Spring Break At The Mount

Today ends spring break at Mount St. Mary’s College.  Monday, students will again flood the campus, classes will be in session, and we will all focus our attention on the inauguration of our twelfth college president on March 16^th.  But during this calm before the storm, the campus takes on its other personality, that of a monastic place of peace and serenity.  Walking the grounds, one hears the birds, the bees, and the thrum of nature in the Santa Monica mountains.  Far down the hill is the bay and pier.  An oil tanker lounges lazily in the glassy water.  A slight breeze cleared the sky of smog and clouds.

It is good, this quiet before the storm of papers and tests, inauguration and graduation.  We gather our energy to finish the semester.  Then, summer will arrive, and the monastic peace will return, but that season has its own story to tell.  Here, today, spring has arrived.

The Mount is truly a special place, full of history and tradition, even as it prepares to launch a new beginning with a new president.  To know the history, to feel it in the walkways, stone stairs, and glorious architecture, one need only to take a walk around campus.  A visit to the Mount Archives blog might also be of help.  It is a truly beautiful place to study.

Over the course of the week, on several short excursions during my breaks from my office, these photographs tell the story of the Mount at spring break.