This is Classic

Not much explanation needed here. One happy Dallin, which makes me one happy Alissa.

My Happy Heart

So tonight I have a happy heart for many reasons.

I went to a holiday concert and got that zing of excitement for this time of year. The orchestra and symphony played and sang the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah and it gave me chills to stand and hear it--it does every time. The orchestra also played a Canadian Brass Christmas medley with those lovely old traditional tunes: Ding Dong! Merrily on High, I Saw Three Ships, and Here We Come A Wassailing (I want to frolic in snow like the March girls and throw songballs at Laurie whenever I hear that one!).

I have a happy heart because I finished my first semester of grad school!

I have a happy heart because I get to go home soon!

And best of all, I have a happy heart because today I chose to be creative and it had nothing to do with school or a grade. My creative urge had no deadline and no set parameters. I was creative purely for the sweet joy it gives me. I made fifteen Christmas cards Liezel style and enjoyed every minute of the process. The good news is I have more creative juices flowing and time to put ideas on paper--THAT gives me a happy heart too!

A Cornucopia of Blessings

Cornucopia comes from the Latin words cornu and copiae and literally means "horn of plenty." It is often represented in still life paintings as a horn overflowing with fruits, flowers, and grain. The dictionary also defines it as "an overflowing fullness; abundance." This weekend my cornucopia was filled with blessings and many good people.
I am grateful for time. I am grateful for time and opportunity to be with these good people. I am grateful for my friend Katie who made time in her life to come and pick me up from Athens. I am grateful that she loves me enough to sit for two hours in Atlanta traffic trying to get on the highway to come get me. I am grateful we could make time to visit my former bishop's wife. I am grateful for the time to be in her home, time to go out to dinner with her and her husband, time to catch up, time to observe, time to look forward to "the best yet to be." I am grateful to see what time and consistency in the gospel can do in the development of talents, and character, and a marriage. I am grateful that in my Georgia time I have been given time to know her.
I am grateful for time in the kitchen of a truly determined and talented mother. Katie's mother organized and orchestrated a truly magnanimous Thanksgiving feast. I am grateful for the time she took to teach me about needed culinary skills. I am grateful to see the time she takes to make her family happy. I am grateful for time with Katie and laughing until it hurts. I am grateful for time to be heard and to talk. I am grateful for a friend who enjoys things I do, like going to the High Museum of Art. I am grateful for a friend who takes the time to notice interesting quotes on the wall and wants to discuss them, or who sees opportunity for intellectual stimulation in a set of postcards about what defines a "genius".
I am grateful for time with younger married friends. I am grateful for time with their new baby. I am grateful for their enthusiasm and genuine interest in the details of my life. I am grateful for their example of support to one another. I am grateful for time in the home of a truly service-oriented wife and mother. I am grateful for a second Thanksgiving, Japanese style. I am grateful for time to know their friends. I am grateful for this time to be alive. I am grateful for this time that is mine to use well.

At Long Last!

Today I am most especially grateful for FINALLY getting to the temple. I am so grateful for a ride up with a friend from the branch and her mom. I am so grateful for safe travel back and forth to the temple in Columbia, South Carolina. I am so grateful for riding with people who love to sing--and sing we did! For an hour and a half! Every hymn we sang we did all the verses, including all seven verses of "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief." Marvelous. I am grateful just to see the temple, isn't it beautiful! I was even more grateful to go inside and enjoy the peace and quiet that can only be felt there. I am grateful for the gospel and the plan of salvation. I am grateful for beautiful truths. I am grateful to go to bed tonight knowing that I can answer in the affirmative, "have I done any good in the world today?" That feels good.

Thank the Lord thy God in all things

All things, right? Okay, so today I am thankful to know that I have two very healthy and properly functioning tear ducts. I cut up an extraordinarily potent red onion and HOURS after the fact they are still weepy, nose is still running.

I am thankful for the talents I have been blessed with.

I am thankful for scenes of beauty like these that are within short walking distance from my apartment.

All Things with Thankfulness

Today I was grateful for my umbrella, and a dinner invitation, which included sweet potatoes--marvelous! Today I was grateful for amazing conversations full of honesty and thoroughness and meaning. Today I was grateful for a most excellent mum who listens and imparts wisdom and teaches me. I was also grateful for the Primary songs prelude before our Relief Society meeting, "I Love to See the Temple", "I Feel My Savior's Love", and "I'm Trying to Be Like Jesus". And for the little thoughts I had about gratitude and humility and for rediscovering this quote:

"The kind of gratitude that receives even tribulations with thanksgiving requires a broken heart and a contrite spirit, humility to accept that which we cannot change, willingness to turn everything over to the Lord--even when we do not understand, thankfulness for hidden opportunities yet to be revealed. Then comes a sense of peace"
-Bonnie D. Parkin, Ensign, May 2007, p. 35.

I am grateful for unanswered questions that help me remember my reliance on the Lord and how I truly do "need [Him] every hour."

In the Spirit of Thanksgiving

I want to make a more concentrated effort in giving thanks in the coming week.

To begin, today I am grateful for sunshine. I worked on my graphics class drawing assignments outside in wonderful weather. I am grateful "for worthy friends whose lives proclaim, devotion to the Savior's name..." I am grateful to have a break from school! I am grateful for naps. I am grateful for people who exert great effort in their church callings. Last night was a branch activity that was a wonderful success because of the committee's many hours of preparation. I am grateful for fresh starts and new beginnings. I am grateful for clean laundry. I am grateful for baked sweet potatoes. I am grateful for modern technology that allows for instant communication with the people that I love. I am grateful for most excellent parents who tirelessly give, and give, and give to me and my siblings. I am grateful for truth, and for the Holy Ghost who can help us to see truth--to see "things as they really are, and...as they really will be..." Jacob 4:13.

This video is a good introduction to my thankfulness desire:

Can ye feel so now?

Alma poses a series of probing, soul-searching questions in Alma chapter 5 of The Book of Mormon that can be instructive in the process of becoming a true disciple of Christ. One particular question from that chapter has been on my mind the last week or so. Alma asked the people in the city of Zarahemla, and by extension, all of us, this question in verse 26, "...if ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?" It is part of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ to endure to the endure, to "press forward" and to "continue in the way", not just once, but consistently throughout our lives. The challenge is to have faith in Jesus Christ, not last year or last month, but today, and tomorrow, and always. The challenge is to have a constant spirit of repentance. It is not just, "I did repent" or "I have repented", but "I am repenting." Faith and repentance. Faith and repentance. Faith and repentance. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and seeking the gift of repentance that comes because of His Atonement encompass so much in that continually seeking, becoming, understanding, improving process. How merciful is our Father in Heaven who offers us an opportunity on a weekly basis to feel again that change of heart. "O how great the goodness of our God, who prepareth a way..." that we may feel so NOW.

The Kingdom of the Little People

Has it really been more than a month since I last wrote? Time flies! Life has been wonderful and busy with so many little things, I guess I have been enjoying them, but not writing about them! And...speaking of little things, I discovered a cabinet of little wonders in the visitor's center of the State Botanical Garden of Georgia. Amazing what creativity and simple little things like hickory shells, acorn caps, leaves, dried flowers, and sticks can become.
I have been working on my own little models in studio, what are called palm models (about 8" by 10") with a scale of 1/32" = 1'-0. They were built from plans I drew up for a sculpture garden and had to use three different "form vocabularies". I chose to use rectalinear, arc-and-tangent, and radial. These form vocabularies create a different feel based on the foundational geometry that is used. For example, the rectalinear is based on 90 degree angles and tends to be a little stiff and formal, while radial has a flowing, dynamic feel as it uses parts and pieces of the circle as its basic geometry. I thought it might be interesting to include some of my plans and models as they progressed. I started with functional diagrams, then hardened up the spaces and established a formal plan, then built the model (rectalinear was the first step). After building the rectalinear model I evolved the plans and models into arc-and-tangent and radial. Just for a sense of scale, a person (a tall person) in this scale would be about the size of a grain of rice.

Stippling Strike

As some of you may know I just finished a two-part tunnel project in studio that required me to 1) build a tunnel model (8" x 8" x 20") out of cardboard with a designed pathway through it and 2) display the tunnel in plan view, section view, and six transverse section-elevations on two 24" x 36" pieces of white matboard using only india ink and stippling to show depth and texture. The good news is there IS a light at the end of the tunnel! I have emerged, though with a slightly lower IQ after hours of cutting cardboard and dotting. I think my eyes are still adjusting, my wrist and fingertips are recovering--slowly, and I know what day it is! I am on strike from all stippling, or resemblance to stippling, including dotting my "i's" and "j's", until further notice!

Though these last few days were pretty intense, one of my fellow classmates found the comedy in the experience and recorded it on the whiteboard in our studio. It made me laugh; I thought I would share. (p.s.--the numbers listed are actually pretty close to what we really did!)

October nurtures the inner child

I love autumn. I love the colors: the crimson leaves of dogwood and red maples starting to turn, the clear blue of October sky, the gold of hay bales and ripening fields. I love the smells: cinnamon, cloves, ginger, apple cider, caramel. It smells like home, it smells like comfort and warmth. I love the feel: the crispness in the air and the excuse it gives me to pull out a jacket for the first time and wear fun striped argyle socks, the drier air is wonderful for evening walks under a harvest moon. I love the sounds: the crunching of leaves, the wind rustling through the trees, the soft rainstorms. I love the foods of the season: pumpkin anything! (pumpkin soup, roasted pumpkin seeds, pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin butter), apple anything! (apple crisp, applesauce, apple pie, apple juice, or a crisp Jonagold apple), soup and cornbread, sweet potatoes, acorn squash.

I love autumn for its invitation for young and old to play. Not only do you get the sight and sound of colorful, rustling leaves, but you can make piles and jump in them! Not only do you enjoy the scenes of harvest time, but you can use those hay bales to stuff old clothes into a scarecrow! Not only do you see the rich orange of pumpkins, but you can have your very own, dig out the insides, and carve faces of your own creation! It is a time for bonfires and ghost stories, for hay rides, and carnivals, for apple bobbing, and trick-o-treating. The air is full of spices; goblins and ghouls, witches and wizards are prowling. It is a time of magical whimsy and color and mystery. Autumn is a time to be young again to relish in all the bounty of life; the final hoorah before a winter sleep.

Department of Romance

Yesterday I passed by this building and its marquis sign on the campus. In the few seconds I had to scan the sign as I walked by I sort of half registered the words, but for some reason got caught up on the fourth line and laughed out loud, Department of Romance--really? A second later I realized, no, not really, it is in fact the Department of Romance Languages. I continued walking but had a fun time thinking of what kind of courses one might take if they were pursuing a degree in the Department of Romance. One might expect, for example, Psychology 502: Demystifying the Knight in Shining Armor, English 301: Shakespearean Tragic and Triumphal Couples, Physiology 475: Vital Functions of the Romantic, Italian 302: Italianate Wooing, Etymology 220: Origins of Sweet-Nothings, History 130: The Life and Times of Saint Valentine, Music 360: Compositional Theory for the Smitten, Communications 202: Verbal Expression for the Sentimental. Oh, and don't forget the study abroad program in Paris and Florence. So supposing one was in the Department of Romance pursuing a degree, would they graduate with a BS or a BA? Is romance a science or an art?

Today I was grateful for a GORGEOUS day, eating lunch outside by a fountain, and talking to my lovely mum.

Eyes to see

Quite a few of my friends have traveled to countries around the world and a few have literally been to the four corners of the earth. I have a confession to make: it makes me a bit green (with envy). Their stories of far-land-away adventures are amazing and eye opening, but it leaves me feeling not so very cultured or informed. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to step inside their brain to see what comes to mind when experiencing ordinary life events. When they smell fresh baked bread, for example, does their mind go back to that little side street market somewhere in Italy where they bought an artisan loaf? When they see brightly colored clothing, do they think of the silk costumes of dancers in Thailand? Does the sight of a coconut make them wistful for a Pacific island they once visited?
A parallel thought runs alongside this quiet envy: "for I ought to be content with the things which the Lord hath allotted unto me." I realize that there is richness and abundance right under my nose, more than I can really be perceptive to or that I conciously take in and enjoy. Eyes to see the wonder of ordinary things is a challenge, but it helps me to appreciate my particular allotment. I tested that thought recently around the campus. I took pictures in black and white of just five things that caught my attention on one little walk on one random day. My brain surely noticed and captured a thousand, ten thousand images, but I picked five. They are five very ordinary things, but the point is, they were noticed. I did this for myself; my way of proving that before I get all antsy to see the world, I ought to really appreciate my little bit of earth. So...in no particular order I give you a shrub with irridescent berries (I will let your imagination tell you what color they ought to be), a window trying to look like a sun, a study in perspective at the bottom of a steep flight of stairs, a flower in perfect bloom ( I half expected her to turn and look at me and wink!), and a garden gate leading to some pleasant little space, doesn't it beckon, "Come in!"
Contentment with my little bit of earth is a way of showing gratitude to my Father in Heaven. If I am constantly pining for things I think I want or hope to experience, but fail to appreciate the mercies under my nose I am a very whiny child indeed. (And in our home you know how we feel about being whiny!)
Interestingly enough, the Savior performed his earthly mission in a very small geographical area. He was not well traveled, but his life's mission was performed well--perfectly well. And within that sphere he noticed and blessed and communed with the ordinary. A man with the palsy, a woman with an issue of blood, an invalid at the pool of Bethesda, the blind, the lame, the deaf. He is one who took full advantage of his time and place and circumstance and had the perceptive vision to make an ordinary day into a day of miracles for someone in need. Mormon calls it being "quick to observe"; its fullest refinement is spiritual discernment.
One of my favorite chapters in the Book of Mormon is 3 Nephi 17. The Savior becomes so very real to me in these verses; the mercy he displays is so tangible. He says: "I perceive that ye are weak...go ye unto your homes, and ponder...and prepare your minds for the morrow, and I come unto you again" (vs. 2-3). The Savior is perceptive to their unspoken feelings seeing that "they were in tears, and did look steadfastly upon him as if they would ask him to tarry a little longer with them." His bowels are filled with compassion and he invites any that are sick, any that are lame, any that are blind, or halt, or maimed, or leprous, or withered, or deaf, or that are afflicted in any manner to come and experience the Savior's mercy and be healed. Why does he do this? Because as He says, "I see that your faith is sufficient that I should heal you" (vs. 7-8). With great tenderness He does heal them, every one. The chapter concludes with this summary "and the multitude did see and hear and bear record...for they all of them did see and hear every man for himself" (vs. 25). How merciful a Savior who would provide the means for all to truly see and hear BEFORE praying with them and BEFORE blessing their children. This most sacred experience was enjoyed to the fullest by everyone because they were first healed by Him who is ever perceptive to our needs.
And what does all this mean for me? There is a connection to be made here. If I am perceptive to the invitation, it is to truly see and discern beauty and goodness in nature, but more importantly in the people all around me. It is to acknowledge my gifts as opportunities to be perceptive for someone else and it is to make the most of my little bit of earth.

p.s.--I love you

May it be remembered that you made my day Miss Molly--no, you made my week. How timely, how kind, how appropriate, and how needed. How did you know? One of the things I love most about you is your thoughtfulness. You give gifts that are tailor-fit to the person. So many of the little niceties from you have been so perfect...thimbles, bonsai kits, cards, quotes. How blessed I am to have you as a sister, as a friend. I wish I could share the fresh pineapple with you!

MLA Class of 2012

Here is another of our studio projects. Our professor took full-body pictures of each of us in interesting poses, made then into color slides, which we then projected on the wall at life size scale, traced on butcher paper, observing shadow (and ignoring color). The shadow and light intensites were ranked as black, gray, or white, and colored with marker accordingly. Then the butcher paper drawings were mounted on foam-core, cut out, and given a stand. Because the project came from actual pictures they are an excellent demonstration of physical features and character.

Today I am grateful for taking the time to clean my room after a busy week. A place for everything and everything in its place--that is a good feeling.

Do you hear the [music play]?

The first home football game is today, a night game against South Carolina that starts at 7 pm. Interestingly enough, this weekend is also the Athens Stake Conference and the adult session starts tonight at--you guessed it--7 pm. Do you suppose this is a test? A question of priorities, perhaps? I am not too sorry to be missing the game and all the rabble-rousing that I have heard goes on here, BUT I am a little disappointed to be missing the marching band.
During orientation week when I was wandering around campus I heard the drum line (and the accompanying echo) from far off and experienced this strange Pied-Piper type of attraction. I found myself straightening up, shoulders back, head high, arms erect (as if my clarinet were in my hands), and I started marching time. I was completely oblivious to the people around me; my complete attention was riveted on that drum beat. And then for more than a block, I marched forward drawing ever closer to that beautiful sound. Toes pointed to the sky, rolling through from heel, gliding, floating across the sidewalk until I found them.
I was transformed back to the football field at East High standing at attention, eyes locked on the drum major, awaiting her arms to come up and start counting time. "1-and-2-and-3..." and I start playing those descending eighth notes in quick succession as we introduce the music of Les Miserables to the crowd of spectators. Playing with all my clarinet power during "Do You Hear the People Sing?", with reverance during "Bring Him Home", with longing during "I Dreamed A Dream". Or to the parade marches during Homecoming week, or the summer marching band camp rehearsals in rural Iowa engulfed in fog. Hmmm...good memories.

I will have none of that

I was on a very crowded bus the other day smashed into the railing by the driver and a song was playing on her radio that had an interesting chorus line. The lead vocalist sang over and over, "it's just a run of the mill day..." First of all, that is such an interesting phrase. How long has it been around? Who has mills and runs them, or who even knows what a mill looks like or is familiar with how they work? It would be interesting to discover the origins of that phrase and trace its roots.
But it got me thinking, a run of the mill day is the daily grind, the same thing in and out, over and over. Perhaps a "run of the mill day" was more the norm in the 1800s when you were isolated from your neighbors and your day consisted of feeding animals and tending crops and basic farm life subsistence. Even still, some days a pig gets sick, or the chickens aren't as productive, or your wagon wheel breaks. Can any day truly be just "run of the mill"? It seems a horribly pessimistic way to live. Granted, it does take some extra effort to conciously decide to have interesting days, to break out of the groove and love life, to explore, to be creative. With the help of friends who are like minded, I realize that one of the ways to nurture your creativity is to see everyday things in a new way. The goal then, is to be surprised by something every day. To life--and all its newness.

Class time, down time, free time, in between time...

...is spent here in the studio. Each student in the program has their own drafting board table and cubbies for keeping supplies like chartpak markers, drafting pens, drawing pencils, circle templates, eraser shields, engineer and architect scale rulers, T-squares, 45 and 30-60-90 degree triangles, colored pencils, vellum, rolls of tracing paper...etc. The program is very art/design intensive and right now it is very abstract and conceptual. It won't be until year two that we start applying our design skills to actual landscape design projects. In my studio class I am doing different black and white compositions and building projects using the principles of design. In my graphics class I am learning the "quick-and-dirty" method of making a landscape design look good on paper. We have been learning perspective drawing and how to communicate different design elements in plan view (the bird's eye view, looking down on a landscape from overhead). It takes ALOT of time, but it is really exciting to be given license to be creative and call it classwork or homework.
Today I am grateful for the start of September...autumn is coming, my favorite!

Pick of the Week: UGA Trial Gardens

Ta-da! A garden smushed between the Snelling Dining Hall, the Wilson Pharmacy building, and West Green Street on UGA campus. The garden was the creation of Allan Armitage, a world renowed herbaceous plant guru a professor of horticulture at the university. He took over what used to be an abandoned parking lot and created this on a whim and it has become one of the premier spots for seed companies the world over to be trialed. Everything grown in these gardens is grown for a purpose--to determine their suitability for the gardening public. All the plants are monitored every two weeks throughout the growing season (April/May to October-ish) and the "winners" eventually make it to retail nurseries to be planted in green thumb yards all over the country. Most of the plants are annuals, but tropicals and perennials are trialed as well.

I was able to meet Allan Armitage when I worked for Color-Burst, which was neat considering he something of a legend in horticulture. My old boss at Color-Burst was big on using some of the Athens Select cultivars that came directly from Mr. Armitage's progagation efforts--plants uniquely selected for their tolerance of the southeast's heat and humidity. One summer I was put in charge of the Color-Burst trial garden (our own small scale copy cat garden) and was asked to drive to a nursery in Watkinsville (little town outside Athens) to pick up six plants--yep I made an hour and a half drive for six plants. The plants were some of the cream of the crop selections from the trial garden and were only available on a small scale at local nurseries. That is a good definition of devotion--or crazy.

Today I am grateful for a bike ride at dusk to the State Botanical Garden as a break after seven hours in the studio! (Seven hours in the studio is ALSO a good definition of devotion--or crazy, take your pick.)

For Worthy Friends...

Do you remember in high school, especially during big events such as Homecoming, how the student body council would coordinate some big ra-ra spirit week filled with crazy things like tie-dye day, pajama day, toga day, school color day, etc. to get you all pumped for some exciting end of the week celebration? No, they do not have some kind of crazy grad student intiation requiring the wearing of togas across campus, but I have seen a fairly consistent theme running through this past week, significant enough to mention.
The theme revolves around friendship and gratitude and its message was repeated over and over again in my week. My friend Katie quoted (and in the process taught me) from Charles Dickens' book Little Dorrit. One of the chracters in the book has ceased complaining because when she complains she cannot feel gratitude. (That was a very rough translation, but you did inspire me to read the book Katie, I just haven't come to that part yet). Katie has taken up that model and despite some challenges, is choosing to be positive.
My friend Dallin asked me, "What do you have to look forward to in this week?" I appreciate the tone of his question and the paradigm shift it is from just "How is your week looking?" or "What is your plan for the week?" When he asked the question I had to sort of mentally pause and think, "What do I have to look forward to?"
The Relief Society lesson from the Joseph Smith manual was on friendship and the discussion focused on the ideal friend, which included among other things, someone who is encouraging and helps you to see the good in yourself and life in general.
Institute started this week and we are studying The Book of Mormon this semester. Almost immediately two themes emerged within the first two chapters of the book: the mercy of the Lord (and Nephi's gratitude for it) and the persistant temptation of Laman and Lemuel to murmur (and thus fail to see God's mercy and show gratitude).
Finally, another friend, Sara, finishes every blog post with some specific thing that she is grateful for that day. In tribute to her good habit and a summation of this week's theme: I am grateful "for worthy friends" who help life to be so enjoyable. More specifically, I am grateful for my newly found upstairs neighbor from India who I made friends with at the bus stop on Wednesday.

Big Little Brother

This post has been a long time in coming, since this summer in fact, and has been reinforced half a dozen times by little observations in various settings. I have been most impressed by my brother Jared and his wife, Sarah and feel that a little post about them is much overdue.
It is funny the way life turns out--never quite like you planned. I never expected that my younger brother, for example, would get married before I did. Not to say that there is anything wrong with that, it just wasn't in the plan. I count my blessings, though, that I am in the stage of life that I am in and rather free to come and go and visit with individual family members. One of the really sweet parts of spending time with the family is seeing the way that Jared and Sarah have developed in their marriage.
This summer I captured a picture of them together in the front of one of the rafts we took down the river and was impressed by the symbolic meaning of it. (Sorry, if this is too much, you can stop reading now). I see them anxiously pursuing a future that will include rough water, sharp turns, rocks, and unanticipated turbulence, but the fact that they are moving and doing and becoming together, come what may, is very encouraging to me. I also see them having some fabulous and uniquely personal experiences as a couple that will bless and shape their marriage in positive ways.
Jared and Sarah planted a garden this summer in their backyard and it has been (and continues to be) incredibly productive. They have tended it with diligent care and have yielded bushels of zucchini, peas, beans, cucumbers, radishes, and I am sure by now some peppers and tomatoes. As a sister and a horticulturist this is MOST exciting, but even more exciting is their desires toward good things that are done as a couple and of seeing the fruits of their labors by working together.
I am encouraged. I am proud. And I am taking note of the good example of my big little brother.

The Definition of Southern Hospitality

Imagine with me for a moment arriving in a new place, knowing almost no one, pulling into the driveway of a stranger and being greeted like an old friend. Imagine with me anxiety melting away and being replaced with an adorable little over-the-garage room with view, the offer of a car to use, and free reign of the pantry. Imagine sitting down with this stranger-friend and talking late into the night. I have a new definition of southern hospitality and she lives on Milledge Terrace.

Her name needs to be added to my good people book. Truly, I am so blessed.

Why I Love Utah: Reason no. 47

About two miles from my parent's house is the entrance to Big Cottonwood Canyon and an endless array of outdoor recreation and stunning beauty. My family camped about twelve miles up the canyon and went on several hikes through what felt like Alaskan backcountry rather than just a thirty minute drive from fast-paced city life, traffic, and pollution. I love it!
"Those who dwell, as scientists or laymen, among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life. Whatever the vexations or concerns of their personal lives, their thoughts can find paths that lead to inner contentment and to renewed excitement in living. Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of the birds, the ebb and flow of the tides, the folded bud ready for the spring. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature--the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter."

--Rachel Carson, The Sense of Wonder

Chapter One, Page One

Fraulein Maria liked to say, "When God closes a door, somewhere he opens a window." My window view is looking very classical, which is fitting considering "the classic city" is soon to be home. About a month ago I made a quick in-and-out visit and captured some stylistic features of a few of the older buildings on campus. My little foray prompted a dusting off of once-known architecture terminology...fun words like entabulature, architrave, dentils, plinth, and fluting. The campus has quite an array of orders, which I think can be identified as Ionic, Corinthian, and Greek Doric, respectively (corrections or affirmations are welcome!) The university was chartered in 1785, the oldest in the country, and my particular building is in the original north campus amongst equally ancient sprawling oak trees. It is comforting to be approaching all this newness with plenty of history as a foundation.

The Unsung Hero

During the time that I was in college my family lived in Iowa. In most any new social situation at school I could count on being asked that universal question, "So where are you from?" My answer of "Iowa" almost always brought one of two different responses: 1) a blank stare and a little bit of uncomfortable shifting of the feet as the person frantically tried to come up with SOMETHING, ANYTHING to say about Iowa or 2) "Oh, Iowa, yah I think I drove through there once--lots of corn."

My mom and I recently made our own cross-country trek in a Budget moving truck and had quite a few "drive through" experiences of our own. Kansas was one of the states on our tour de America, and I admit I approached the state with the same stereotypical shortsidedness that I found so annoying as a college student. But, I was pleasantly surprised. In fact, I found Kansas to be--dare I say it--rather fascinating. So, in praise of seldom thought of midwestern states, I give you my impressions of Kansas, the unsung hero.
We came into the state heading west on I-70 from Kansas City and were met with Topeka and the Brown vs. Board of Education Center, the "Little Apple" of Manhattan, Kansas and home of Kansas State University. Just past the university exit was the Konza Prairie Restoration and Research Center for KSU. A military base at Fort Riley had dozens of oversized brown-black helicopters that looked like flying cockroaches (one took off right as we passed and made sort of an awkward wobbly start). The rolling hills of Ellsworth County were covered in huge white wind turbines. Operational oil rigs were scattered across the state, but were especially plentiful near Russell, Kansas. The claim of "sunflower state" was a little disappointing because in our drive along I-70 we only came across one field of the cheery flowers, near Hays, Kansas. (Perhaps though it is like Georgia being the "peach state" and yet you would never see a single peachtree orchard anywhere north of Macon. )

There were also grazing buffalo, old fashioned wind mills, fields of harvested wheat (or barley?), corn fields, hay bales, wind breaks, and lots of prairie. But, lest you think it was just a lot of sameness, the innovative Kansas residents have created pleasant diversions for boredom weary travelers. Tired of seeing mile after mile of rolling green hills?--you are in luck, stop for a bit, put your feet up, enjoy some refreshment and wander through a musuem honoring...barbed wire, or an 8000 lb. prairie dog, or the largest Czech egg in the world, or the famous fish-within-a fish fossil, or a six-legged steer. If that is not enought to tempt you, why not make an entire vacation exploring the EIGHT WONDERS OF KANSAS! (who knew?) Mom and I were curious enough (or bored enough?) to take a 30 mile (one way) off-the-beaten path adventure to pursue one of those "eight wonders". South of Oakley, Kansas is Monument Rock, a group of chalk monoliths from the Createous period of geologic history when the state was under water that for some reason are extremely resistant to wind erosion. Certainly an oddity for the western Kansas prairie!

I suppose the overall appeal had something to do with the fact that I have never driven across the state of Kansas before. The newness of the experience made anything (even ANOTHER wind mill) seem exciting. But, I think the appeal also has something to do with seeing Americana in an undefiled state. The sky was so blue, the harvested fields of grain so golden, billboards were minimal, pollution was almost non-existent, roadside littering was few and far between, and there was a sense of history and preservation. This is certainly not your drama queen state. Don't expect a prima donna performance, no knock-your-socks-off vacation destinations. But refreshing, and soothing, and altogether picturesque, yes.

In Memorium

The Atlanta Georgia Temple is closed for major exterior and interior renovations. My time as grounds supervisor is finished there, but I thought it fitting to post a few of my favorite pictures from the gardens I helped maintain. Most if not all of the existing plants will be removed and an entire new design will be installed by the time the temple reopens in about a year and a half. I like to think there is some kind of divine compensation for gardens built and loved and left, and that in a future day I can enjoy that celestial garden and continue to tend it.