I have a much better perspective of the city than I did the first time I came down here.
Olympia is cute, in a mini Seattle way, with a small downtown and streets filled with so many 'cafe on one side- bar on the other' places, and overly priced hip urban retail.
Books for charity bins line the parking lots.
I would say my favorite part of downtown Olympia was the huge quantity of art on the sides of buildings. And especially art that has to do with orca whales.
Down almost every alley and covering the brick backs of buildings that face parking lots. It makes the city so much more pleasant to walk through. And I think that graffiti, well practiced graffiti, should be allowed in cities, and not covered up. Its artists, who will create just for the sake of creating, no money necessary and it lives up a city and gives it much needed life. So I appreciate Olympia for encouraging this.
One last snap shot while I wait for the bus, and now we are off to Evergreen, 5 miles north outside of the state capitol.
And welcome, to Evergreen, my future home.
Student work in the lobby.
Recycling centers are everywhere around campus. And now our tour guide Tom or John or something will guide us through campus through campus.
This is the Writing Center, its kind of hard to see. Its a place where writers can draw inspiration and use computers and block prints and even have their work critiqued. They have book making supplies. (Side note: I met a girl who has taken some writing classes and was thoroughly pleased, and she also said they will employ you at the writing center, so I cant wait to possibly do that.)
Random art
These strange trees are all over campus.
This is outside of the longhouse, build to replicate a Native American longhouse.
Inside, its just a gathering center for students and certain activities happen throughout the year.
These are mounted all around the campus to let you know exactly what plant life is around. Just one of the many earthy-hippie aspects of the school.
Heres a peek into one of the art rooms. At the school they offer free rental of most equipment as long as you can prove you know how to use it, which doesnt take much and they are willing to show you. They offer a free photolab with darkroom use and digital printing. You can use all wood shop and metal shop equipment. They have a large collection of musical intsruments you can rent, which come with an instructional guide. Basically any class they offer on campus, any student is allowed to use the supplies.
Here are the two main class room buildings. The campus is small. Evergreen owns 1000 acres of land, but has only developed on 30. So they have these buildings and a few more of classes, the library, and the student recreations and some dorms.
This is "Red Square" where students hang during class time. There is the big clock tower, a student run cafe, and people (not necessarily students) playing music and selling art, books and clothes.
This section of buildings have greenery on the roof and a water drainage system that carries rainwater back into the underground reservoir. And some other "green" technologies that I could never explain and don't fully understand myself.
On this bulletin was a flyer for a girls group who meet on campus to hang out and talk about books, photography, yoga, natural medicine, meditation ect... everything I love!!
This is the dorm building which happens to be the second tallest in all Olympia. Yay, if that can only give you an idea at all of the city.
So many bulletin boards filled with so many projects and activities and discussions and events and lessons.
And so ends the concrete portion of the tour, which is also the guided part of the tour. Now is my own exploration around the huge wooded area.
Set back about half a mile is the organic farm.
Sap.
Organic farm. There are classes in which all you do is tend the farm and learn anything and everything about farming. But you can also rent a plot for $50 a quarter and have your own little vegetable garden.
They also have chickens, goats and bees in the summer time.
And now we head through the woods to the beach. It took me a couple times asking people how to get there, its hidden pretty well by the woods.
But when you finally reach it...
I get lucky with the most beautiful blue skies on the days that I decide to take pictures. The sky doesnt always look this wonderful in the winter, Im just lucky when the camera hits my palm.
The beach is lined with trees that are growing outward like this. Although some have fallen and are dead and covered in barnacles.
There are these things called geo-ducks pronounced gooey duck, which is the school mascot, but they are a clam like creature in a shell and in some kind of defense mechanism or eating strategy they squirt water into the air. So all along the beach if you look hard enough at the right angle you can see tiny spouts of water from the spitting gooey ducks. Its cool in a gross way.
This is my look of astonishment at what I have stumbled upon: wonderworld magic happy heaven.
Everything is covered in barnacles. And I learned that they are actually alive.
So I was walking along the beach snapping some shots and these friendly people struck up a conversation with me. Turns out they all just moved here from Ohio, some private art school that shut down. But now a few are going to Evergreen.
I sat and chilled for awhile.We were on mammal watch all afternoon, hoping to see a seal or something. No luck though.
I ended up hanging out with them the rest of the day just walking along the beach taking pictures.
And now for the best secret gem of Evergreen State College. It was mentioned during the class tour, but they wont tell you where to find it, you must find it on your own. But my new friends knew where to find...
THE TREEHOUSE
This is one of 3 or 4 tree houses that were built by students some time ago. But they are still standing strong and sturdy. I assume people have made changes and improvements along the way.
Comfortably sits 8. I know for a fact.
Looking up from the top platform.
Looking down, dont get dizzy.
Trunk Stand. If it wasnt so blurry, you might could see the elephant doing a trunk stand.
We left the forest and it happened that my new friends were headed downtown, so I caught a ride with them. My roommate Nick was downtown with our friend Nicole and Stu so I met up with them and hung around with a couple of their friends, who go to Evergreen (and LOVE it).
And now I am pondering about all the many things I can do at Evergreen. I cant wait to sit in trees on the beach and write stories and listen to friends play music and climb in the tree houses and create so many things, art and books and practical things, and learn so many skills from so many amazing people.
As much as I hate the idea of college, this one suits my needs as much as possible and I know beyond anything that this is exactly where I need to be come January 2010.
