Things are a little different now than they were back then.
First of all, back then we didn't have two kids.
Or nine pets.
There are a lot of new buildings on campus... really nice looking buildings. We couldn't explore them because we have dogs.
We saw people in Medieval garments walking around. They were heading toward Fairhaven College, so that wasn't abnormal at all.
It's still windy on campus... and it's still beautiful, despite the wind.
We toured around, showing the kids the various places where we used to live on campus. The kids tried to act interested but really just wanted to get out of the car and ride their new bicycles.
After a brief argument with the 'Pay Here' parking machine we set off to start our adventure. The adventure starts with a picnic lunch in the windy sunshine where Arntzen Field used to be. Nowadays that field is underneath three new buildings and a crazy staircase that goes up, down, up higher and then back down to the ground. It's good for climbing on, picnicking on, blocking the wind and writing messages in chalk about upcoming parties.
Finally, we were ready for the Dog Walk / Bike Ride event.
Before marriage, kids and dogs this would have been called "The Art Tour" and it would have been held late at night and may have involved beverages to keep you warm (if you catch my drift, grown ups). This time I drank Diet Coke and there was no need to designate a driver.
The kids rode their new bikes (both moved up to the next size), Tanya walked both dogs and I got to carry the backpack with the 10 Dog Essentials in it. If there was an emergency the dogs were all set. The rest of us, however, would be screwed.
First stop on the tour was the landscaped area between Parks Hall, Environmental Studies and the Ross Engineering/Tech building. There are two new buildings but I don't know their names (Chemistry & Biology stuff). This is where Alexia likes to help this little Lilo-like character hold up her rock.
From there we proceeded to the "Recycle Me" art piece: a bunch of iron or steel slabs erected in a triangle shape... with an extra wall.
Next stop was the "Hieroglyphics Pool" where the dogs could drink some water and the kids could rest their sore feet. This turned out to be a good place to let the dogs off their leash for a few minutes as it had minimal escape routes for them to use. It was also a nice place for some pictures.
From there we went to Red Square, Fisher Fountain, the Sky Viewing Machine and some blob of rusty metal before following the path in front of Old Main to find the Time Capsule locations for our graduating years.
After that we cut over toward Nash Hall and Mathes Halls where we found some more photo-worthy picture opportunities provided by this seemingly dull background. With a little creativity you can make anyone look like they are standing at a 45 degree angle.
It's really not all that interesting to look at if you don't want to put some effort into it.
We stuck our heads in the Viking Commons to show the kids where the college kids get to eat, then stopped by Handel's Swing art piece before proceeding back toward the vehicle.
We were thrilled that we didn't have a parking ticket. I guess that means I won the argument with the Pay Here machine. Woo Hoo!
All in all, it was a memorable Memorial Day.
Thanks for reading.
~E
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