our own Maya Lin

From a 4th-floor window, I noticed that the lower roof at the A-school had an interesting pattern of mounded gravel. Why? I assume that they mounded the gravel in order to spread it evenly over the roof. But this "landscape" also calls to mind one that Maya Lin designed at the University of Michigan, entitled "Wave Field." She asked scientists at the University for references about aerodynamics and fluid mechanics, and came across an image of a standing wave, which she translated into this landscape.


http://www.pbs.org/art21/artists/lin/card2.html

my first tomatoes

This tomato plant is trying to grow through the roof!

drawing on the Lawn

Here are some of "my" students drawing on the Lawn-- their assignment was to diagram the sectional (vertical) relationships between the Lawn, the pavilions, and the gardens beyond.

summer session

Our summer session group has been drawing in the outdoor classroom on the south side of the Architecture School building. The light was especially nice this morning.

birthday

I had a nice small gathering for my birthday. It was too cold and damp for the porch, so we stayed inside and had cake, cupcakes, and cava! It took two breaths, but I was assured that my wish would still come true.

house party

Last weekend John and Jessica invited friends to their "country house," which is being sold this week. There were many old camp friends there-- multiple generations of campers/counselors.... We played badminton, grilled, enjoyed the hammock, hit a pinata, swam in the nearby quarry, and heard/played some music.

By foot, train, and canal (path)

I visited friends in DC over the July 4th weekend, and covered a lot of territory: Mount Pleasant, the Zoo, Adams-Morgan, Georgetown, the edge of the Mall, Meridian Hill, and U Street. Since I relied on the Metro when I lived in the area, I am still learning how these different parts of the city relate to each other.

A bunch of old and not-so-old friends happened to converge on DC for the weekend, including people I know from DC, Boston, and UVA.

Walking to the Corcoran from Georgetown, I came across a very faded Metro map at a bus station:



Justin and I walked alongside the canal in Georgetown for awhile. I am not sure what this is, but I liked the way that grass was growing inside the partitions, and the trellis beyond:





Raquel was also in town, and a bunch of us met up on the porch in Mount Pleasant, like old times (except that the practice room now houses Vicki's engraving press)! We walked to Meridian Hill to watch the fireworks, but they were blocked by some trees (and a large crowd). We walked a little further and came upon an empty lot amongst row houses, where we had a pretty good view!

Ryman panorama

We read that some attribute the excellent sound quality in the Ryman to the wood "pews," and that playing there is like performing inside of an acoustic instrument. We also read that each bench curves in a different way, to fit its particular place in the auditorium.