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2010-09-28 16:58:07.000 – Kristin Raisanen,  Summit Museum Attendant

Oh windows!! How I have missed you!!

During my last few weeks in the summit museum and shop, I have realized a couple things, the most important being the realization that I love windows. Such a simple thing, I know, but they are now very important to me.

Here on the summit, there are some days when you don’t get to go outside for an extended period of time. Sometimes the weather isn’t great, or you are simply too busy and only get to go outside for observations. I don’t mind not going outside. I enjoy the outdoors, but I’m ok not going outside. A lack of windows however is a whole different story. There are no windows in the museum. The closest I come to windows are the emergency exit and the handy observatory webcams. However, neither is even close to replacing windows. As an intern you are in the weather room, with the lovely picture windows over looking the Northern Presidentials on a good day or the fog on a typical day. Either way, the windows let you look out, let the light in, and open up to the world beyond.

During my college years, my classmates and I would joke about windows as well. The main meteorology classroom was on the 5th floor of our building. Great views and lots of weather observing to be done, right?? Wrong! It was an internal classroom, and therefore had four walls and no windows. I guess it was better for learning; at least we weren’t checking out the clouds and were paying attention. But after class we would quickly adjourn to the computer lab one floor up with lots and lots of windows.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I love being up here and working in the museum. I love meeting the mountain’s visitors and talking to them about the observatory, the mountain and the weather. And if my biggest problem is that I miss windows, well then, I must be doing ok, but you think about it the next time you are in a room without any windows. Think about spending a couple days working in that room, and I’m sure you would find a new appreciation for windows, too.

Kristin Raisanen,  Summit Museum Attendant