The White House Kitchen Garden

Last weekend we went to Washington D.C. to be with Louise's family (her brother, Steve, lives there). On Friday morning we went on a tour of the White House Gardens.  I have to admit, I was somewhat blasé about the idea...until I walked through the gate and saw this:

It's not an overwhelmingly huge house.  The proportions seem just right, especially because of the surrounding grounds, a wonderful composition of open space and magnificent trees.  There was quite a crowd, but the general feeling among the throng was so enthusiastic and respectful that wandering the pathway was very enjoyable.  Here's Jacqueline Kennedy's garden:

And the Rose Garden:

The Rose Garden attracted the largest crowd...and I soon discovered why.  President Obama could be seen through the window of the Oval Office at the end of the garden.  According to a couple from Iowa with whom I spoke, as he entered the office he had come to the window and waved.  Can you see him?

I think I did...but I soon was much more attracted to the prospect of seeing the Kitchen Garden, down the sweeping driveway, below.  It is quite a feat.  Very well organized and well tended.  Surprise, surprise...our First Lady has inspired a great example for us all.  It is large, but when I paced it off, I could see that it would fit quite easily in most front or back yards.

Just to one side of the Kitchen Garden, there is a beehive.

It was wonderful to be inspired by the First House of our nation.  I think I'll begin planning our Vermont kitchen garden right now.

Deconstruction...Design...Reconstruction....

These past four months, I have been focused on the renovation of our Vermont home.  I designed and built the home in 1985 and with our move from St. Louis to Boston and Vermont, it was time for a bit of a rehab.  We started the first of June and two weeks ago, on September 27th, we moved our furniture in. Today, I’m sitting in St. Louis, helping The St. Michael School compose an iBook that tells the story of a year-long project of two years ago.  The two projects, one on a house and the other based on a curriculum, involve a remarkably similar process of deconstruction, design and reconstruction.

In Vermont, Louise and I started here:

Our first step was deconstruction.

Then we designed what we wanted, in this instance a screen porch and fireplace on the west wall...and reconstruction began.

We went through the same process with the kitchen, study, master bedroom and bath, guest bedrooms and bath, and landscaping.  It was an exhilarating, tedious, sweaty, frustrating, long, relentless, creative and ultimately fulfilling process.

The same is true with The St. Michael School iBook.  We started more than a year ago.  First we deconstructed the entire year’s work of 2010-2011... all the different experiences and projects of the students (ages 3 to 12) focused on the central question: What are the relationships between animals and humans?

With all the data gathered before us, we designed and installed an exhibition of their work in the central areas of the school.  Here are two sections of the exhibition.

Now, we have decided to recompose the exhibition in an iBook.  Standby.  We hope to have the first draft completed by the end of next week...and, if all goes well (which, if it’s like any construction project I’ve ever been involved in...it will...in time....) it will be up for all to see by the end of the month.  As I said, standby, as we enjoy (with a bit of breathing and smiling at key junctions) the process of deconstruction, design and reconstruction.

Creativity and Collaboration

We are excited to be near our alma mater, Middlebury College, in Vermont.  We are so impressed by the work that they are doing and the connections that they continue to make with their own local community as well as around the world.

This fall, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibet and winner of the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize, will visit the Middlebury College campus for the third time.  The first time, our sons were in elementary school and heard him speak during an afternoon when he met with children of the community.  This event took place outside in early fall and it was unforgettable...hundreds of children listening and asking questions, the Dalai Lama taking the children's questions very seriously and also laughing and joking such that everyone relaxed and had a wonderful time.  This fall, the Dalai Lama will explore, "Cultivating Hope, Wisdom, and Compassion" when he visits Middlebury College to deliver two lectures.  The title of his talk for the public is "Finding Common Ground: Ethics for a Whole World."

Last weekend, Middlebury College hosted a four day symposium on Creativity and Collaboration.

Their annual Nicholas R. Clifford Symposium kicks off each academic year by giving the campus community rich opportunities to discuss and experience timely topics from many perspectives.  This year's Symposium featured over 30 events with an impressive lineup of speakers, performances, and panel discussions.

The opening keynote speech was delivered by Peabody Award-winning radio producer Julie Burstein, author of the acclaimed book “Spark: How Creativity Works."  Burstein has devoted her life work to conversation with highly creative people—interviewing, probing, guiding, and creating public radio programs about them and their work. In her book, she offers a tour through some of the essentials of creativity, exploring its mysterious workings, and helping us find more of that dimension ourselves.

What an inspiration this campus is.  So many opportunities to engage in thoughtful dialogue about what matters most in our lives and on our planet.  These are the themes that we are thrilled to consider with the educators with whom we work.  Inventing a hopeful, healthy, vital future will take the creativity, collaboration and grounded ethics of every one of us across generations.