At first glance, Lincoln seems to be a mundane city without much to offer. For half of the time I lived here, I thought the same. Then I took a second glance and found a lot of beauty in such a small place.

Lincoln is a medium-sized town full of huge trees. In the summer the thunderstorms come blowing in and cool the air. In winter, the swaying branches of bare trees reach toward the sky. And in fall the air itself glows with the colors of the leaves. In spring, everything comes back with a vigor and long lines of birds pass overhead, landing here and there.

70°F. Rain in the morning to cool the day off. Skinny dip in the swimming hole at the Dittman’s. Head into town for some ice cream in the Haymarket. Watch the sunset on a rooftop with some friends.

No one would think Lincoln is cool, but that’s because they are looking at it completely wrong.

Extremely hot summers, extremely cold winters.

How friendly everyone is.

A land where the rolling fields meet the sea, and there are no paved roads, only footpaths, and everyone knows their neighbor and has enough time.

Mike Brodie, Pat Tsai, Pat Perry