Situational Tour

Lake Bryan, The ULTIMATE Honeymoon Destination

2005-12-06T21:14:00.000-08:00

After our long flight and drive, we finally arrived at our honeyoon destination. My husband and I were exhausted from the wedding, but we sure were excited to be together, and away from everyone. We had heard so much about the infamous "Lake Bryan", and were ready to start our married lives off great. We drove up and were greeted by a sign which assured us that we were at the right place. My husband smiled at me, while I thought to myself, "That's an odd looking sign, I sure do hope what's to come is better looking".

So we slowly drove and attempted to look for the check-in lobby, but to our surprise it was right before out eyes! When I beheld the small wooden booth, I almost got a fit, but then I thought it was a joke! The car came to a complete stop, as we watched the "shack" in disbelief. Is this really it? Is this the place in which we were told is the "ultimate honeymoon destination"?

Nevertheless, we proceeded in hopes of it being a practical joke. As we drove, we observed the very clean environment and the desolate lands. Then we came to the booth, and found no one in there, only a vault for payment.

My husband and I chuckled to see the method of payment or rather the voluntary payment to enter Lake Bryan. This really must be a joke, I thought. I attempted to tell my husband not to pay anything, but then we had saved so much money for our honeymoon, so in all respects and being the kind-hearted people that we are, we placed some money into the slot. We then continued and attempted to locate our room. There around the corner we saw the lake, which was absolutely beautiful, but at the moment we were more concerned about our room.

In our endeavor to find our room, it was very hard and due to the fact that no one else seemed to be there, we were helpless. However, I spotted a sign and we drove right up to it, hoping it would direct us to the room.

Unfortunately, it was just a bunch of rules for the present site we were on. I could see that my husband was getting very frustrated, as this wasn't what we had in mind. However, we took note of the rules since we were going to be on site for a few days. As I read, I thought to myself that this must be a camp site, but that thought was negated by my remembrance of the enlightening stories of Lake Bryan that were told by our friends. We continued and searched for our room. Then at last we spotted a square looking structure that could pass for a room. We drove closer...

...and noticed that this structured was unfinished. This definitely could not be our room and so we carried on the path. Then I stared, I could not believe my eyes, it wasn't the beautiful cabin that I prayed for. It was my childhood memories coming back to haunt me!

I starred at the trailer in total shock, then I looked at me husband, then at the trailer again. Was this the start of a bad marriage? I felt as if my life was retreating, instead of advancing. My husband and I got out the car, as if we were in a dream and walked up to the trailer. At the foot of the stairs, there lied an object that instantly put a smile on my face.

It was a plaque with congratulatory remarks on our wedding. This probably was arranged by our friends back home. My husband and I hugged and gave each other a peck on the lips. This thoughtful gift minimized some of the anger that we felt ever since we got to the site. We then decided to take a walk around the site. On our paths, we came upon what we termed our eating area.

Just when we thought it would get better. We had to gather food and cook for ourselves, rather than being served as we initially thought. At this point we realized that Lake Bryan wasn't the place that we expected at all, and we just had to deal with it for the couple of days that we would be here.

As we continued on our journey, my husband stopped and held my hand. We stood there and observed this beautiful scenery. We reminisced on the love that we shared and the tranquility that we desperately needed. My husband then suggested that we take a swim during one of the days that we were here. However...

...there was a sign that prohibited that! So much for a little fun around here! Nonetheless, we walked some more and to our amusement we noticed that there were other people!

Yipee!! We had never been so excited to see complete strangers. We proceeded to talk to them, but from the look of things they acted like were weren't even there, and one of them even starred at us as if we were not suppose to be on the site.

WE decided to pass them and just give a little "howdy", and continued on our paths. We then came along another beautiful scene, but this time we sat on the sand, and observed the horizon. The sun had already set, and it was just the sounds of the birds flapping their wings and the quietness of the lake. We then conversed about how we needed to appreciate the more important things in life, such as our love for each other, rather than the material stuff. Life's too short to stress about the small stuff. In the end, I was glad that my friends sent us to Lake Bryan, for it made us celebrate our love for each other in a deeper way, and it taught me to be grateful in whatever condition I may find myself.

The WASHINGTON MONUMENT

2005-11-28T19:48:00.000-08:00

This situational tour was based on the vicinity of the Washington Monument, which is one of the many tourist attractions at the National Mall in Washington, DC. While experiencing this environment, we kept some keywords in mind that enabled us to capture the best pictures. These include pace, appearance, emotion, architecture, nature/environment, and symbolism. Please view the pictures below and embrace the environment of the Washington Monument.

It's man vs. monument--who will win??

On their jolly way to the monument.

Get out of his way, he's on the run...

The happy dance! They just can't wait to see this monument, excited as can be!

Behind the monument lies a wonderful view of the business environment

"O beautiful for spacious skies...AMERICA"

Hey Mr. Security! Stop looking at the lady and check those guys out in the black...(suspcious)

Those poor innocent old people, what did they do I wonder?

Freedom for all! A beautiful arrangement of US Flags encirles this massive structure.

Hey...you don't only have to feed them, play with them!

Don't go...come back...come back!

"3, 2, 1...BLAST OFF!" Yea right, it remains until the end.

Getting Started...

2005-11-01T20:49:00.000-08:00

This project, which is compiled by myself and Brad Feldman, analyzes the environment of various embassies located on Massachusetts Ave., near American University. We viewed about 4- 5 different embassies, which includes that of Canada, Signapore, and the Dominican Republic. The tour was interesting in that we saw items that one wouldn't expect to see in an environment as such. An example of this is a tie that was "mysteriously" found on the ground. The placement of this loose tie can draw many analogies of the environment and how it was placed there.

Due to the fact that it was raining ALOT, and it was after closing time for the embassies, we didn't gather much information. However, we still agreed that the location of the various embassies and their environment related to the topics of much security, authority, and style. Security was shown by the high gates that surrounded the buildings, the police cars patroling the area, and other signs, such as that of the FBI. There were also signs such as no entry signs, which suggest some form of authority. Stlye was particularly shown in the design and structure of each embassy. Some where beautifully designed and well kept, while others looked abandoned. In addition to these topics, Brad and I also think that there could be some form of ritual, but we probaly will observe that on our return to the site.

Below are some of the pictures that dipict the topics discussed above.

TEXAS A&M Critiques
Lawrence & Stephanie: This group did a good job in relating their choice of topics to the location. However, I would be interested in seeing pictures of the night life there, and maybe we can see how it differs from the day, which doesn't look like a place that students would want to hang out.

Ivan, Stacy & Gabe: It was interesting to see the transformation of this building and the significance that it still holds. I think the phots captured the beautiful architecture of the building. The group's choice of topics relates well to the environment.