well, I have good news & bad news. Which would you like to hear first?
Inside the tunnel to the Mountain Elevator that takes you to "The Nest" of Seven Falls
The 2nd scariest part...walking down the stairs!
Yeah...that's my shadow, I couldn't avoid it...
I love the image this form & texture creates...
After Seven Falls, I headed back to the U.S. Air Force Academy to take more photos of the chapel since last Spring I was in such a hurry. That place is an architectural marvel!
Photography is a hobby of mine; particularly presenting perspectives of objects & places people don't normally notice...
The ceiling of the sanctuary
A different view of the sanctuary ceiling
The drive to Aspen from Colorado Springs is about 4+ hours & I couldn't get the Yankees playoff game on the radio, so I pulled over at Silverthorne to watch the rest of the game @ Old Chicago. After eventually rolling into my Aspen hotel around 9:00ish, I took some time out for myself...for about 5 minutes. :) Then I did a few odds 'n ends things for work before hitting the sack.
The Aspen Valley community is SO hospitable & organized with the entire college fair weekend - I LOVE going there each year! On Saturday, they offer free recreational activities & cocktail party at 2 of the area homes. I planned on going white-water rafting, but the day turned out to be much cooler than expected. I decided to create my own aDvEnTuRe & be spOntANeouS. Have any of you been to Aspen? Well, it's pretty much a Rodeo Drive/Hollywood nestled in thet middle of the mountains with beautiful yellow Aspen trees & the home to the X-Games, as well as many celebrities. There are a bunch of unique & fancy little boutique shops downtown, so I browsed around the area & came upon a farmer's market with local flavors & products, as well as local artists selling work...very cool!
Following that relaxing walk & buying my husband some local beef jerky, I moved onto a 12-mile journey to see the Maroon Bells (North America's most photographed mountain peaks) & the ghost town of Ashcroft. I spent quite a bit of time taking some photos of the ghost town - it was eery, but totally cool. I couldn't believe those buildings had been there since the late 1800's. Nope...no ghost sitings. :(
Unfortunately, the sky wasn't "right" for photographs of the Maroon Bells
Ashcroft, the ghost town
An old hotel still standing
"My hand" at adding creepiness to the ghost town...
The cocktail parties that night at 2 area homes were like walking into museums...they were incredibly designed & HUGE! There was awesome food & drinks, as well as great conversation with some of the members of the school board, parents of students & other admissions counselors. Actually, I was talking with one guy for quite awhile, who was the husband of Kathy Clug, the director of this entire Aspen college fair "operation." It ends up, he's Chris Klug's dad! Chris was the Snowboarding Bronze Medalist for the U.S. in the Salt Lake Winter Olympics! That was SO cool.
On Sunday, they had a large brunch buffet for all of us before the college fair. The college fair was from 11-2; complete with dishes of Ben & Jerry's ice cream and a boxed lunch the volunteers brought around!
SIMPSON has one student, Michael, who is a freshman from Aspen & it has definitely made a difference. I'm glad we decided to start attending this fair last year, because the word is spreading! Kathy, the Director of Guidance, even recommended SIMPSON along with 2 other Iowa colleges to a student who has already scheduled a campus visit. Another student was pretty pumped up about playing basketball for Simpson & being an athletic training major - he said he'll probably come visit & stay overnight with the Michael on campus. When talking with students I love to hear @ the end of the conversation, "wow, this is exactly what I was looking for!" Students become pleasantly surprised about what Simpson can offer after I describe the school. One girl had just moved from Orange County, California & wants to run track & cross country, as well as major in art history...at a smaller, more personable, yet aCtiVe campus.
I had yet another 4 hour drive back to the Denver area after that fair, so it was long & exhausting, but at least beautiful with all the fall colors & blue sky!
Moving on...
Something that has come to my attention twice in one week is when talking with a student, they said to me, "at least you talk to me about your school...that guy over there just hands me a brochure & tells me that the best way to get information is to visit the website...." I just can't believe that?! Not only would that make a very boring job, but it's a terrible impression that rep is sending about their college. I absolutely love sharing all the awesome opportunities & information about Simpson! It's so rewarding to see students' faces light up when I mention something they're really interested in or that they get excited about. I enjoy talking with every one of the students who stop by my table...each student is different & they have their whole lives ahead of them. Not to mention, students shouldn't be pre-judged about whether they're college bound or able to afford the college without getting to know them...teenagers get enough of that in everyday life. I approach each student as if they are able to come to Simpson & work from there...It's great helping students discover majors, activities, off-campus travel & internship options, and the beauty of SIMPSON'S campus atmosphere.
This blog has been written over a couple days since I have to always hit the road to my next event, so sorry 'bout the rambling...
Right now I'm sitting in a random hotel's parking lot trying to finally finish this between 2 college fairs that are too far from my hotel to go back. I also have a reception at St. Mary's Academy this afternoon - a meet 'n greet with faculty of a few private high schools in the Denver area.
'til next blog, peace out my dear friends.
Did You Know?
Simpson has launched a new, interactive website geared towards prospective students, particularly out-of-state students. This multi-media site, www.simpsonexperience.com, allows students to understand what life is like at Simpson before they ever step foot on campus. It emphasizes visual images & sound; it is different than most colleges' virtual tours because of its focus on students & faculty rather than buildings on campus.
"Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you."
- Frank Lloyd Wright
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