Stewart Brand just sent this out to a bunch of us who worked on the Whole Earth Catalog:
“Dear all…
The Museum of Modern Art Library has an exhibit titled “Access to Tools: Publications from the Whole Earth Catalog” open till July 26. It was curated by David Senior and may be seen on the mezzanine of the Bartos Educational Wing next to the main Museum on 53rd Street.
The online version is here:
https://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/2011/AccesstoTools/
John Brockman shot a short video of the exhibit, here:
https://blip.tv/file/5066753
Congratulations on making the Catalog a work of modern art.
–Stewart”
There are about 4 waterfalls on the stretch of beach I’ve been walking on these days. The rain was just stopping Sunday when I got started, and water was heading out to sea via every arroyo and crevice. Wind came up, sun came out, the ocean was choppy but with a nice swell.
Negative ionized, energy-generating air…
Here was an engine block, had to be off a ship because there’s no way a car could get within miles of the cliffs. Ocean life creeping over it, looks like fossilized ghost.
About a 3½ hour roundtrip. I got to a rocky point, took off my backpack and just looked out at the reef and waves. I felt an overwhelming sense of love for the ocean, Jesus, it’s so beautiful and rich and wonderful, an everyday miracle in our lives. And it’s just there.
Today it’s a Spring sunny morning, mmm-mmm! To boot, Willie “Big Eyes” Smith is singing Muddy Waters’ song, “World Is In An Uproar.” Ain’t it?
From New York Times:
“WHAT: A three-bedroom, one-bath Craftsman-style house on just under two acres
HOW MUCH: $169,000
SIZE: About 1,300 square feet
PER SQUARE FOOT: $130
SETTING: The house is in a neighborhood called Roebuck Springs, which is about 10 minutes northeast of downtown Birmingham. A planned suburb developed in the early 1900s, the neighborhood has curved roads that, for the most part, do not have sidewalks. Grocery stores and other shops are nearby, and bars and restaurants can be found in the southern section of downtown Birmingham, in the area known as Southside.
INSIDE: The house was built in 1929 and renovated over the past 10 years. The interior woodwork — including floors and molding — is original and has been refinished. The living room has a fireplace, built-in bookcases and picture molding. Its French doors lead to the dining room, which has another fireplace, and sconces and a chandelier purchased at an architectural salvage shop. A wall in the kitchen was removed to incorporate what was once a back porch. There is a built-in hutch, and the red marble countertops were recycled from a nearby high school. One of the three bedrooms has a window seat and a fireplace; another is used as an office.
OUTDOOR SPACE: The house is set on almost two acres, about one-third yard and the rest wooded.
TAXES: $587.31 annually”
Photo by Meg McKinney
This tree was a landmark for years in the valley we drive through to get to Petaluma. I shot this photo maybe 15 years ago and we used it for our logo. It was on the banks of a creek, which was probably too wet a location for it, and a few years ago it died. Here it is in its glory days, studly at the left.
This is a magnificent nursery in the San Francisco Bay Area.
“We are a family-owned retail nursery located directly across the San Francisco Bay from the Golden Gate occupying most of a city block on the north side of Berkeley. We have been blessed with a temperate climate; one where extreme hot or cold is a rarity. Our primary endeavors are to offer quality plants of all types to the general public, to collect and disseminate information on anything garden-related, and to provide a pleasant atmosphere in which to browse an array of horticultural products & accessories. We can provide local delivery, but we are not set up for mail-order purchases. Stop by for a visit!”
1310 McGee Avenue
Berkeley, California 94703
510-526-4704
Godfrey Stephens, the Northwest Coast artist and carver featured in Builders of the Pacific Coast, just sent me a bunch of pictures of his sculpture “Three Graces.” Also, pix of two adzes.
The great First Nations carvers had tools that were art objects in themselves, each one meticulously crafted, things (tools) of beauty.
This is really the bible of tiny houses, written by Lester Walker almost 25 years ago. We did 2 pages on it in our book Home Work: Simple Shelter in 2004. As I work on our new book on tiny homes I realize again what a great book this is. Here is what appeared in Home Work. You can click on the pdf’s to get clear images of the entire two pages.
“The six little house plans shown here are from Tiny, Tiny Houses by Lester Walker. Lester is a rarity — an architect who not only has designed these little houses, but has drawn clear and useful plans that he shares with others.”
https://www.shelterpub.com/_home_work/_walker/walker.html
Last night we had fried oysters. I drained the juice into a glass and added a little cocktail sauce, some Worcester sauce, shot of Tabasco, a little lemon, it was startlingly good, elixir of the sea…I made some pasta with squid ink, olive oil, garlic, nice flavor…The night before we had abalone. We’re eating more local food than ever…
Cold winter, we burned more than the usual oak firewood. We just started burning pieces of a hawthorn/rose-type treelet I’d cut down a few years ago. It’s very dense, and burns like coal. Long-lasting bright embers. Was thinking how we’re keeping warm with wood we planted, harvested. A renewable resource, no transport needed…
Went paddleboarding yesterday afternoon, overcast day with drizzle, water like glass. I paddled into some long channels against the outgoing tide and when coming back, I was flying, paddling hard and the tide doubling my speed. There was a wake off the nose of the board. Below is my 12′ Joe Bark racing paddleboard on the town dock, before I took off.
Here’s the Golden Gate bridge, coming into San Francisco at 6:30 this morning:
