30 June 2012

Carolina Goodnight!

It’s officially summer, and last weekend began our summer of traveling.  We have something planned for every weekend from now until August.  While we don’t have any big trips planned (they’re mostly just relatively quick drives to places nearby), last weekend was one of the longer, farther trips for the summer: Raleigh and Durham, NC.

This visit to Vincent’s parents’ house in Raleigh was different than it normally is because we were also joined by my family.  As my sister enters her senior year in high school, and my brother his junior year, so begins the college touring; and certainly Duke must be on that list of schools to visit in person.  I was able to tag along with my family on the campus tour, making me feel very old!  It’s hard to believe that when I was a freshman, my sister was in 1st grade and my brother was in kindergarten, and now they’re looking at Duke for themselves!  

It was also interesting to see the changes on campus since I graduated.  While my parents accompanied my brother on the tour of the Pratt School of Engineering, my sister and I managed to sneak into the recently constructed dorm on West Campus.  I only took photos of the exterior, since I was trying to be inconspicuous, although we eventually did get caught.


 



 














No trip to Duke is complete without a visit to the Duke Chapel.  As much of an advocate as I am of innovative, contemporary architecture, it’s hard not to appreciate the beauty and grandeur of this neo-Gothic cathedral.






 

 






















After completing the student-led campus tour, we stopped by the Smart Home before heading back.  The Smart Home is a “living laboratory,” a LEED Platinum house that serves as a dorm for students performing research projects contributing to the technology within the house and green living in general.  The house was in the design stages while I was a student, and it was something I wish I had known about earlier so that I could have been involved, so it was great to see the final building.





 



 














All in all, it was a great trip.  Colbert had fun playing with Vincent’s parents’ dogs and cats, Vincent enjoyed multiple golf outings, and everyone loved Cook Out!  How will you be spending your summer?

1 comment:

  1. Not to be picky about grammar....however, you were at Vincent's "parent's house" not his "parents' house."

    happy 4th.

    ReplyDelete

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