Keeping Track

The track at Agnes Scott, in all its pristine glory, with only a couple souls following its course. I am amazed at how many different greens there are in the world. Jami runs and I mostly walk, but sometimes I heave my body with its 50 surplus pounds over part of the oval. It feels good, especially along the shady part.
For seven years I lived in New Mexico where this green leafyness is an alien occurrence (among other alien things). Whenever I see places this lush I enjoy them in a new way. Not that New Mexico doesn't have charm. It's very quiet there at night and you can see all the stars. Even after 100 degree days, the nights are very cool. I remember once in Athens 20 years ago, it was 85 degrees at night. The heat was trapped in the humid air.
Agnes Scott is where Jami and I saw Ross McElwee's Bright Leaves last Fall. McElwee is a documentary film maker who teaches film at MIT. The first film I saw of his was Sherman's March - a film about romance in the South during a time of thermonuclear threat. Bright Leaves is about his family's involvement in the tobacco business. His great grand father was a competitor of the Duke family. I think about this film more now that we're heading into tobacco country (or terbaccky as they say there).
This is our last week together here in Decatur. This Saturday we're driving to South Carolina and then to North Carolina. People will be here to see after the cats and the realtor will show the house. But Jami will stay up at Durham, beginning as Director of Development at Duke Divinity and I'll come back here to begin my chaplain residency at Atlanta Medical Center.