Learning Landscape Architecture                       

Undergraduate Studies
I stumbled in to landscape architecture as an undeclared Arts & Sciences major at the end of my freshman year. It is rare to find pursuits so invigorating as this seemed. The exposure to a vast body of information under the landscape architecture umbrella was a natural fit. Five years later I had a Bachelors degree, magna cum laude (honors) not knowing I had made the grade.

Graduate School
The original intent in obtaining a Masters degree was to teach one day. Sometimes we head off on one path to find another. Fortunate enough to be accepted at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design, the world of landscape architecture continued to expand as did a network of friends from around the U.S. Lectures and other academic resources, as well as the opportunity to live in Boston energized me even more.

Beyond School
After seven years of academia along with a couple of years of professional practice I landed a job in Edinburgh, Scotland with a multi-disciplinary “environmental consulting” firm (planners, architects, civil engineers and landscape architects). It was a unique opportunity to broaden my professional and personal world more than I could know. It was a perfect leap in to the real world. Edinburgh is a true gem of a city in with its old world charm. It’s a modern urban village with a unique, breathtaking setting.

Travel

Beginning
My first experience abroad was the University of Georgia’s Cortona program (1977). Italy meant incredible food, amazing people with a unique love for life and infinite marvels of art and architecture all set in a sublime landscape. To season this first European experience, optional travel before returning home included Austria, Germany and France.

The final semester at Harvard was an Urban Design studio in Jerusalem. This was an entirely different physical realm than Europe, both natural and built, as well as cultural. Jerusalem is literally a richly layered environment all intertwined on top of itself. It seems rooted in its own distinct, ancient and organic sensibility.

Soon after school, while working in Scotland, there was holiday time in Denmark, Norway, Sweden and The Netherlands. There were also numerous treks around England and Scotland. Given the chance, the Scottish west coast is not to be missed.

Continuing on to adventure

At some point, it was compelling to think about stepping beyond the comfort zone (the U.S., Mexico and Jamaica) and experiencing more of the world. In 1994, the first toe in the water was Costa Rica.
Eventually, good fortune would lead me to see parts of Asia including China, Thailand, India- so very vivid for all one’s senses.

There were two camping trips in Africa, to South Africa and Tanzania-truly a fantasy world, as if another planet.

The experience of incredible culture and landscape in South America (Peru, Ecuador) was impressive.

And travel to what seemed like the end of the earth, the Galapagos Islands, was amazing.

These far-flung adventures were moderated with European jaunts; like a return to beloved Italy or to a friend’s 50th birthday in Scotland and subsequent celebratory visit to Prague, Budapest and Croatia.

Next 
I’m always eager for a new journey as it provides insights in to the nature of alternative environments and the nature of different people around our world. It is truly the authentic “altered reality”. That’s always refreshing, renewing and enlightening.

The learning process continues in new found ways at each new step. Sometimes it’s obvious but often implicit.