I am going to write this blog in a different manner than the previous ones because this read has been different than any other we have done so far. It is because Douglas has divided this excerpt into categories that I have chosen to write about the different categories opposed to different quotes. Being such a long read it would be almost impossible to describe it in 3-4 quotes. 

"There are no other Everglades." Douglas (104)

                                                              (https://www.google.com/search?q=everglades&es_sm=93&source)

This excerpt is very unique and I feel everyone would interpret it differently but I see it is as a big poem. This part of the excerpt wasn't given a label like the other five and that is because he is describing the everglades as a whole. He continuously brings up the name "The Everglades" describing how this vast land was originally interpreted and mans initial reaction when it was first discovered. I feel that he did and exceptional job breaking apart the name and bringing in definitions of the separate parts of the name to show everything that went into the name. He also broke apart the Indian name for the everglades giving the reader a chance to compare and contrast what different cultures have thought about this beautiful land. 

II. The Grass

                                                                (https://www.google.com/search?q=sawgrass&es_sm=93&source)

The grass category opens up by speaking about Lake Okeechobee. He then goes on to describe the saw grass claiming "The truth of the river is grass" (Douglas 108). Having experienced the mess that is saw grass I know how painful it can be yet the author finds beauty and uniqueness in this. By constantly talking about its power he makes me begin to appreciate saw grass for the specimen it is saying that only a hurricane or fire can conquer it.  

III. The Water 

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It was no surprise to me that this was the longest category in the reading. I liked how Douglas began by slowly explaining how all of the bodies of water are connected. This truly shows how the nature in the great state of Florida is intertwined and all connected. My personal favorite part of this category was when he was describing the storms. The descriptive words he used and stellar tone made me feel like I was in the eye of a calm beautiful hurricane and this helped me once again see beauty in something I always thought was negative and destructive.  

IV. The Rock

                                              (https://www.google.com/search?q=florida+land&es_sm=93&source)

When I first read this category I was unsure of what this would be about because Florida isn't exactly known for its rocks but I was happy with the direction he took it. By the rock he means the land part of Florida. I like how he dedicated a paragraph to each body of fresh water that the "rock" holds describing the importance of the land in a state that is most popular for its water. Like every other category, this one ended with the focus on the everglades which once again brings everything together.

V. The River of Time

The opening sentence of this category told so much. "The life and death of the saw grass is only a moment of that flow in which time, the vastest river, carries us and all life forward. The water is timeless, forever new and eternal. Only the rock, which time shaped and will outlast, records unimaginable ages." (Douglas 128-129) This was probably my favorite quote of the entire reading because it shows that "The River of Time" is what keeps us alive, providing for us. As it flows it renews itself so it will never become old and fade away like saw grass, it will always be there. He goes on to discuss the life renewing cycles of water describing the icecaps melting allowing the gulf streams to be formed which again points to nature working in a cycle. 

VI. Life on the Rock

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Now that Douglas has described everything in great detail, he brings it all together. This was my favorite category because it described everything as a whole. After being educated on all of the wonders of the everglades separate it as all brought into one category that describes the privilege that is living in the everglades. Just like before he used his own way of beautifully describing all of the features and feelings (which made me feel like I was right in the middle of it) which is a quality few authors possess making this my favorite reading so far!