In 2011 I was stationed in Japan and had the opportunity to visit the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima Japan. Many people don’t get these opportunities so my wife, girlfriend at the time, decided to make a day out of it. We went to the Peace Memorial Museum for a few hours before goin to park. Being able to stand at a site where an Atomic Bomb was dropped and getting to see a building that survived the blast is something never forget. I think what I remember most after standing and looking at the Dome were the locals who camp out beside it with pictures of family members born with birth defects or even worse relatives who died from the dropping of the bomb. Although we heard a lot of sad stories and learned a lot we never knew we shocked to find out that Pearl Harbor , the attacks that ignited this American response, is not taught in schools or mentioned anywhere in that museum. The pictures I included are a couple I took that day it was cloudy and rainy which matched the mood the of the park kind of gloomy but very interesting.

The Washington Island Stavkirke is a Stave temple, a structure common in Scandinavian culture. It is traditionally built of wood and stone alone. Washington Island is an island off of Door County, Wisconsin, the peninsula of Wisconsin. The Door Peninsula is heavily influenced by Scandinavian culture and traditions, and in the early 1990’s, a Christian church on Washington Island decided to raise funds to resurrect a Stave temple for visitors to appreciate. Thus, the building style was heavily influenced by common Norwegian and Swedish ornaments. (https://www.wpr.org/stave-church-washington-island-was-built-honor-scandinavian-heritage)

My family visits Door County, Wisconsin every summer. One summer in 2015, we took the ferry up to Washington Island, and took the island tour. One of the stops was the Washington Island Stavkirke. I remember the feeling I had walking up the stone pathway to the temple, and it was sense of relaxation and happiness. It felt like a magical place, where wishes came true. Actually, I remember our tour guide telling us that if you made a wish there while you were meditating that it was bound to come true! I loved how hopeful the building felt. Below is a picture of me circa high school between one of the pillars on the porch of the temple.

The Powerhouse is a local restaurant and bar in Oklahoma City’s Farmer’s Market District downtown. This building once served as the power house (hence the name) for the large Public Farmer’s Market next door. The market has been around for almost a century, as it opened in 1928. It has historically served as a place where Oklahoma farmers, ranchers, and other food vendors have ventured to in order to sell their goods. The market still stands as a place for farmers to do so, and the public flocks to the district every Saturday (when it is safe to do so). (https://www.okcfarmersmarket.com)

I had never been to this part of OKC until this past February when my Dad flew into town for a visit. We were exploring, driving around, when we spotted this little and historic-looking structure with dried chiles hanging from the roof. We stopped and had a beer and an appetizer, and thoroughly enjoyed how the owners had preserved a lot of the original interior. Once you step foot through the doorway, it feels as though you stepped back in time a bit. The interior was outfitted with dimly lit lights, original walls, rustic wooden tables and booths, and western apparel/art all around. I loved the ‘Wild West’ feeling it gave! It truly felt like old school Oklahoma. Although it was too cold to sit outside at the time, I included a picture of what the back looked like too below! Overall, one of the coolest places I’ve been in OKC whose architecture fit the vibe of old Oklahoma.

The National Weather Center is a building on the Research Campus of OU, South of main campus. It houses OU’s School of Meteorology, as well as a multitude of government organizations, making it a federal building. It was opened in 2006, after 3 years of construction. The fact that it is a federal building plays into the way the massive building was designed, as it featured bullet proof windows. There is also a room on the top floor, shaped like a circle, that is outfitted with huge windows all the way around the room. This is called the Observation Deck, and meteorologists in the building use it to view any weather on the horizon, or to just gaze at sunsets from the high up view. The weather center is also outfitted with a battleship style antenna on the very top to support the massive computers and data compilations needed by each weather organization within.

The National Weather Center is significant to me because meteorology is the reason I came to OU all the way from Columbus, Ohio. It always felt like such a big deal to be walking around with huge legends in the field, and taking classes where the Storm Prediction Center and the National Severe Storms Laboratory are housed. While I did end up finding a new passion and changing my major to Environmental Sustainability, I will never give up my love for the weather and my awe for this building. If you have not been yet I encourage you to check it out once it’s safe to return to campus- but don’t forget your OU ID or a government issued ID to get past security!

By Jenna Warner- 113350137

The Ohio State Football Stadium, otherwise known as ‘The Horseshoe’, has played a very positive role in my life. In my hometown of Columbus, Ohio, football is more than just a game. It is quite literally a way of life here. The stadium serves as the epicenter of importance in the city, and is highly respected. Ever since I was very little, there has not been a year that has gone by where I did not attend at least one game at ‘The Shoe’, including my years in college at OU. The feeling that arises when the massive stadium starts to appear in the distance is unimaginable. My senior year of high school I had the privilege of playing field hockey on the field, and wow was it inspiring to look up and see the stands and the upper bowl, as the sheer size of the structure beats down on you. I have visited a lot of college football stadiums in my short lifetime so far, including our wonderful Memorial Stadium of OU. However, none of these come close to the passionate feelings stirred up from seeing Script Ohio performed in front of you before the Buckeyes take the field within ‘The Shoe’.