The Tour:

   Dad and I made it to Maine late last night. The flights were messed up because of the blizzard in all of Maine yesterday. I am so glad we got here, though, because today was a very good day. I got to tour The Landing School.

   We left Portland this morning and ate lunch when we arrived in Kennebunkport. After lunch, we went to the Landing School for the tour. It exceeded my expectations. Everything they said and showed me was great. The facilities are new and continually improving. I walked through each of the four "programs" (Yacht Design, Marine Systems, Wooden Boat Building, and Composite Boat Building). The Yacht Design classroom looked like home for me. Each student has their own workspace just like what I am used to in the Armory at Iowa State. I had a chance to talk to the professor and he seemed like a great guy. He knows what Industrial Design is and says that that is a great background for me to bring to the program. That was good to hear. I looked at some of the student's work and it all looks like exactly what I was expecting. After today, I am so much more excited to join this school in the fall. Because it is a one-year program, the students I met today will not be there next year. They all graduate in June. 

   I was added to the school's Facebook group. This is a way for me to meet the new students who will be joining me in the fall. That is convenient. We were also given a long list of housing options. The School does not provide housing, so Dad and I plan on using a chunk of tomorrow to look at potential places to live. 

   Tonight we went out to eat at Pier 77. It is a restaurant on the water. Dad liked looking at all the fishing and lobster boats in the bay. I can tell he is happy. He misses this place and I like watching him and listening to how excited he gets about simple things like lobster traps and buoys. It makes me happy, too. 

   I plan on going back to The School tomorrow morning to listen to a lecture in the Yacht Design classroom. It'll be nice to hear what they are currently learning about. After the lecture and apartment hunting, Dad and I plan on driving back up to Portland (about 25 miles) and staying there tomorrow night.

P.S. The bed in our room is huge. I think this picture of dad next to the bed is funny.