Bridges are like catenary curves

One of the girls that's been coming for some geometry tutoring has taken to bringing me jigsaw puzzles. This latest one is unique; it's supposed to be tall and long, vertical rather than the classic rectangular. (Notice I'm using geometry terms to stay in character). Anyway, here is our Sister Rita P. sitting next to the pieces as she is helping sort them into edges, colors, etc. which, as any jigsaw puzzle doer knows, is the first step. By the way, it's a lovely spring scene, complete with all the flowers, hummingbirds, cardinals and any other birds and bees that you'd see this time of year.

Our fourth and final group of collegians arrived this week--four gals from the University of Dayton, my own sister's alma mater. The school is in central Ohio and was founded by the Marianists Priests and Brothers, who still have a couple houses of men on the campus and are active in the school. Their advisor is one of our oblates and this is the first time (since she just began a new job there) that a group from Dayton has come to us. We are very happy to have them. Here Hailey, Kara, Katie and Michele are posing with Kelly our oblate, on the bridge over Seven-Mile Creek during our see-the-grounds tour Sunday. On this sunny spring day it was a far cry from our let's-go-to-the-lake-and-see-the-ice-dunes that the tours in March brought!

Notice yet another geometry reference in the title? A little too much, I know--but you just might enjoy this: catenary curves.