A day on campus

Last weekend was the commencement and that meant getting up early, dropping off my husband in time for the ceremony at 8AM. We got to the campus before 7, the sun was slowly waking up, putting a nice glow on everything.

 Shortly before 8AM the last coffee was sipped, the graduates lined up and the ceremony could begin.

 

 This years guest speaker was the International President of the WWF (World Wildlife Fund) and former Ecuadorian Minister of environment.

 I have to say, they had a nice shady spot while we others, even though it was quite early, were baking in the sun. After sitting close to 90 minutes with the sun shining into my eyes I got antsy, so I decided to use the opportunity and explore campus a bit.

The area is nice, an interesting mix of old and new, color, tile, brick and styles.

The Center of Gravitational Wave Astronomy, or Physics building, is located within the old Cavalry house. You can imagine that it was a stable at some point.

 In front of it is the place of art, as I call it. Once in a while a new piece, made by the students, will be added.

 Across from where the commencement took place is Fort Brown, located on a resaca. The area is full of wildlife and palm trees.

 
 I kept walking towards the student union. Again, the mix of different materials caught my attention.

 Turning around a corner you find hidden or not so hidden areas inviting you to rest

 I wish downtown were that nice, I would spend my entire day there, but that is something for another post.

 The health and science area made me curious. Now, that was worth taking a closer look.

 It is called the tree of life and represents the connection between earth and sky. The blue ceiling is the sky

the flowers and leaves of the tree

 the spiral is the tree trunk and the base is the root system, of course.

Walking around the column I discovered even more. The base is hiding a time capsule.

 

It was quite hot outside (isn't it always?) and while I was looking for some place to rest, I noticed the landscaping. It is a nice mix of native plants and some tropical ones. The green against the bright red walls, I call that a pick-me-up-spot ;) It is part of the medical area.

 

 

 

  

I hadn't noticed how many hours had passed. There was plenty more to see, but it was time to find my husband in the crowd and head home.

 

 I will be back for more photos - next time maybe on a cloudy day.