Dear WinkWorld Readers,
This post is primarily for my teacher friends and colleagues in TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages). Mostly, I am sharing photos to capture these happy memories. A few reflective comments follow the photos.
Below is the gorgeous Chesapeake Bay.
Baltimore has a spectacular building, which honors the victims of 9/11. The photo below is a 27th floor window with the names of the victims.
World Trade Center of Baltimore
Dawn is in front of the amazing skyline. The famed National Aquarium is off to your left.
Below is just one of the photos I took of Dawn, as she was taking photos.
25 + 25 = 50, right? When I got to the registration desk, where they were sharing 50 Year ribbons, the ribbons were all taken. No problem. I initially joined the professional organization in 1966, as a student. Thank you, Dr. Ehrensberger, for encouraging me to join.
Finally, my friend and colleague, Dr. Pam Sharpe-Ostermann, and I have been meeting at TESOL for 25 years, and we have many photos of the two of us with daffodils from the various locations. Dawn took this photo spontaneously, as Pam and I were walking down the hall.
TESOL ended noon on Saturday, and 2 hours later I walked by the gorgeous Convention Center. We had completely been replaced by cheerleaders with lots of blue eye shadow, bright red lipstick, huge bows on the tops of their head, with lots of big hair, which did not blow in the wind. And, did I mention the sequins?
I was surprised to find that Baltimore is quite a festive place. Across the street, Luke Bryant performed last night, and happy, happy people poured into this hotel after the concert. I see that Rhyanna is next; followed by Earth, Wind, and Fire, and then Chicago. In addition, the Baltimore Orioles play 3 blocks from here; fans fly in regularly for their games. At the moment, I can look down and see all of the orange caps and sweatshirts flow down the sidewalk, as they walk to the game.
One last comment: Years ago, when I was a teeny-bopper, we visited Baltimore on a hot summer day. My one lasting memory of that day is a drive through the row houses and seeing the families sitting on the stoops in the oppressive heat. I have never forgotten, and every time I hear of Baltimore, that image of despair, runs through my brain. As I was riding the light rail train from the airport into the Convention Center, we went right by the same row houses. A lot of money has obviously been spent in Baltimore–certain areas of Baltimore.
See you next year in Seattle for TESOL 2017. Dawn is already planning a research project for us to share.
