Why We’re Here

This two week trip actually began two years ago, perhaps more. A dear friend of mine had suggested that Randy would really enjoy taking a seminar here at Calvin College. He wanted to apply for it last summer, but Maddie had recently been diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes and it just felt a bit too much to add far-away travel into the mix with learning the pump, etc. So Randy applied for this two-week seminar back in the fall of 2010.

Calvin College hosts The Seminars at Calvin every summer to promote Christian Scholarship. There are lots of different topics for the seminars…Russian philosophers, Chinese philosophers, worship, poetry, etc. The seminar Randy is a part of is Imaginative Reading for Creative Preaching. He felt like a kid who just burst the piñata when he was accepted and when the stack of books for reading came in the mail. And what a stack of books! The Kite Runner, Gilead, Silence, Wednesday Wars, The Grapes of Wrath, a book of short stories, books of poetry by various authors, Mariette in Ecstasy, and others. He read them all with relish and has loved discussing and unpacking them with Cornelius Plantinga and others, including, today, the author of Wednesday Wars, Gary Schmidt, a professor here at Calvin College.

So, of course, my husband is having a blast! But so are the rest of us! We continue to be amazed at how Calvin College has really created this whole Seminar for the families of scholar participants. They have fed us on numerous occasions, housed us, planned activities for our kids (both teens and elementary), and treated us to the Frederick Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park. That was last night and I’m still floating around from the amazing experience! I’ll have more on that later.

Needless to say, we’re thinking about when we can come back! This trip will be a wonderful memory for all of us. I heartily recommend it to any of you so inclined to enrich your scholarly pursuits. You and your family will love it!

P.S. These are drawings made of the Seminary here at Calvin College where Randy’s seminar group has been meeting. Other seminars are held in various other parts of the college campus. Behind the seminary is a gorgeous pond complete with walking bridges, waterfalls,and beautiful flowers…an artist’s haven! I’m trying not to let the heat and humidity this week keep me from drawing plein-aire. I think Monet and the rest of the original plein-aire artists would be amused (or scandalized) to see someone out sketching with an iPad and stylus.

P.P.S. On that note…my next post will bring more on my techno-journey into the world of iPad art. I’ve been playing with some cool art apps…it is incredible what can be done with an iPad!!! How’s this for a teaser: with JUST your iPad, you can have pens, markers, pastels, crayons, watercolors, oils, brushes, palette knife, brayer, every color possible, every technique of layering paints, airbrush….and tons more! Stay tuned!

0 thoughts on “Why We’re Here

  1. Timaree says:

    This sounds like it’s been terrific for all of you. You might not be able to leave the diabetes behind but I think the change of scenery is the next best thing. Looking forward to you post on the Ipad. I’ll be travelling back to California for another eye check on my retina and will be saying goodbye to my sister who is moving to Japan and going to my son’s first party in his new (first) home he’s bought so excuse me if I don’t see it right away!

  2. cat says:

    I love all of your sketches. They are so expressive and the touches of color are so bright and cheery.
    I am eager to see your ipad art. I have been playing with Sketchbook Pro on mine and it is just so amazing to do art with my fingertip!

  3. Vicky Williamson says:

    A wonderful opportunity for both of you! Great sketches!

    One of my favorite books is a small gem by John Eldredge, “Epic”. He finds the Lord’s story in many other works, both books and movies.
    (I can’t re-read Lord of the Rings without the hidden Godly truths jumping out at me!)

  4. Alex Tan says:

    Funny how the simple lines(by all means they aren’t really simple eventhough they appear to be simple) could give out so much details, and funny how I could just imagine those places in my head. =) Nice sketches Jennifer!

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