Teardrop Trailer

November 16, 2008 at 10:11 pm

Here’s a cool little trailer that was in the parking lot for exhibitors this morning.

I just went online and found plans for making one of these at https://www.desertteardrops.com/

A little web research yielded that these have been around for well over half a century and::

Teardrops get their name from their aerodynamic shape, intended to make them easier to tow, although not all of them are teardrop-shaped. One trait they have in common, however, is their size: generally they are no more than 12 feet long and no wider or taller than 6 feet. Inside, there is room for a 54-inch by 78-inch mattress, just about right for two adults. Most teardrops have two side doors and a rear hatch that opens to reveal a camp kitchen or pantry. From: the New York Times

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Green Festival 2008 San Francisco

November 16, 2008 at 9:29 pm

It’s been a warm weekend. Huge crowds here at the festival. We’re selling a lot of books. We’ve given out over 700 copies of our new catalog of books and so far about 120 copies of our new 4-color poster of Builders of the Pacific Coast.

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New Lightweight Wind Turbine Can Be Hooked to Grid

November 15, 2008 at 8:58 pm

I ran across this lightweight electricity-generating wind turbine at the Green Festival in San Francisco today.

Company specs:

Size:Blade/Ring Diameter: 7 feet/ Minimum clearance from roofline: 2 feet

Rated power output: 1.5kW @ 14 m/s / Annual Power Supplied: up to 2000 kWh

Electric power: 240VAC, 60Hz output voltage / can feed into grid

Noise: less than 35 decibels for all wind speeds

More info at: https://www.swiftwindturbine.com

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On the Streets in San Francisco

November 14, 2008 at 10:11 pm

I haven’t lived in a city since age 17, but I grew up in San Francisco and love the urban rush when I come in. I find LOTS of interesting things going on. Bombarded with stimulation. Here are a few pics from this morning. (Lew and I are in the city for 3 days selling books at the Green Festival.)

Kalissa and her mom Katina dressed in American colors celebrating you-know-what. I said to her I finally feel good about being an American again.

Wire motorcycle model at a very cool cafe, MotoJava, on 9th & Bryant

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"Waldspirale" ("Forest Spiral") Apartment House in Darmstadt by Hundertwasser

November 11, 2008 at 12:40 am

Viennese artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser has designed what has become one of the more unique and visually stimulating buildings in the world. Built betwwen 1998 and 2000, it has over 1000 unique windows, individualized handles on windows and doors, a living roof, café, parking garage, restaurant, bar, playground, and a running stream, the Waldspirale in Darmstadt, Germany is an architectural wonder. More here.

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Bread, Rain, and Fire

November 9, 2008 at 6:25 pm

Last night just after it got dark, Lesley pulled 3 loaves of fresh-baked bread out of the oven and the aroma filled the kitchen.

It was a cold night and a fire was blazing. Some drops of unexpected rain started to fall, we could hear them on the fiberglas skylight. I’ve come to cherish rain lately, partly due to mushroom hunting, but also due to recent dry years. I stepped outside and looked up, letting the rain hit my face. Why not let it hit me all over? I ran inside, ripped my clothes off, and stepped out into the storm. I turned my face up and extended arms out with palms up. Rain pouring, wind howling, total skin surface wet, yes! After a minute or so I stepped back in, grabbed a towel and stood by the fire. My circulation was racing, skin tingling, mojo working. How simple it can be: interaction with nature, tuning in to what’s there at the moment, and falling in with it.

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Art in Berkeley/Old House in San Francisco

November 9, 2008 at 5:31 pm

These are two of the paintings on the wall of the Fertile Grounds Cafe on Shattuck Ave. in Berkeley. They are by artist Tom Clarke, in an exhibit titled Games People Play.

The artist writes:

Animation

The ball is inanimate.

The players animate the ball.

The players are inanimate.

They animate themselves.

At moments of contact they animate each other.

The ball hangs before or between them in suspended animation,

its movement both product and cause of their movements,

defining the space in which they move.

***

Earlier that day I discovered this intricately decorated old house half hidden by bouganvillea in an industrial neighborhood in San Francisco:

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