On August 15 2005 I started school at The American College Of The Building Arts. I was studying plaster restoration. It was a big deal for me.
Here is The Old Charleston City Jail which houses the main offices of the school.
I was so excited, it was all so wonderful! We had trade classes in the morning and then academics after lunch break. I lived just a few miles away from classes so I could go home for lunch and shower all the sweat & plaster off before going back for math, English, art & construction classes.I had the cutest, tiniest apartment in the North Charleston ghetto, formerly Navy housing built in the '40s. Two of my neighbors were going to school with me and we all got to be great friends very fast. Mary Arden was in the Ironwork program as was Shara and our apartments were all three in a row.
Here is Shara doing here thing in trade class. She graduated last year.
She is a fantastic blacksmith!
So From August 15 through September 15 I was in Heaven. It was one of the best months of my life. I'll leave the rest of the story for later, but for now I'll just say that letting this anniversary slip away unnoticed was a good sign for me.I can look back on that time, five LONG years ago happily because it was wonderful. I have so very many magical memories of that short, sweet little chunk of time to revisit. I can turn them over in my mind, remembering how I settled into the rhythm of my brand new life. Everything different from what I was used to, new things to learn, new friends to meet, new skills to master. And so much more ahead of me to be learned, I didn't know it but it would have boggled my mind.
But like I said, it is a sweet sweet place in my memory and for now I'm going to savor only those good times. There's plenty to go around.
