I woke up early this morning, so I decided to go for a run, which I haven't done for about 3 months -- running is my stress relief exercise -- a way to convert my idle energy and restlessness into something more productive. I jogged my way down to Kelley Park, which MapQuest says is about 1.75 miles from where I live. When I think 'park', I think of wide grass covered hills with playgrounds for the kids, some b-ball courts, maybe a baseball field or two. That's what parks were like in my hometown. Kelley Park is not one of those parks. Kelley Park is one of those 'picnic' parks, you know, the kind with picnic tables and areas all outlined and laid out, where people need to reserve space to use the tables and barbeque pits there. It's the kind that requires you to pay for parking, because it's more than a park, it's an attraction. They have a small zoo at this park too.
I visited the Japanese Friendship Garden within the park, and although the garden is quite large, I still like the Classical Chinese Garden in Vancouver more. Going to Japan and visiting the various Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines there really gave me an appreciation for what these temples are supposed to be like, and the Garden here just felt too modern, and was too much of a departure from my expectations.
While I was in Vancouver, the guide at the Classical Chinese Garden said that there was another one in Portland, Oregon. I want to visit that one someday. Seeing all the gardens and temples recently have really started me thinking about Architecture again.
I have to wonder though, if it is too late to start over, to put all those years of work experience in a completely unrelated field to rest, and to start doing something completely different. While I don't think it's impossible, I do think it is challenging and difficult. New, challenging and difficult scares me, even when I know there is a safety cushion below me.
Leave a comment