Architecture rises above abstractions. In case you have been seduced into thinking that our obligations to clients end when we hand over the keys to a project, or that all architecture inhabits a theoretical netherworld, think again. A building can engage an architect for a lifetime.

I was reminded in a most personal way last week, when a trip to my hometown took an unexpected turn. Stopping off to visit an old client and friend on a brilliant spring day, we revisited his home on a hilltop, out near the Natchez Trace Parkway. Prior to becoming the editor of this publication, my architectural firm had designed his family’s house. Little did I realize that visiting the lawyer and his wife again would be like entering a time warp, or that it would teach me in an unforeseen way.