photo credit: Michael Martin

The perfect retreat for these blazin' hot days....

March 17th

Watch this!

the most happiest elephant in the world

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKCSOAy3Mfg&feature=youtu.be

December 4th

Do something wild next...

A Day of Rest...sort of

Yesterday was my day of rest-both mentally and physically.  Upon arriving home Saturday night, I felt detached and scattered. I could not focus on anything. Even the laundry seems to be a perplexing task for me to take on, so I left it in a pile on the laundry room floor and decided to deal with it in the morning. I showered, found some clean flannel pj's, and crawled into bed with a stack of mail. I sorted a pile of bills from the periodicals and found the new issue of Landscape Architecture magazine (Yay!), Annals of Iowa, Country Living, and a current Eddie Bauer catalogue. That particular circular came at an opportune time because I am ready to invest in a colorful, new duffel. I don't ever want to lay eyes on that ugly, black duffel that I lugged around for both the North and South Country trips this past semester.  It served its purpose, but no more! I am ready for color....and clean.

Horn Island, Gulfshore National Seashore

I did not last long after climbing into bed; I turned out the lights and immediately fell into a deep sleep. When 4:30 A.M. rolled around, I hit the ground running. Laundry first. Then I hauled out the tent, the ground cloth, the fly, the sleeping bag, and mat. Everything was gritty with Horn Island sand, so it all went into the shower for an initial rinse. By afternoon, the laundry was done, and all the camping gear was clean and hanging up to dry and refresh. I have sorted and labeled photographs of the trip, and found an assignment to finish grading before Tuesday's class. By evening, I was finally ready to relax. Paul and I headed off to the cineplex to take in a viewing of the latest Bond movie, Skyfall. I even treated myself to an expensive bag of popcorn. It was delish!

Even tho the students have the day off today, there is much work to get done before tomorrow's class... and before the end of the semester.  I find myself counting the days to be done with all this. The semester has been an exercise of self-discipline in the art of humility, deference, and patience. Looking back, four years of school and writing a master's thesis seems to be a cake-walk compared to the mental challenge of these past few months. Teaching turns out to be a more difficult endeavour than I ever imagined; team-teaching both on and off the road has most assuredly tested my resolve.

Needless to say, yesterday was a much needed mental health day and I am grateful to have had the time to recenter. I so missed my home and family during these past three weeks on the road. Nothing compares to walking through the door and finally being in my nest. Ev left a message on the machine...he spotted a TJMaxx shopping bag on a street in Saigon that reminded him to call to say he loved and missed us. Tess texted me a "welcome back"; she reminded me that she would be home on the 20th for Thanksgiving break (Yay!).

I feel good today; I would go so far to say I feel bright and chipper.  And that I am SO ready to finish this final stretch of the semester and be DONE!

Home....again

sunset on the last day of the South Country trip of Savanna Traveling Studio

Word of the Day....Catenary

Jefferson National Expansion Memorial

Day 2...downtown St. Louis.  Toured the grounds of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, a.k.a. The Gateway Arch. This iconic cultural landscape is one of the most significant contemporary landscapes in the U.S. Landscape architect Dan Kiley (1912-2004), along with architect Eero Saarinen, submitted their design for a memorial design competition in 1947.

The building of the Arch was completed in 1965 while work on the landscape wasn't initiated until 1968. The phased work was finally completed in 1980.  Kiley, when brought back to the site in the late 90s, stated that his design was about the geometry that reflected the curve of the Arch. This arc, known as catenary, is formed by a flexible, uniformly dense cord or cable suspended from its endpoints and acted on by gravity. The designer's tree-lined walkways mirrored and reinforced this curve on the ground plane. Kiley, also known for his "his vigorous and creative" plant selections, specified tulip poplars, but the local nursery association raised a ruckus. They insisted the trees would not survive the urban environment, so a locally-cloned Rosehill Ash replaced the poplars on Kiley's planting plan. Ironically, these ash trees now in their height of glory will have to be replaced due to the Emerald Ash borer that is currently decimating this tree population throughout the Midwest. If the tulip poplars had been planted as Kiley specified, they would now be majestically displaying their full glory....and most likely would be standing for many years into the future.

Two professors, one lecturer, and 34 students of the Savanna Traveling Studio started out the day touring the grounds of the Gateway Arch in pouring rain. After an hour of both drizzle and downpour, the professors finally called it a morning and sent the students into the museum so they could get out of the rain.  Like good troopers, the students completed their watercolors, found some lunch, and returned to the hotel to change out of their wet clothes before heading out for the afternoon's assignment.  We all dreaded more time working in the wet weather, but magically, the rain stopped after lunch. The sun came out and it turned into a picture-perfect  day. The students completed their assigned work in Citygarden and headed out to enjoy the balmy evening.