Random Thoughts on Summer 2009

Wow!  What a summer!  I managed to do so much--paint the walls and rip up the carpet, have bookshelves installed, teach a class...where did the time go?

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And I managed to take three trips this summer--to Houston, Austin, and Durango, CO.  I had fun with my family (color me surprised!).  I also enjoyed Dot and Pete's visit, as well as a visit from my sister, Lydia.

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Writing all of this down seems to diminish it.  All of these activities seemed more monumental while I was in the middle of them.  Funny how, when I look back, the work appears effortless, though, at the time, it wasn't to me.  I felt overwhelmed.  When I finished my tasks and returned home from my trips, I took it all in stride.  I have a house more to my liking (the outside needs work!), and I had fun in other places, too.

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It's almost time for the fall semester to begin.  I'll be teaching TWO freshman comp classes, a 105 hybrid and my 115 online.  I also have a 215 on campus and a 226 online.  This will be another semester when I'll grade papers constantly...but I've never been one to shy away from a challenge (summer proved that).

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Colorado--what can I say?  Exceeded my expectations.  I loved the weather--cool, breezy days.  And the thunderstorms were scary!  So here's a picture of what I loved about Durango (apart from my brother's family, that is):

How beautiful is that?  I took this picture while I was on the steam train to Silverton, CO, an old mining town turned tourist trap. I could fill my blog with pictures like this, but this gives you a good idea of what I saw everyday.

 

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Enough.  I've had a great summer, am almost sad that it's about to end, but I am looking forward to a new semester.  I'm going to try to enjoy the next two weeks; I don't plan to work constantly, but I do need to get my courses ready.

I hope everyone had a pleasant summer, too. 

Craftsmanship

My daughter, Dot, and her boyfriend, Pete, spent my birthday week with me.  The birthday was just an excuse; I really wanted them to build bookcases for the living room and my bedroom.  With all the books I have, I just can't have enough bookcases.  And, even with these two wall-to-wall, I still need more for the rest of my books, half of which are in storage.

When I asked them to do this, I envisioned some oak or pine, nailed professionally to the walls.  What I got, instead, are two beautiful bookcases built of a mix of South American hardwoods Pete salvaged from a floor installation.

Here's a picture for those who haven't seen my Facebook photo album:

Sorry--the picture is slightly crooked, and you can't see the top shelf, but you get the general idea.  This is the living room; the bedroom, unfortunately, is too dark, and my camera doesn't have a flash.  The bookcase in the bedroom is about half as wide as this one.  Both are seven feet tall.

They measured, cut, sanded, stained and waxed every shelf and support.  Each of the shelves in the living room is made of three pieces of wood, as are the side supports.  The books glide on the surface.  I'm awed every time I look at them.  The bedroom shelves have a slight variation--the middle piece of each shelf has four different, shorter pieces of wood.  The picture, below, shows these shelves before gluing.

They put so much time and effort into these; it's almost a shame to put books on them.  But, now, I feel as though my books have a worthy home--support that's as beautiful as their contents.  I love them.

Thanks, Dot and Pete!  This is one of the best birthday gifts, ever!  And I loved the company, too!