Hoot, Hoot!

Hoot, Hoot! Original embroidery by Allison M. Clark. November 2018. Cotton thread on striped linen fabric in 3-inch wooden hoop. 

Growing up, I adored all things Harry Potter: the potions and spells for every imaginable purpose, the enchanting settings, the constant search for helpful books in the library (hard relate!), and, of course, the animals who kept young witches and wizards company throughout the series. When I became an owl myself as an undergrad at Rice University, you can bet I was down for the influx of owl- and Hermione Granger-themed gifts!

With Covid-19 and quarantine still going strong, I've been reminiscing on the last times I visited my family in Texas, which reminded me of this cute lil' owl hoop! When I traveled back to Houston for Thanksgiving in 2018, my family celebrated being together with one of my favorite college traditions: cheering on the Rice football team from the bleachers in the nosebleed section! Was it cold? Kind of. Did we walk down memory lane with a mini tour of the campus? You bet. Did we win? Heck yes. Was it as fun as when I was enrolled? Even more so – there’s something pretty liberating about not having to study for finals during the November break!

Fun fact: Colin and I met during our time at Rice together! Here’s photographic proof that we graduated together as best friends, soon to be engaged in less than seven months (*aww*).

Bonus fun fact: The beautiful building behind us is Lovett Hall (*cough,* which is not the same thing as Lovett College, where we lived as freshman!). That archway in the middle of the building is the Sallyport, which you walk through to enter the academic quad as a freshman during the closing ceremony of orientation week. You're not supposed to walk through it again until you graduate, or else you risk never graduating. It's one of those mildly bemusing archaic traditions that's covered in Rice Magazine. I honestly can't remember if I ever broke that superstition or not. When you graduate, you exit the academic quad through the Sallyport (yes, the grad ceremony is held outside, in May, in the Texas heat, without shade). Full circle!