Sunday, June 7, 2009

Our College

My Dear Professor professes at a small, private, Presbyterian affiliated college in the nearby town. Some of his colleagues live much closer and can walk or ride bicycles to work in good weather. DP drives the long and winding road into town everyday. As I have said before, it's a tough 6 minute commute, but someone has to do it. (DP is such a wonderful guy!)

P1260549 copy

His first office was on the third floor of one of the older buildings on campus, in a very tiny, closet like space. He has moved four times in the last fifteen years, each time to a larger place.

I love this campus. It is the college of my dreams, brimming over with well manicured lawns and classic ivy covered buildings. And the scent of manure in the spring. The local farmers are gifted with shredded waste paper to use for bedding their dairy cows, and they reciprocate by supplying tons of bovine, ahem, products for the lawn. When the bovine product spreaders have been busy on campus, the usual frisbee fields are suspiciously absent of barefooted college students.

I attended two college campuses back in the day, one was new and looked like my high school, the other old and built by committee, like a camel. My Dear Professor's campus is more storybook.

There is a lovely green quad flanked by dormitories and a beautiful gothic Presbyterian chapel.

P1260688 copy

Between the chapel and my DP's first office is a veteran's memorial.

P1260628 copy

Lest we forget.

P1260675 copy

In recent years, a few new buildings have gone up, but great care is taken to see that they fit in with the traditional architecture. The uniformity of construction lends a very pleasing aesthetic, much like Napoleon's Paris, but without rendering anyone homeless.

A new student activities building . . .

P1260516 copy

. . . stands behind the main campus and across from a state of the art technological suite of classrooms, lecture halls, and offices.

P1260491 copy

There are several memorial pavers in the courtyard that connects these two buildings, something I discovered just last week. You will find inspirational quotes

P1260530

as well as personal remembrances.

P1260536 copy

Now go ahead and admit it, you said "awwwwww" out loud too!

The buildings and grounds are very well kept, but I have fallen in love with the floors. They are the first things I noticed seventeen years ago. They're like butter. I would willingly eat off of these floors. And this from someone who doesn't believe in the three minute rule, the clean food nazi. The woman who believes in a kosher kitchen, and I am not Jewish. Are you beginning to get the picture here?

These floors are a work of art. I want whoever does them to come live at my house.

P1260484

I make reference to all my Dear Professor's books in the "about me" information at the bottom of this page. Here is a glimpse of just one wall in his office. One wall.

He has three more just like this, floor to ceiling.

And two more long walls at home. And even some stacked on the floor by the bed.

P1260440 copy

My Dear Professor does love his books. (Love ya, darlin'!)