Alt. Build Blog: An Exploration of Alternative Building Techniques and Design Ideas

June 14, 2011 at 2:27 am

“This artistic and colorful fence is in the arts district in Silver City, New Mexico. Part of the fence appears to be from an old stamped metal ceiling.…”

This is a great blog. I love the stuff shown in this series of posts: https://altbuildblog.blogspot.com/2011/05/more-on-fences.html#more

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Jamie Rivers wins 101st annual Dipsea Race

June 13, 2011 at 5:57 pm

That’s Jamie Rivers, who won her second Dipsea race yesterday. On the right is Jerry Hauke, who was for many years, the race director. Jamie’s club, the Pelican Inn Track Club, won the team trophy — breaking a 34-year streak for the Tamalpa Runners club.

The Dipsea is the oldest cross-country race in America. Details here.

It was with a certain amount of sadness that I watched the race yesterday. I’ve been running it for about 20 years, and last year was my last. As I explained to my friends, I want to able to walk when I’m 95. After having both knees operated on, I’ve recovered well, but more years of too-fast downhill running (to make up for slow uphills) promised continued loss of knee cartilage. I don’t want artificial knees. I want to be able to walk as long as I live.

I got up as usual at 6, had tea, and drove over the hill to Mill Valley. I didn’t jump in the cold creek under the waterfall, my former pre-race ritual — tuning into the mountain spirits. I didn’t have the butterflies-in-stomach pre-race jitters, or have to endure the pain of anaerobic distress, or worry about which shortcuts to take — but gosh darnit, I missed it. As everyone milled around at Stinson Beach after the race, I missed the burning in the quads, the muscle soreness, the feeling of accomplishment of being part of a great tradition.

Ah well, onwards and outwards. And congratulations to the red hot runners of the Pelican Inn Track Club.

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Blue heron visits our pond

June 10, 2011 at 4:09 pm

This guy visits every once in a while, usually to search for fish in our pond. He sometimes perches on the roof of the tower, then swoops down to the pond. He’s very wary. I shot this yesterday from our living room.

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Japanese magazine Huge visits Shelter

June 9, 2011 at 2:21 pm

About a month ago, three people from Huge magazine in Japan came to visit. They were doing an issue called “Bolt for Freedom,” and spent a few hours here wandering around, having tea, and looking at our home and office setup. It was a delightful visit; they really liked what we were doing. They appreciated our work and life from a different perspective. The photographer had a place in the country and was fascinated with handsplit shakes, so I got them from out of my shop and showed him how it was done.

Below is the 2-page collage they ended up doing:

“Huge Magazine is a Japanese fashion magazine designed for men. The magazine, featuring a wide array of different styles of street fashion is well known in Japan for its coverage of the varying styles that permeate street culture, as well as the overlay of European style in the Japanese fashion industry. Combining the various aspects of an eclectic sense of style, the magazine speaks to an increasingly wide audience.

Huge magazine was launched by Kodansha in 2004 as an alternative for men in their twenties in Japan to the many fashion magazines that were currently on the market. The publication releases monthly and has enjoyed a slowly growing readership, currently holding a circulation of about 75,000. The goal of Huge is to provide a mixture of street wear and high fashion for a collage view of the modern Japanese male’s fashion options.

What makes Huge magazine different than many other men’s fashion magazines is that it focuses intently on all aspects of culture and how fashion integrates into those aspects. While features will often be on the newest lines from popular designers and shopping guides for popular Tokyo districts, most issues will alternately feature stories on popular artists, musicians, and cultural influences that may be of interest to young males.”

https://www.virtualjapan.com/wiki/Huge_Magazine

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Sheep mowing grass

June 7, 2011 at 2:16 pm

Sheep on a Northern California hillside. A good move in what’s going to be a high fire-danger year due to all the rainfall. (Collage of 12 photos.)

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Graphic Guide to Frame Construction by Rob Thallon

June 6, 2011 at 3:35 pm

Rob Thallon was a contributor to our book Shelter II in 1978, and has gone on to produce this great guide to wood frame construction. It’s got 100s of clear drawings, from foundations to roofs. Another book on the subject which has received good reviews is Ultimate Guide to House Framing: Plan, Design, Build, by John D. Wagner.

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Simple little homemade table

June 4, 2011 at 12:43 pm

 I made this little table with used 2×2’s for legs, and cedar fencing from Home Depot for the top. Put together with grabbers. I keep it in the room where we have the TV and it’s easy to move around. The cedar smells wonderful. Quick and easy.

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