The words that enlighten the soul are more precious than jewels.

H.I.Kahn

While I am getting used to my internship I have not fully adapted to a very formal system of doing reports compared to the norm of papers/reports for school. We are using a very formal somewhat simplified execution of filing reports. Simplified yet on steroids at the same time-if that makes sense. I have also started a fund for new clothes-specifically for school(these are the measures an unpaid intern has to resort to-I'm due for some new kicks)..

*I hope my old professors read this*

While in D.C. I have fallen in LOVE with one of the greatest architects of the earliest twentieth century-"the last great practicer of Beaux-Artes classicism", as his biography declares, and I learned very little about him or his work before being in D.C. -John Russell Pope. I am a huge fan, and have made it my personal mission to search out his work here and experience it. Below are his national Gallery building and his National City Christian Church. Both are breath

taking.

Finally, I must warn everyone who is venturing to the District of Columbia, and at first it was rather upsetting-THE BAD NEWS: The reflecting pool in front of the Lincoln memorial is under construction. THE GOOD NEWS: It's being repaired and will no longer be brown and disgusting like it had gotten to be at the end of the twentieth century, while a new drainage system is in the works(which will also purify the water) it looks like this.

When it is done this fall. It will be pristine an reflect better(literally haha) the monuments and values we have for our national mall.

I've finally gotten into a routine. Washington DC is an amazing city, and it makes me want to actually live here someday. My work has shifted from a much broader look at the forts to a personally fascinating investigation of the preservation techniques employed at the site of Fort Stevens, which is an extremely significant historical site. The forts remains that were constructed in 1935 were built by the WPA. The site engages in a very important discussion about what is ethical in terms of how we preserve something. The main part of this discussion is centered on the use of cement logs in order to support the earthen mounds, whichreplacedearlier wooden ones.I'm going to upload some photos from the last couple of days. Some of the sites are well manicured but some are still earth works as you can infer from the photos below.

MY SUMMER INTERNSHIP HAS JUST BEGUN

and already I feel like I'm starting to get the hang of this city. Today (sunday) i spent most of the day working on projects that weren't officially work related, but more for personal interest and conferences.. My main focus thus far in Washington D.C. has been for HALS. My writt

en work deals with the civil war defenses of Washington D.C. I have been addressing the issue

from a number of angles mostly about what is left there today as we are/planning a massive survey of the fort's remains. Also a topic that I have fallen in love with is the discussion of the

ring forts in the 1902 Senate Park Commission Plan or McMillan Plan as it is better known (named after the committee's chairman the Senator from Michigan) One aspect of the

McMillan plan almost completely looked over and forgotten was the idea of taking the left over green space, which was naturally left from the fort remains and turning that built up high ground into a ring road around the city. This would have completely altered the city as we know it today. In some cases this ring road has been realized and even reflects its original intent. Today they are named things like, 'military road', for example. Below is a photo I stole from the internet that shows you where the forts would have been

located and where said ring

road would have also connected them.

Finally, I have gotten to see a lot thanks to this internship. I have been able to see Tudor Place I've uploaded another stolen picture.below.

I've also gotten to go all throughout the Perry Belmont estate, which is also known as the International Temple for the order of the Eastern Star. It is jaw dropping. It has been maintained in GREAT condition and although it could be very easily turned into a museum the Easter Star has done a great job changing little of the original fabric. See stolen picture below.

I've gotten familiar with navigating the city of washington. I am fully reliant (I'm proud to say) on public transportation. Although it is sometimes a head ache.

I've also become comfortable with using the Library of Congress, which is an awe inspiring resource that makes me want to do the work I'm doing.

It didn't dawn on me until after I actually sunk my teeth into the work that I'm doing here how amazingly educational and fulfilling the work I am doing here is. I feel like I just began, but some how I have felt more complete by doing work I love. A fellow intern of mine made the statement -it was something like this

'we're pretty much the same in that we'll never make a lot of money, but as long as we get to go around looking at architecture, doing research and writing about it for all the world to be exposed to it. We're going to be fully content. We have truly found our labour of love'

I couldn't agree more.

MORE IN A FEW DAYS.

CHECK out my fellow intern's blog while she's in D.C. (the one with the fellowship)-self proclaimed-Master Lasdow. haha She may update more religiously than I have(the new ones always do). Enjoy. She's articulate and has an architectural mind. with the close attention to historical relevant social context.

http://kklasd.wordpress.com/

I have so much to say about this picture.

My time at The Savannah College of Art and Design has made an indescribable impression on my life and who I am. As I left high school I was a bit unsure of where I should be or what I should be doing. I had more questions than answers.

The people of my time at SCAD are the true story. My fellow students inspired me to be/do better while making it fun, we were there together weathering the storm of deadlines and exams.

My professors gave me a drive- they have set the example (of who I am now aiming to be.)They refused to accept anything less than my best. They pushed me. Their commitment to academia has sometimes been an unpopular decision in the context of an art school, but as they have set themselves apart by choosing a pedagogy of rigor that is dedicated to research and professionalism, the fruits of their labors can be seen throughout conferences and the field as SCAD alumni have begun to repeatedly excel.

As I transition to my internship with the HABS/HAER/HALS program and move to Washington D.C. I strive to make good on a promise:

that I will reflect well the whole, as well as my self.

I graduated! It feels good. I sat for two ceremonies on Saturday. In one I got to hear the words of Whoopi Goldberg, she was amazing... On top of the crazy weekend. I went directly to Washington DC Monday morning to meet/discuss my internship. I got to meet tons of new people and learned a lot about what I'll be doing all summer. More details on that to come. For now I have to soak up a couple of days of summer while I can. I start MONDAY!

I'll have more graduation pictures tomorrow. -B.

I can't even begin to tell you about the last few days.

After moving out of my apartment, turning in two term papers, taking a final exam, printing and turning in my thesis, and preparing a final presentation board...

Finally I can say that I'm done.

Tomorrow I'll attend my final thesis show, graduation rehearsal, and then my family will begin to arrive.

It's surreal. Yesterday I was a scared, confused, a freshmen being dropped of in (what I thought at the time) to be a big city. A place that was sooo different from where I grew up. It took me almost half the year to adjust to the idea that I wasn't home anymore. I didn't have all those friends I grew up with. I didn't have my mom and dad and big sisters.. I just had me.

I quickly began to adjust. After I got my footing away from home, I began to adjust to ART SCHOOL-yes the stereo types are true.. All of them. I quickly found my niche. It wasn't in architecture as I originally planned but in architectural history. And before I knew it I had changed my major, I was going over sees, and I was going

across the country...following this passion. Architecture filled the void of country mountains. There was no going back, just pummeling forward.

Today I turned in the final copy of my thesis. To be bound..

It was just over 30 pages, and I dedicated it to Mary, Stephen, and Dan. The two professors and the student who was with me the night I got sick in Barcelona.

The dedication read:

"To Mary, Stephen, and Dan, for being there for me the night that changed it all."

I wanted to make the three of them special copies. I'm happy with the final product. I feel like I could have written a whole book on the place, but what I wrote is adequate for an undergrad thesis. It has a practical application as well, which isn't always the case in architectural history.

Now I'm heading to graduate school, but first, My last nights in Savannah. I have a crazy fascination with this place. It has no doubt had a great influence on me as an individual. It has shaped me into who I am professionally and who I strive to be as a person.

More tomorrow.