First Time on Seminary Campus

 My original plan had been to be back on the road yesterday--7 hours up to Maryland on Friday, and 8 hours back to North Carolina on Saturday.  But as I looked at the calendar, I realized I could spend an extra day.  And yesterday, I was glad that I did.

I was glad for all the regular reasons:  time to recover from Friday's drive, time to enjoy a day with my family.  An unexpected bonus was our trip to see the campus of Wesley Theological Seminary, where I've been taking classes online for a year and will be taking classes in person in just a few weeks.

We headed down about 11:30 after a fun morning of walking the dog, going to the Amish market, and eating treats for breakfast.  My sister was the driver, and she knew exactly where she was going, which made it easier.  We pulled into the deserted parking lot and took a look around.

We couldn't get into housing, which was a plus in a way.  If I'm living there, I don't want anyone from off the street to be able to wander through.  There was a number we could call for assistance, but I didn't see the need to interrupt anyone's Saturday, just to show us the inside.  I'll see it in 2 weeks, when we move in.  We did look in a few open windows, and it looks like pictures I've seen.

The classroom building was open, so we wandered through.  It looks fairly modern, in terms of seating and equipment.  But there's lots and lots of art throughout the building, a wide variety of subjects, mediums, and approaches. We were also able to see the chapel.

My sister snapped a few pictures.  Here's the courtyard, where we both said, "Oh, there's more to this campus than I thought":

And here I am, standing next to a high bell tower:

Here's the bell tower at full height:

We didn't take a picture of either of us standing at the iconic statue of Wesley.  That would have been a long walk down a grassy field.  I'm glad that the seminary is set back from the road.  I'm glad that there are so many trees and green spaces.  I'm glad that there are so many high windows to capture that sense of being nestled in nature.

After our brief exploration of campus, we headed down Massachusetts Avenue.  I was reminded once again of how much DC packs into a very small geographical space:  embassies and universities and all sorts of organizations.  Oh, yes, and the three branches of the federal government.

DC has always been one of my very most favorite cities, and I'm looking forward to exploring it again.  And I'm happy that I'll have a home base on the seminary campus to come home to each day.