“Franklin Residence – “Quietude” – A Mandala – Built in 1999
The Program: To design and build a furnished residence for a single person within a severely limited budget of $28,000 Cdn. complete, that at the same time had the spirit to exalt the human soul.
This was accomplished by analyzing the home functions and distilling these to the essentials in philosophy and fact with sustainable and healthy architecture…
Even with such an extreme budget as this, it is possible to build an environmentally sound home that enhances the Joy, Life and Soul of humans.
A quote from the Architect’s recent book states “We are building sacred places, as distinct from profane places, to add layers of experience and importance to life patterns.…”
The architect is Henry Yorke Mann, in British Columbia, Canada.
I don’t think anyone over 70 reads this blog, so to all of you out there, there’s good and bad news. The good: you aren’t 70 yet. The bad: you will be.
Things got way more difficult physically at seven-oh. Injuries more frequently, and they take longer to heal. Hand/finger coordination more difficult. With shoulder problems I can’t do a pull up, and I used to do 10. Just general difficulty in things that used to be easy. I had real difficulty in climbing over a high cylone fence recently. I get out of a car more slowly; never used to think about it. The indignity of it all!
Plus, I’m bored with “working out.” If ‘d go to a gym regularly, it would solve a lot of problems; I certainly know the drill. But there’s so many other things I’d rather be doing. No more training for running races/b-o-r-i-n-g. What do to do? Hiking, exploring, paddleboarding when this shoulder gets functioning. I want to get “exercise” while exploring/having fun, so I’m in a new world of activities to keep some kind of body/mind balance. Working on it.
I’ve been pretty active all my life, and a lot of the problems are from wear and tear. There’s another approach: at my (60th) high school reunion last month, one of the guys told me he had just rented a city condo, and he could drive his car into the garage and take an elevator that opened in front of his front door. He’d given up.
This guy came into our booth yesterday and I handed him a mini book. He promptly passed it over his shoulder to his kid. I expected the kid to drop it, but no, he started looking at it while working on his pacifier. This is Phoenix Davidson; parents are Michael & Angelica Davidson.
“Hi Lloyd, I read about your attempted trip around Point Reyes and got really inspired to try it myself. My girlfriend and I, plus a couple of friends in Point Reyes Station, are currently making plans and building out our ultralight kits. In our studies we came across this page and thought you might find it interesting: Click here. Thanks for the ongoing inspiration, keep it up! -Sean”
Reida clapped her hands when she saw a copy of Shelter at our booth (at the San Francisco Green Festival) today. “This book changed my life,” she said. She said she bought a used copy in a bookstore in New York when she was 12. Here she is with her friend Eqo.
Early start Saturday morning. I get so excited in the city (Manhattan as well). That’s the old Marwedel Building with its unique glazed tile surface, on Mission St. In the ’40s and ’50s it was where we bought copper and leather and other art/craft items. Further on down Mission, the graffiti is just wonderful. Here are just a few shots (I shot a ton of great art in about 15 minutes). Country yokel bedazzled by urban creativity…Sending this off from Ritual Roasters on Valencia, a place this morning full of kids and their parents/sunlight streaming in, rocking music. Barista heaven. Now over to the Green Festival.
Yesterday morning. This spot under the bridge is one of my go-to places when in the city. The guy in the outrigger was being very cautious. The beach here consists of big boulders, not a place to lose what looks to be an elegant, expensive boat.
