The bench I decided to visit was dedicated to my grandmother. It is located at my cabin on Mayne Island, d
owntown outside the library. We decided to place her bench outside the library looking out onto active pass because she loved to be at the cabin and read. She was the one who designed the whole cabin and decorated it. She died before the cabin was finished, so it was a gift in memory of her and what she meant to this place. The bench is a thicker wood that is light brown with weather markings from the sun, it has large armrests and a large back and bottom to sit on; it is located under an overhang coming out from the library. Along the back of the bench there is a plaque reading “There is no Vessel like a Book to take us Lands away. In Memory of Lori Roberts With Love From Her Family.” 2. See, Feel, Think, Want
As I sit on the bench I am able to see the library behind me, the library is a light brown colour and is not very warn because it is brand new, one of the library’s windows is located right behind the bench and I am able to see 2 computers and rows of books in the back. Beside the bench there are 2 glass doors that are opened during the summer to let warm air in. The bench is bolted down on cement that also has engravings in it that are dedicated to different people. Ironically there is an engraving that is almost the same saying as my grandmother except one word is changed. The quote is right beside the bench. As I look forward I am able to see an open field, the grass is green and light brown, which has small brown and green shrubs surrounding it, and a large pine tree to the left side with a worn bench placed under it. As I look passed the field I can look onto active pass and then Galiano Island passed it. The ocean is a dark blue colour against the light blue sky and is not very clear. There are small motor boats and sail boats on it. As I sit there two ferries go by blowing their horns as they go through, the sound is very loud and rings in my ear. The sky
is light blue with wispy clouds in it, and a few birds fly by. If I look a little down I am able to see the main land far in the distance, the mountains that make it up, they are a dark blue colour. A little to the right I am able to see the top of the “Springwater Lodge restaurant” it is a dirty white colour with a blue trim. There are cars parked along the street beside it, there is a red truck and a blue minivan. To my right I am able to see an opening in the shrubs big enough for a car to fit through, this is the opening to the park in town. Through the opening I am able to see the store and cars passing by. The store is a very old building; it is gray with some red at the top. As I sit looking out I can feel the cool bench under my body, the cold breeze coming off the ocean, the warm sunlight against my face and the smell of fresh air. I can hear the chattering of people busy in the small town and the passing of cars going in front of the library. As I sit here I am thinking about the beauty of nature and how simple but wonderful it is. I am also thinking about what I am going to do with the rest of the day, there are so many different things that I can do. I just want it to be summer, looking out onto the ocean makes me want to go to the beach and go swimming. I also want to be able to share this experience with everyone I know; it is just an amazing feeling to be able to enjoy nature so much. It is not like the city at all, you are not able to enjoy nature like this in the city. It makes me so happy just to sit here and do nothing.3. Dedicated to me
If I had a bench dedicated to me I would also like it on Mayne Island. It wouldn’t be outside the library because I don’t really like to read books but I would want it outside the strip mall because it is a place where everyone just sits and enjoys their ice-cream, it is also a place where people come together and just talk. I've grown up coming to Mayne Island with my family and there are so many amazing memories here that I will never forget. My cabin is a family place, we go there for special vacations such as Easter, Thanksgiving and even Christmas once; my family is very important to me. I would also like it to be near my grandmother’s bench because she was very important to me, yet I wasn’t very old when she died. I still remember a lot about her. The inscription on my bench would read “the best things in life are worth waiting for” I don’t know why but I have always liked this quote and I have found it very true. I do believe that the best things in life are worth waiting for, and that one should not rush into things.
4. I dedicated a bench
If I were to dedicate a bench to someone it would be to my parents or sister. I would place the bench on Mayne Island along with my grandmother’s bench. It would go in the Japanese garden because every time we visit Mayne Island my parents love to go there. My grandmother also has a plaque in the garden along the fence. Mayne Island is very important to everyone in my family, and I k
now that my mother would like to have a bench beside her mother. It was a very difficult time for my whole family when my grandmother died. We spent weeks together just going to my granddad’s house and hanging out with my cousins. The inscription would read for my parents bench “You will always be in my heart, your daughter Lindsay.” I choose this quote because they will always be in my heart, and without them my life wouldn’t be the same. They are the best parents I could ever ask for. They are fun but fair and I can confide in them. If I got a bench for my sister, I to would also place it on Mayne Island, near the main dock. My sister loves to fish there for fun; it’s something she does every single time we go to Mayne. The inscription would read “Not only a sister but a best friend.” I choose these words because that is what she is to me. She is my sister yet I am able to tell her anything. When we were little she was the one person I wouldn’t get tired of playing with, and still now I can talk to her for hours and not worry about anything. 5. Journal
On my journey to the bench I first had to get to Mayne Island, I took the ferry with my parents, sister, granddad, aunt, uncle and cousins. It was only about an hour and a half long stopping at Galiano on the way. On the ride we played cards and got some lunch. When we arrived we went to the cabin and unpacked. We needed to go into town to get some food so I decided I would go and just look around at different shops. It was a beautiful day and wanted to go out also. We drove into town with everyone in our van. On the way we passed a few shops, the elementary school, the clinic, and the fire hall. Reaching town we passed city hall on the outside of town, as we made our way in we passed the gas station which had a movie rental attached to it on the left. On the right were a few houses and then a little clothing store. We parked outside the store and got out. As my parents when inside the store to get food my granddad, sister, uncle and cousins went down the dock. I decided that I was going to go sit on my grandmother bench and enjoy the day instead of going in the store or down on the dock. I walked through the opening of shrubs to get into the field that the bench looked on to. The field wasn’t that big and it didn’t take me that long to finally reach the bench. There was a little hill that I had to walk up to get to the bench but it wasn’t that bad. I read the plaque before I sat down and looked into the library. The library seemed to be open because people were inside reading. I sat down on the bench and just looked out onto the ocean.
6. Poem about my bench
Park Bench
Sitting on a park bench,
the fragrance of the grass
scents the fresh air.
It makes you look more closely
to everything that is there.
The beauty of the day,
white clouds, no black ones of dismay.
A breeze that bends
every leaf and petal to and fro.
Then there are the colours,
a multitude of green.
Everything assaults our senses,
every smell and flower there.
The sun is over my shoulder,
blue skies, and no clouds in sight.
As I sit here on a park bench
enjoying everything, I see.
David Harris
This poem relates to my bench because it is exactly how I feel when I sit on the bench on a beautiful day. You are able to enjoy the nature and its beauty in peace. You can smell the scent of fresh air, and see the beauty of nature around. You are able to see the different colours around even though they may not all be able trees. There are colours given by the trees but there is also colours coming from the ocean and town. You can feel the breeze coming off the ocean which moves the shrubs and trees back and forth. The sun on my face with a blue sky above me. This is a place where I can just enjoy everything with no worries, just like in this poem. This poem seems so lovely with nothing wrong, almost perfect, that is the exact way I feel when I am sitting there.
7. Connection to my poem
The poem connects to my personal philosophy of life by that you need to take the time just to enjoy what life holds for you. You can’t rush through life not taking the time to enjoy what is around you. Also that nature is a beautiful thing that people take for granted, it’s not everywhere when a person can look one way and see the mountains and another see the ocean with trees all around. I do take nature for granted sometimes but then when I read this poem or just sit and take a moment to enjoy it makes me feel happy that I am able to do that. Being outdoors on a wonderful day just makes me so happy, a feeling that I can’t get from anything else.
8. Purpose of a park
The purpose of a park is to allow for people to come and enjoy the nature and outdoors. Parks are places where children to adults can enjoy playing sports or on a play ground. They are able to interact with their friends or make new friends. It is also a place where people can come to walk and exercise. A park also gives a place for nature to grow and be left alone; it can be enjoyed by people of any age. Parks can be big, small, covered by trees, or an open field; there are so many different kinds of parks each with a different feeling to it. But mostly a park is to allow one to be able to do whatever they want outside and enjoy peacefulness of nature without the city around. When I am in a park I am able to be free and just hang out with my friends or family, I feel like I could sit there forever just looking at the beauty around me.
9. My poem
Graduation
Scary
Exciting
Nervous
All words that creep into my mind
I don’t
I won’t
I have to
Graduate
New experiences
New friends
New opportunities
All things that will appear
I don’t
I won’t
I have to
Graduate
Freedom
Choices
Disconnected
All effects that come with it
I don’t
I won’t
I have to
Graduate
Too late, times gone
Not yet, not ready
I can’t, I can
I have
GRADUATED
By: Lindsay van Leeuwen
