3/31 & 4/2

3/31

Today we visited the cemetery. I had never been there before, so it was kind of cool seeing how it was sectioned out into different religions. In the Jewish part of the cemetery, there were stones placed next to many of the graves for remembrance.

We also walked over a potter's field to get to the section for veterans. It had a really nice memorial flag pole set up. At one point they had also had four bushes sectioning it off to make corners for the area, but three of them started getting overgrown and had to be removed.

It was kind of interesting seeing the politics that go on in grave sites. Both the athletic director and the coach of the football team are buried on the 50 yard line, however, the director is closer to the field, and visible from the sidewalk. In addition to this, it was kind of interesting how families would set up a barrier around an area so that other people wouldn't encroach on the space.

4/2

Today we visited a construction site.The building will be for veterans, and it was really cool seeing how the building was being constructed to reflect the purpose of it. For example, the guy who was giving us the tour said that all mechanical rooms are pressed for space, and elevator mechanic rooms are even worse. Even though they had limited space, they made sure to put in two elevators because that might be necessary for the population that would be using the building. In addition to this, the rooms on the top floor had a track built into the ceiling. This would be for a movable chair that can be inserted into the ceiling, which would allow for the student to get around the room and to the bathroom without any assistance. There was a kitchen on the ground floor that would be used to help people learn to cook, and there were a series of offices and physical therapy rooms that could be used by the students.

One thing that I really found interesting was the way the common room was laid out. The outside walls were mostly made of windows, and the room was very open. The architecture had designed it this way because it allowed for the people there to see who's coming and going, which would make them feel more at ease. The openness is because apparently many veterans get anxious when in closed off spaces.