Ethnography

Ethnography

September 14, 2014

Canoeing the Duck Pond

There is grey overcast over Las Cruces Friday evening. The temperature is lower than what we are use to and the light breeze only makes it feel colder. The wind blows and you can see it move the water from the fountain at the NMSU duck pond.

The construction seen last week appears to have progressed. There is a few more construction vehicles parked in the area. There are now several mounds of dirt piled around the floor. Additionally a fence has been placed around the perimeter of the work area.

By the bridge sits a man fishing with two little kids. They are all wearing jeans and t-shirts and seem to be prepared for the mosquitoes in the area. It appears as if the man is having trouble telling both kids what to do. It looks like they are impatient and want to do their own thing.

On a table sits a young man by himself. He appears to be a college student doing homework. He has his backpack on the side and constantly appears to be writing something down.

In the water there are two canoes. I find this quite interesting as I have never seen anyone canoe at this small pond. There are four young people, two men and two women.  They appeared to be dressed in comfortable clothes and wear life vests for added protection. It seems as if they are practicing for an upcoming event or competition. They advance in a straight line and make a turn at the end and come back to the start. It appears as is they are practicing their turns as they communicate commands when they approach the turn. I don’t know how long they have been here but they begin to pack up not too long after I arrive. They load up all their gear and empty the water from the canoes and load them up in the trailer. They stay there for about another twenty minutes socializing. When they depart they split up into two trucks and appears as if the four people were two young couples.

While they were loading up, a man shows up to fish and sets up by the bridge as well. He is dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. I assume he is knowledgeable when it comes to fishing by the gear he is carrying. He carries a large tackle box, his rod, a net, chair, and a bag containing a few more items.

Today I attended the duck pond on a Friday evening and there seems to be less people compared to last Thursday night. It might be because it is earlier in the day or maybe some students who live in the dorms head back home for the weekend. 

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