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Tag: Maggie Denena

A Day in Indiana–Indiana Sand Dunes and Indianapolis, IN

Engines Starting in Indianapolis

Ilexus Williams

Moments after touching down in Indiana, the L.E.A.P students did not hesitate to start exploring the city of Indianapolis. To commence our Indianapolis experience, we headed to Indianapolis City Market, which is located in the heart of downtown Indianapolis. Indianapolis City Market was established in 1866, and has served as a shopping center and a place of gathering for the city’s residents.

Indianapolis City Market is filled with approximately 32 different merchant shops.

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, Indianapolis, City Market

Among the shops was an array of food options. The market had options that stemmed from Middle Eastern Cuisine, Mexican food, Barbecue, and any others. Out of all of our options, we decided on “3 Days in Paris.”

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, Indianapolis, City Market, 3 Days in Paris

No, we did not end up spending three days in the city of love, but our palates were in love! This vendor specializes in both sweet and savory crepes. We ordered the Rene, which was filled with blueberries, lemon zest, and honey. To continue our French theme, we ordered Creme Brulee from Circle City Sweets….

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, Indianapolis, City Market

…and some macarons….

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, Indianapolis, City Market

After settling our sweet tooth, we made a quick stop by the Indiana State Soldiers and Sailors Monument, a magnificent sculpture in downtown Indianapolis.  Built in 1901, the sculpture is 284 feet tall and possesses an amazing amount of detail, a product of sculptor Bruno Schmitz’s creativity.

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We also took advantage of the photogenic nature of the place for a couple of photos of us.

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Indiana State Capitol

Maggie Denena

After our lunch-time activities, LEAP Students took a tour of the Indiana State Capitol. One of the first things we noticed as we walked into the Capitol was the stunning stained-glass ceiling art in the rotunda of the Capitol building.

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, Indianapolis, Indiana State Capitol

I was taken aback by the beauty of the glass and it was easily one of my favorite things about the building. Our first stop along the tour was a historical section of the building, where we learned about the history of the state Capitol.

When Indiana first became a state in 1816, the Capital was in Corydon, in the south of Indiana. After a few years, it became clear that the state capital needed to be relocated to a more convenient location for all the state’s residents, and the capital was moved to Indianapolis in 1824. Construction for the new state capitol building began in 1831 and was hastily completed in 1835. By 1867, the structure was failing and becoming decrepit, the ceiling to the House of Representatives collapsed and, after much debate, the structure was torn down in 1877. With a 2-million-dollar budget, construction began on the current state Capitol in 1878 and was completed in 1888. For maybe the first time in history, this government project came in under budget at 1.98 million dollars!

After the quick history lesson, we headed to the Supreme Court Chambers. Another favorite room for me, the Court’s Chambers were designed symbolically: to represent “equal justice under the law,” the room was designed as a cube–equal in height, width, and depth.  Another interesting piece to the room was more beautiful stained-glass windows. Whether or not this was intentional, the floral pattern for the stain glass resembled owls, which could be another symbolism in the wisdom of our justice system.  Interestingly, the Supreme Court Chief Justice is Loretta Rush (whom we briefly passed in the hall), and she is the second female to serve on the Indiana Supreme Court.  For two aspiring attorneys, this was a fun room to visit!

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, Indianapolis, Indiana State Capitol, Ilexus Williams, Maggie Denena, Supreme Court Chambers

Our next stop was the House of Representatives where 100 state representatives come together annually. Brian Bosma is the current Speaker of the House. There are 100 members of this chamber, representing Indiana’s almost 7 million residents and 92 counties.

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, Indianapolis, Indiana State Capitol, House of Representatives

Unlike the Texas House of Representatives, the floor here is divided by party with Republicans on the right side of the dais and Democrats on the left. Because of the heavy majority, the Republican seats spill over to the back half of the left.

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, Indianapolis, Indiana State Capitol, House of Representatives, Ilexus Williams, Maggie Denena

Nearing the end of our tour, the next stop was to the Senate Chambers, where 50 senators gather each year. Republicans have the overwhelming majority with 40 party members. This was a very small chamber and resembled a large corporate board room more than a typical legislative chamber.  The current Lieutenant Governor and President of the Senate is Suzanne Crouch.

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, Indianapolis, Indiana State Capitol, Indiana Senate

Our final destination before the completion of the tour was to Governor Eric Holcomb’s office.

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, Indianapolis, Indiana State Capitol, Governor's Office

He is the successor to Vice President Mike Pence, and he is the tallest man to take the office at 6’ 5”.  Perhaps the most impressive aspect of his office is his beautiful conference desk, which features a  detailed wooden inlay of the state’s counties and the state seal and was made by inmates.

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, Indianapolis, Indiana State Capitol, Governor's Office

A former basketball player, Governor Holcomb has ensured that basketball memorabilia was also included in his office.

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, Indianapolis, Indiana State Capitol, Governor's Office

And on his desk was a quote used by Ronald Reagan in the Oval Office.

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, Indianapolis, Indiana State Capitol, Governor's Office

Overall, the tour of the Indiana State Capitol was very interesting. After working in the “TX Lege” for the 86th Legislative Session, Ilexus and I enjoyed learning about the differences between the Texas and Indiana legislatures.  And, although we may be biased, we both felt that, while the Indiana State Capitol building was beautiful, we still preferred the Texas Capitol, with its towering dome, pink granite, underground extension–and, of course, its location!

Indiana Dunes-Day 1

Ilexus Williams

After exploring the Indiana State Capitol, the LEAP Students embarked on another National park adventure: Indiana Dunes National Park. The Indiana Dunes National Park claims 15 miles of the southern shore of Lake Michigan. The entire park spans 15,000 acres, and it has a total of 51 miles of hiking trails, some of them on wooden stairs–a necessity because of the difficulty of climbing through sand!

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, Indiana Sand Dunes National Park

For Maggie, this was the 11th national park she has traveled to in the span of twelve months! However, for Ilexus, visiting a National park is a completely new experience. But irrespective of backgrounds, everyone was excited to begin the steep climb.

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, Indiana Sand Dunes National Park

The first trail we tackled was the Dune Succession Trail. This trail consisted of an endless amount of stairs and sand.   The Dune Succession trail was filled with many species of bird, wild flowers, and a forest of trees.

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, Indiana Sand Dunes National Park

During this Trail, we were joined by Mark Burns, with whom we have had the pleasure of working for the past 3-4 years.

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, Indiana Sand Dunes National Park, Mark Burns

Before this trip, Burns had photographed every National Park in the US–except for the Indiana Sand Dunes. Now, he is one of only a handful of people to have photographed all 61 National Parks, and, as far as we know, the only person to photograph them all in black and white.

We walked about two miles of the trail, which culminated at “West Beach…” where we photographed each other…

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, Indiana Sand Dunes National Park, West Beach, Ilexus Williams
SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, Indiana Sand Dunes National Park, West Beach, Ilexus Williams
SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, Indiana Sand Dunes National Park, West Beach, Maggie Denena, Mark Burns
SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, Indiana Sand Dunes National Park, West Beach, Maggie Denena

..and posed for Mark Burns!

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, Indiana Sand Dunes National Park, West Beach

Of course, we still had to get back to the car.  But we again took advantage of the scenery to get some photographs…

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, Indiana Sand Dunes National Park, Maggie Denena, Ilexus Williams

…learn from Mark…

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, Indiana Sand Dunes National Park, Mark Burns

…contemplate nature…

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, Indiana Sand Dunes National Park, Maggie Denena

…and generally enjoy ourselves as we wound down our first day in Indiana.

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, Indiana Sand Dunes National Park, Maggie Denena, Ilexus Williams

 

 

Author mikeyawnPosted on June 20, 2019June 24, 2019Format AsideCategories Civic Engagement, TravelTags Ilexus Williams, IN, Indiana Sand Dunes National Park, Indiana State Capitol, Indianapolis, Indianapolis City Market, LEAP Ambassadors, LEAP Center, Maggie Denena, Mark Burns, SHSULeave a comment on A Day in Indiana–Indiana Sand Dunes and Indianapolis, IN

LEAP Promotes “Grand Canyon Photographs” Exhibit

The LEAP Center has been productively working with Mark Burns for three years, and today we continued that partnership by promoting Burns’s “Grand Canyon Photographs: 1919-Celebrating the Centennial-2019” exhibit on KSAM and KHVL.

The exhibit is a partnership between the LEAP Center and the Sam Houston Memorial Museum, and the opening reception will be held in the Museum’s Walker Education Center gallery.

The on-air promotion began on KSAM’s Morning Show with Steve Rixx, and Mike Yawn, Mark Burns, and Maggie Denena shared their perspective on the exhibit.

SHSU, LEAP Center, Center for Law Engagement And Politics, Mark Burns, Photography, Grand Canyon, Maggie Denena, KSAM, KHVL

The promotion continued when Larry Crippen had a chance to ask Mark Burns a few questions about the exhibit.

SHSU, LEAP Center, Center for Law Engagement And Politics, Mark Burns, Photography, Grand Canyon, Maggie Denena, KSAM, KHVL

And it continued with Burns, Yawn, and Denena again sharing perspectives on KHVL with Bryan Reeder.  While Maggie hasn’t been part of the entire three-year project, she has been as active as any other student in the project.  She was hired with funds provided by the EURECA Center (a FAST Grant) and has been able to travel to ten different National Parks, learning about photography and the environment, and exploring a large portion of the United States.

SHSU, LEAP Center, Center for Law Engagement And Politics, Mark Burns, Photography, Grand Canyon, Maggie Denena, KSAM, KHVL

“This project allowed me to visit my first National Park, which was the Grand Canyon.  That was just a year ago, and now I’ve had the chance to visit my first ten National Parks.  It’s been very exciting, I’ve learned a lot, and I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to see Mark’s photograph process, from the scouting, to the set-up, to finding just the right weather conditions.  It’s rare to find a fun and educational project, but this has definitely been just such a project.”

SHSU, LEAP Center, Center for Law Engagement And Politics, Mark Burns, Photography, Grand Canyon, Maggie Denena, KSAM, KHVL

The “Grand Canyon Photographs” exhibit opened on Tuesday, June 11, but the opening reception is tonight at the Walker Education Center from 5:30-7:00pm, with remarks at 6:00pm.

Author mikeyawnPosted on June 13, 2019Format AsideCategories Art, Civic Engagement, Politics, TravelTags Center for Law Engagement And Politics, Grand Canyon, KHVL, KSAM, LEAP Center, Maggie Denena, Mark Burns, Photography, Sam Houston Memorial Museum, SHSU, Walker Education CenterLeave a comment on LEAP Promotes “Grand Canyon Photographs” Exhibit

Exploring the Grand Canyon: South Rim Version

Grand Canyon At Sunrise, by Dillon Glass

A few of the LEAP students started the day off by waking up at 3 a.m. in order to make it to the Grand Canyon’s Moran Point for a spectacular sunrise.  While our Professor and Ryan Brim had been to the Grand Canyon several times, neither had been at sunrise, and I have never been to the Canyon at all.  So this was a much anticipated event!

We arrived to the Canyon Rim around 4:30, about 30 minutes ahead of the sunrise.

SHSU, LEAP Center, Grand Canyon, Moran Point

Photographer Mark Burns was also there to work on a Grand Canyon exhibition he has set for next year (his exhibit will be at the Bush Presidential Library, the Pearl Fincher Museum, and Sam Houston State University) and, in addition to capturing the sunrise by camera, we also captured some shots of Mark photographing the canyon landscape.

SHSU, LEAP Center, Grand Canyon, Moran Point, Mark Burns

As I mentioned, I had never seen the Grand Canyon and there could not have been a better first impression than seeing the stars fade and the hue of colors rise with the sun, revealing the vast canyon below.

SHSU, LEAP Center, Grand Canyon, Moran Point

The sun began to light up the red rock into a remarkable view that no words, photos or videos can do justice. But that didn’t stop us from trying to capture this marvelous natural beauty.

SHSU, LEAP Center, Grand Canyon, Moran Point

Exploring the Grand Canyon

The highlight of the day was the 25-mile tour of the Canyon Rim.  Because of the boys’ early morning, we planned for a late start, giving Ryan and Dillon a chance to catch up on some sleep.

A little after noon, we headed into the Grand Canyon, where Anne and Maggie would see this most famous of landmarks for the first time.  We strolled the rim trail around the Visitor Center, capturing images along the way…

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We also had lunch at the wonderful El Tovar Lodge…

SHSU, LEAP Center, Grand Canyon, El Tovar

…which is not only beautiful…

SHSU, LEAP Center, Grand Canyon, El Tovar

…but also has great food.

One of the more interesting destinations was the historic Kolb Brothers’s studio.

SHSU, LEAP Center, Grand Canyon, Kolb Brothers

The Kolb Studio is a Museum dedicated to early efforts to photograph the Grand Canyon.  Visitors can learn about the Kolb Brothers’ equipment…

SHSU, LEAP Center, Grand Canyon, Kolb Brothers

…adventures with early public figures (such as Teddy Roosevelt),  their daredevil attempts to photograph….

Image result for kolb brothers grand canyon

…and even film the Grand Canyon…

SHSU, LEAP Center, Grand Canyon, Kolb Brothers

This museum is free, very interesting, and is in easy access of lunch and one of the two South Rim trails that allows access to the interior of the Canyon.

SHSU, LEAP Center, Grand Canyon, Kolb Brothers

We progressed a short way down the Bright Angel trail, far enough to get to the first tunnel….

SHSU, LEAP Center, Grand Canyon

…before turning around to get to the rest of the Canyon.

The views didn’t stop, and we enjoyed them all, even the ones with far too many people…

SHSU, LEAP Center, Grand Canyon

…but our favorites were the ones where we had the chance to go off the main trail a bit and explore.

SHSU, LEAP Center, Grand Canyon, Rim Trail

There were a surprising number of such opportunities…

SHSU, LEAP Center, Grand Canyon, Rim Trail

…and we did our best to make the most of them…

SHSU, LEAP Center, Grand Canyon, Rim Trail

…even hamming it up when appropriate…

SHSU, LEAP Center, Grand Canyon, Rim Trail

This is what we do to terrify our parents and SHSU administrators.

The entire rim is 25 miles, with additional miles available by reservations and National Park Service transportation.  There are six developed viewpoints, with another five less formal vistas.  We visited almost all of them, traveling approximately 23 of Rim’s miles, leaving only the Desert Watchtower for tomorrow.

Our favorite two stops were the Grand Canyon Village (which is where we began, visiting El Tovar and Kolb Brothers Studio) and Moran Point.  The latter is named for the painter Thomas Moran, and it is clear why he spent time there painting.  The vista was incredible, while also offering some nice trails allowing you to venture a bit below the canyon rim.

SHSU, LEAP Center, Grand Canyon, Rim Trail

Following our long day along the rim, we drove back to the hotel, before heading out for our evening excursion.  Along the way, we enjoyed seeing many elk, including a buck of impressive proportions…

SHSU, LEAP Center, Grand Canyon, Elk

It was a satisfying way to end our first (but not last) Grand Canyon tour.

Grand Canyon at Evening, by Ryan Brim

Around 7:15, we left our hotel to drive to the Grandview Point just in time for the sunset. The canyon was filled with the ambient light from the last rays of the sun, which really showed off the true colors of the canyon.

SHSU, LEAP Center, Grand Canyon, Moran Point

Soon, the light faded as the sun dipped further below the horizon, leaving us to stare wistfully at the still-beautiful canyon bathed in bluish-red light…

SHSU, LEAP Center, Grand Canyon, Moran Point

…and wishing the sun would set a bit slower…

SHSU, Grand Canyon, LEAP Center, Moran Point, Sunset

But we didn’t have long to wait before our next Grand Canyon adventure.  Mark Burns, who joined us on this evening tour, told us that the International Space Station would be making an appearance, so we got out our cameras and tried to capture the fast-moving man-made machine before it disappeared behind a line of trees.

SHSU, LEAP Center, Grand Canyon, Moran Point, International Space Station

The Station’s distance, rapid speed, the dark sky, and our own photographic limitations made it difficult to catch on film, but the photo above indicates the distance across the sky that the Station traveled during a 20 second exposure.  It was an unexpected highlight of the trip.

The whole event only lasted about a minute and a half, but the dust in the atmosphere made the ISS look like a red star moving across the darkening sky.

This was a good introduction to night photography at the Grand Canyon, a subject we continued to explore over the next hour. The Grand Canyon isn’t an official Dark Sky Community, but it is dark, and we were able to experiment (mostly unsuccessfully) with photographs of several constellations as well as the Milky Way galaxy. This was the first time for most of the LEAP students to see this massive cluster of stars in the night sky.

SHSU, LEAP Center, Grand Canyon, Moran Point

After about an hour out shooting the stars, we packed up all our camera gear and headed back to the hotel so that we could rest up before our trip to the North Rim the next morning.

 

Author mikeyawnPosted on July 10, 2018July 11, 2018Format AsideCategories Art, Civic Engagement, Politics, TravelTags Anne Jamarik, Grand Canyon, International Space Station, ISS, LEAP Center, Maggie Denena, Mark Burns, Moran Point, Ryan Brim, SHSULeave a comment on Exploring the Grand Canyon: South Rim Version

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