as a child, one OF MY FAVORITE THINGS
WAS TO FOLLOW MY DAD BEHIND THE LAWN MOWER. I'D GATHER THE CLIPPINGS AND CREATE SHAPES IN THE GRASS. I REMEMBER CREATING A RABBIT FOR EASTER. I ALSO SPENT TIME CARVING OUT FORMS IN OUR HUGE SANDBOX...AT LEAST IT SEEMED HUGE AS A KID. MY SISTER AND I WOULD THEN FLOOD OUR CREATIONS TO SEE WHAT WOULD HAPPEN NEXT.
LATER IN LIFE, MY APPRECIATION FOR MAN-MADE SPACES IN THE LANDSCAPE BECAME MORE FOCUSED. I BEGAN TO UNDERSTAND HOW VITAL THESE PLACES ARE TO A COMMUNITY, TO A FAMILY, TO OUR WELL-BEING. I WAS THRILLED TO FIND A PROFESSION THAT WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR CREATING THEM.