Visiting the old homestead...

...well, sort of.

Henry got to attend his 50th Rice reunion last month (I didn't get mine due to *&#%&# covid!) and we had a pleasant day visiting the ol' stomping grounds. Although (as I've told you before) the campus as it exists today is barely recognizable as where got our B.A.'s in the early '70's. The super-cool fine arts building you see above is but one of the snazzy new buildings that have gone up in the last few years.

After a nice party for the class of '72, we opted to take a stroll at dusk around the west end of the campus; it was just parking lot and fields when we were in school there. But now there's all kinds of buildings, as well as this wonderful installation:

When we were here before (it's featured at the end of this post, which describes our visit to the campus in its centennial year), it was just called the Skyspace. But now it has a different, longer name.  However, it is just as impressive and we spent a good bit of the magic hour here. The Medical Center skyline even color coordinated itself with the pink part of the pavilion's cycle:

Here's a couple of shots highlighting the structures changing color, as well as it's "skylight" hole in the roof...

that's the Shepherd School of Music in the background,
another post-Henry-and-Kathy addition

...and another view as we departed...

Not far from the pavilion is the home of the Baker Institute, a relative old-timer (1993) at this end of campus. It has a very nice fountain:

Of course, most of the buildings we knew intimately are still there, although occasionally refurbished and added-on-to. One landmark for Henry that doesn't look different (at least from the outside), is the old Hanszen tower, site of many undergrad hijinks:

And another site we were happy to see as unchanged, the Rice Chapel, where Gramma and Grampa got hitched, not quite 50 years ago:

to see what it looked like during our nuptials,
check out this 2011 post, at the end

Of course, there was also a football game this reunion day, although the less said about that the better. However, the Rice MOB entertained as always, especially with alums participating:

I'll close with another piece of campus art. I think you'll agree that, even if you're not an alum, this campus is a spot worth a visit if you're looking for something new to do in Houston.