those bees. It’s so amazing, so much better then those from the store.

And then I went to my favorite place in the whole neighborhood. I love to go there whenever I wan to be alone, spend some time with nature, and pray to God. We have a dam near our house. It’s really pretty.

I like pine trees. Many states have then, but I think Florida pine trees are different and prettier then others. By looking at this one I can tell where the South and North is…

As I walked around my neighborhood, I realized that I noticed many animals and trees that I have not seen before, and experienced things that I’ve never felt before. I am glad that I went. I think I should do it more often. I am amazed how awesome our God is. He created all of this beauty so that we can enjoy it. He put so much love in it. We do not appreciate it enough. In this chaotic world it’s so important to stop sometimes for a moment, connect with the nature, and thank God for the beautiful art that He have done!