In 1975, Mark and I graduated from Westmont College, a Christian liberal arts college in Santa Barbara. And oftentimes when we are in Santa Barbara to see my mom, we head up to our alma mater to check it out. This time we were particularly interested in walking around the campus, as Westmont sustained substantial damage in last November's Tea Fire. We were quite shocked at what we found. The fire could have been much worse, but it was definitely bad enough. Westmont lost five buildings in the fire, more than 40 students lost their dorm rooms and possessions, and many faculty lost their homes (I think around thirteen faculty families). Westmont's amazingly beautiful campus is one of its biggest draws, situated as it is in the hills of Montecito, with ocean views and meticulously maintained gardens. The fire did much damage to the grounds, and it will take time for everything to recover.
Mark stands by some of the many burned tree trunks.
The stained glass window in the prayer chapel. The fire burned so closely to the chapel, but thankfully it was spared.
Mark stands in the arbor, where you can see the plants that once grew over the structure are all burned.
The duck pond in the background. This area was not so much affected by the fire. Mark and I have many memories of our student days, when we would sit on a bench by the pond and study or just talk.
The beautiful fountain in the courtyard by the administration building.
This is the building where the campus pastor had his office. At the time of our marriage in 1973, our church in Santa Barbara was between pastors, so we approached Westmont's campus pastor about doing us the honor of presiding at our wedding. He agreed, he did our premarital counseling with us, and then he married us.
You know you're in Santa Barbara when the bird of paradise flowers are in full bloom in the middle of winter.
After our walk at Westmont, Mark and I went to the Santa Barbara wharf, where we walked around and enjoyed the closeness of the ocean and also the shops on the pier.
Next up - Mom's 80th birthday party!
In 1975, Mark and I graduated from Westmont College, a Christian liberal arts college in Santa Barbara. And oftentimes when we are in Santa Barbara to see my mom, we head up to our alma mater to check it out. This time we were particularly interested in walking around the campus, as Westmont sustained substantial damage in last November's Tea Fire. We were quite shocked at what we found. The fire could have been much worse, but it was definitely bad enough. Westmont lost five buildings in the fire, more than 40 students lost their dorm rooms and possessions, and many faculty lost their homes (I think around thirteen faculty families). Westmont's amazingly beautiful campus is one of its biggest draws, situated as it is in the hills of Montecito, with ocean views and meticulously maintained gardens. The fire did much damage to the grounds, and it will take time for everything to recover.
Mark stands by some of the many burned tree trunks.
The stained glass window in the prayer chapel. The fire burned so closely to the chapel, but thankfully it was spared.
Mark stands in the arbor, where you can see the plants that once grew over the structure are all burned.
The duck pond in the background. This area was not so much affected by the fire. Mark and I have many memories of our student days, when we would sit on a bench by the pond and study or just talk.
The beautiful fountain in the courtyard by the administration building.
This is the building where the campus pastor had his office. At the time of our marriage in 1973, our church in Santa Barbara was between pastors, so we approached Westmont's campus pastor about doing us the honor of presiding at our wedding. He agreed, he did our premarital counseling with us, and then he married us.
You know you're in Santa Barbara when the bird of paradise flowers are in full bloom in the middle of winter.
After our walk at Westmont, Mark and I went to the Santa Barbara wharf, where we walked around and enjoyed the closeness of the ocean and also the shops on the pier.
Next up - Mom's 80th birthday party!
2 comments:
I love your pics! Sounded like fun reminiscing... it was nice weather that day!
Love you two lovebirds....
In all my years of hanging around Santa Barbara I have never been to the campus of Westmont. Looking at your pictures I can see how beautiful it is there even after the fire. You have been married 3 years longer than us and our oldest kids are the same age! Bruce is 7 1/2 years older than me and he wanted kids right away!!
PS Check out my blog for a good laugh (or great gift ideas!?)
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