The last two weeks of the semester are already underway, and many students and teachers are already planning their method of escape for the holidays. James Parker has plans to go on an adventure.

Parker, a communications professor will be visiting his family’s farm in North Carolina.

“The farm is in a forested area,” Parker said. “I like to explore it. I spend a lot of time in the weeds and bushes, searching for new things.”

According to Parker, the farm has been in the family since the time of the Revolutionary War.

“I own the farm now,” Parker said. “My wife will be there part of the time.”

Parker said he sees something new every time he goes out there. Occasionally, he encounters something he remembers from his childhood, and it suddenly holds new meaning for him once he finds it again.

“One time, I found an old graveyard,” Parker said, describing a particular discovery he found. “It was for the family next to us, though, not ours. They live about a mile away. It was pretty cool to find.”

He also said he likes examining the different plants on his hikes.

“All the stuff that grows out there is fascinating,” Parker said.

He also said he often hikes alone, but will often hike with others as well, if they are around when he goes out.

In terms of family, his son and daughter came to visit over the Thanksgiving break.

“My daughter moved to Los Angeles recently,” Parker said. “Since we visited over Thanksgiving, she won’t be at the farm this time around.”