Directly in front of me my legs are straightened out, and the brown leggings and shoes are offset by a floor of hard strips of ridged material that looks like wood. I rap my knuckles against the floor material and hear and feel an echoing knock that sounds hollow underneath. They are covered with shiny gray paint that is flecked with dirt and leaves and debris. Each plank is 3-4 inches wide. They run perpendicular to my legs and outward, past my toes.

There are 27 planks from the end of my toes outward. And at the end there is a handrail, supported by evenly spaced rungs that are round cylinders of varied widths. This handrail feels like it curves slightly, so that to my left and right it seems to wrapping around me. Every six feet or so this handrail is interrupted by 2-3ft round columns, which rise up to a ceiling covered in similar gray planked covering. In contrast to the floor, these ceiling planks are running parallel to my legs.

Contained within these boundaries of perpendicular floor, parallel ceiling, red brick wall and slightly curved handrail, the space feels enclosed and calm. Outside this perimeter everything seems brighter - brighter light, brighter color, brighter sound.

Beyond this handrail is empty space for quite a distance. There are trunks of trees and leaves, but no bases or ground are visible. The top of trees are visible against a very gray, very cloudy sky. The horizon line is obscured by trees. From this point forward, my observations are referenced against these major elements - my feet, the handrail, the trees, and the sky. I begin to determine where things are by whether or not they appear in front of or behind these elements.

Every so often a falling drop of water obscures my view of this tree canopy. I become aware of the sound of falling water coming at me from several sides. The sounds of water hitting the floor, the trees, and the ground are fast-paced and continuous for the duration of my survey. The quality of sound is different on the left side of me than on the right. On the right the water is fast and slapping some hard surface. On my left, the water is gurgling, as if hitting itself. As I write this line there is a rustling in the trees that starts in my left ear and moves to the right as a strong gust of wind blows by.

I focus my observations to the two columns closest to the center of my field of vision. Between them there are three distinct masses of leaves of different color. On the left there are dark green irregularly shaped leaves with some blue in them, sprouting from thick, gnarled tree limbs. In the center there are small yellowy-green leaves on spindly branches. and on the right are darker green leaves of similar hue to the left, indicating that I am looking at three distinct trees even though I can't tell without seeing their bases.

Out and below me - beyond handrail and canopy - I can catch glimpses of a body of water. The near boundary is obscured by foliage, but I can see the far one. The water is still and murky. Ducks and geese float or fly by every couple of minutes. There is a person in red raincoat walking - beyond handrail, beyond trees, but in front of the water.
Beyond the body of water, but before the horizon line, I can glimpse small bursts of color shoot by, accompanied by the sound of car engine and tires on wet pavement.

I can also see pieces of a structure at the near edge of the body of water, which pokes out from either side of the right-hand column I am looking at. It is surrounded by turqoise lampposts and is supported on white columns. Could it be a gazeebo or a dance hall? It is not an enclosed structure and, there is no furniture in inside.

The smell that comes to my nose is of wet - wet leaves, wet dirt, wet wood. I also get a periodic whiff of acrid, tangy smoke and a little gasoline, some mildew and rot.

The sounds of the scene are of falling water, tires in the rain, periodic planes flying overhead. Flapping wings of birds, bird calls. Children playing off in the distance. The pattern is of loud chatter and laughter followed by angry bird honks and splashing. There are the sounds of slamming doors near the water, and a man talking. Two female voices laughing emanate from the same direction - having a conversation - somewhere below my seat. The creaking of my shoes and the wood floor as I change position. To my right the car noises are stronger and deeper. To my left and lower than me, the tire noises are slower, higher in pitch, and less frequent.

There is a large industrial truck backing up (loud warning beeps!) just beyond the handrail, but is below my vantage point because I can only catch the top of the truck as it moves by. No one has driven this close to my spot before. Delivery people get out of the van - laughing, talking. The smell of cigar smoke is strong and immediate. They joke with one another in deep, nasal voices, using hard consonants, and gravelly vowels.

The sounds of opening doors, clinking glass, and heavy footfalls move from below me into the building I am leaning against. I begin to hear similar sounds echo from behind the red brick wall supporting my back. Its time to go.

Some diagrams
After sitting and writing my initial observations, I walked around the body of water I had seen from the veranda, taking pictures and exploring. I have included some diagrams that tell a little bit more about the area I was exploring.
 

My vantage point (blue star) for my observations, along with my sight lines:


The path I took around the site:

Photographs
Aside from panoramic pictures, these are a few other pictures that I enjoyed from the survey. To see all photos associated with my project, view the Network Landscapes flickr set.