The other night, I caught one of the installments of Ken Burns' The National Parks: America's Best Idea on Detroit Public Television. I felt bad that I had no part in the "brought to you by viewers like you" part, but I have no money and must resort to using unsolicited return address labels rather than giving to good causes. You know, in place of writing my own damn name on the left-hand corner of an envelope.
God, I'm lazy.
Anyway, I missed the first half hour or so, but the portion that I caught was brilliant. I learned a great deal about Teddy Roosevelt - I knew that he was an avid hunter, but I had no idea that he was so passionate about nature. I loved learning about his great relationship with environmentalists like John Muir and that he slept under the stars in Yosemite. Roosevelt was instrumental in adding to the number of National Parks in America, often against the wishes of big business.
It's annoying to me that his memorial in DC is the only one I have yet to visit.
Because I am a child of nature. I grew up outdoors, camping in the spring and summer, visiting Michigan's metroparks weekly, and playing outside until the street lights came on and I reluctantly trudged back home. I remember collecting a bucketful of tiny frogs one summer at a cottage on Lake Huron. I remember seeing a complete rainbow - a circle in the sky (really!). I remember waking up in the middle of the night just to go stargazing. I've hiked portions of the Appalachian Trail, I've seen whales breach from the ocean, and I've watched little birds flit about for hours at a time.
So this miniseries is right up my alley.
If you're a nerd like me and like history, nature, and nature history, then tune in!
3 comments:
Teddy is awesome! He is the reason our park system is so great today. Yes, he liked to hunt, but preserving wilderness was very important to him. Also, he supported universal healthcare. First president to do so. Obviously he wasn't able to make that happen, but most people didn't know that about him. Ok, most people probably don't even know who Teddy is.
People know who Teddy is! He's the most losingest racing president at Nats Park.
lem - I don't even care that he liked to hunt elephants and whatnot. It turns out that he was dying to hunt while in Yellowstone, but his advisors didn't think that it would send a good message, considering no one else was allowed to hunt in a national park. So he killed a mouse and then skinned it for study. As you do.
waayers - This is true! He needs to drop a few.
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