Go Army! Beat Navy! (Sorry, Molly, it's just for today)
Joel and I visited West Point today. We were the guests of friends of ours from church, Mike and Eleanor Peters. Mike is a West Point grad and has taught there at 2 different times, so we got a personal tour and got to visit several different homes on campus of people they know there. It was SO cool! Mike is a retired colonel from the army, and has lived all over the world working for the Army in some capacity. They are about to move to Santa Fe, NM, for him to take over as the President of St. John's College, a liberal arts school that teaches the classics. Not sure what that means, but it has something to do with having a set curriculum and reading a lot of Plato and Aristotle, to name a few. Needless to say, doesn't sound like something a career military man would typically go for, but that just proves what an amazing man he is. They are great people and we are so fortunate to have met them as our paths crossed in this remarkable place.
West Point was fun, although the weather was pretty crappy. It rained off and on all day, and to top it all off, Army lost to University of Alabama-Birmingham. We didn't even stay to the end of the game because it was raining too much and we were all cold. We didn't consider this being a 'two-percenter,' as the stands were emptying with the increasing rain, and even the Cadets didn't seem too into the game. We got to go to the Cadet Parade before hand, and tailgated with the Peters and some of their other friends. Having lived there off and on over several years, they are excellent tour guides! The history of the place was just great, but Joel and I were both a little under-whelmed at the spirit and excitement of the Cadets. The Aggies put them to shame! This probably has something to do with the quality of the football team, as Army is not very good, but still. West Point itself is more like an army base than a college campus. I was just amazed at the size of the place. It's just beautiful, really, and has great views of the Hudson River Valley. If you ever have a chance to visit, I would highly recommend it! We will be visiting again in a few years when Army plays Texas A&M!
Joel and I visited West Point today. We were the guests of friends of ours from church, Mike and Eleanor Peters. Mike is a West Point grad and has taught there at 2 different times, so we got a personal tour and got to visit several different homes on campus of people they know there. It was SO cool! Mike is a retired colonel from the army, and has lived all over the world working for the Army in some capacity. They are about to move to Santa Fe, NM, for him to take over as the President of St. John's College, a liberal arts school that teaches the classics. Not sure what that means, but it has something to do with having a set curriculum and reading a lot of Plato and Aristotle, to name a few. Needless to say, doesn't sound like something a career military man would typically go for, but that just proves what an amazing man he is. They are great people and we are so fortunate to have met them as our paths crossed in this remarkable place.
West Point was fun, although the weather was pretty crappy. It rained off and on all day, and to top it all off, Army lost to University of Alabama-Birmingham. We didn't even stay to the end of the game because it was raining too much and we were all cold. We didn't consider this being a 'two-percenter,' as the stands were emptying with the increasing rain, and even the Cadets didn't seem too into the game. We got to go to the Cadet Parade before hand, and tailgated with the Peters and some of their other friends. Having lived there off and on over several years, they are excellent tour guides! The history of the place was just great, but Joel and I were both a little under-whelmed at the spirit and excitement of the Cadets. The Aggies put them to shame! This probably has something to do with the quality of the football team, as Army is not very good, but still. West Point itself is more like an army base than a college campus. I was just amazed at the size of the place. It's just beautiful, really, and has great views of the Hudson River Valley. If you ever have a chance to visit, I would highly recommend it! We will be visiting again in a few years when Army plays Texas A&M!
1 comment:
My very good friend, Jerome, from high school went to St. John's in Sante Fe. He loved it but he has always been very much into reading and discussing philosophy. It's hard for us engineer types to understand the liberal arts curriculum as it is, but St. John's takes it a step further by essentially having no grades during the semester. My friend Jerome said that at the end of each semester, you go sit in a room with all your professors and they talk about you like you aren't there. Based on their discussion, they "grade" you for the semester. I guess I'm more traditional as so I'll take the scantron any day to that!
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