In Which I Am Grateful for Trees

The latest news is that the high heat of summer has finally arrived - late, and with a vengeance. The temperature cracked 90 degrees F (or about 32 C) at the University Park airport on this day, for the first time in about 300 days. In town, it felt even hotter.

I have a work event on campus for two days this week, Tuesday and Wednesday. At the Libraries, to be specific. The event is an accessibility webinar that several departments, including mine, are sponsoring. And so that meant that I was out and about on campus this day and the next.

One of the first things you might notice if you visit these days is how crowded campus has suddenly become. Things get sort of laid-back in summertime, and campus can be very mellow. That is no longer the case starting in about mid-August, when the influx begins. There are 70,000 undergrad students enrolled across all 20 of the Penn State campus locations. On this morning, it almost felt like all 70,000 were right HERE.

In fact, there are about 46,000 undergrad students located at University Park, which is the Penn State campus I know best. So of course I must be exaggerating . . . but just a bit. The good news is that they smell very, very good. (At least first thing in the morning!)

The second thing I noticed on my trips back and forth across campus was how HOT it was. And at the same time, how fortunate we are to have so many wonderful big TREES on our beautiful green campus. When it gets hot like this, I choose where I go based on whether I can get there by walking in the shadows. If the trek involves a long walk across an open, sunny field, I just might select another route. I choose to follow the trees. I choose to walk in the shade.

This photo shows a tree from one of my favorite tree rows on campus. When I was first hired at Penn State in 1985, I worked in Mitchell Building, across from North Halls (where I lived for several years as a student). Shortlidge is the street that Mitchell Building was on. Since then, Mitchell has been torn down and replaced by a new business building that I sometimes enjoy photographing.

And Shortlidge has actually been CLOSED in the middle of campus at the new sciences buildings, and is only open to foot and bike traffic now. You can see the Huck Life Sciences Building (which is attached to the new Chemistry building) in the background.

It has been said that the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, and the second best time is now. I love trees and am an advocate for planting MORE trees whenever possible! There are gifts you can give to yourself. There are gifts you can give to others. Let this be a gift that you leave to the future: if you ever get the chance, PLANT A TREE!

The song to accompany this image is a U2 tune from their 1980 release, Boy, called Shadows and Tall Trees.