st olaf the beautiful

Today, M and I went down to Northfield to reminisce.  Turns out, the town is still there and still charming.  St. Olaf, though, is now very big time.  My memory of the campus doesn't match up with its current reality, we all knew the science center would be large and impressive, but did anyone know about the new Tomson Hall?  You probably did, I didn't.  The hall is actually the old science center, renovated, but honestly it's so different, so better, that you'd never know.  Of course there's also LED screens and IMacs everywhere.  There's no longer any department that is overlooked and good news, even the mobile villiage is being dismantled.  Oh and so is Ellingson; pretty sure luxury condos will be built in its place, waiting for the fall's freshman.  I found myself being one of those old timers, walking around, pointing and remarking, "When I was here, we didn't have such fancy things."  Yes, my German class was on the top floor of Old Main and I had physics, God forbid, in the lowly bomb shelter that was once the science center.  I'm stronger for it!  And anyway, these youngsters coming in are paying through their eyeballs for all the glitz and the glamour that is now the St. Olaf experience.  But I did find myself wanting to go and buy another car decal from the bookstore and wishing I had one last interim.  I miss the cafe, the people and the general buzz of academia.  What's wonderful, I suppose, is that the further away time takes us from college, the more and more I appreciate St. Olaf.  I might just become one of those alumni who wears an overpriced St. Olaf Norweigen sweater (I'm not Norweigen), with turtleneck, and covets my Christmasfest tickets; Ok, I won't, considering today when I heard some choir singing across campus, I didn't really love it.  Sinful, I know. 

So here's some pictures for you sentimental alumni.

Downtown to arboretum to campus to cross country trails.