The Maple and the Crows

I was a little late capturing the maple's display.

The crows have noticed how generously I've been feeding the squirrels and jays (Scrub and Steller's), and have been cautiously approaching the raw peanut vending machine (me at the kitchen window).  I don't encourage them nor discourage them because I'm not fond of their menacing looks or their habit of summoning their extended family to a vendetta against a real or perceived threat.


I took this from my kitchen window.

Cambodian Baha'i Temple Design

THE DESIGN OF THE LOCAL BAHA'I HOUSE OF WORSHIP IN BATTAMBANG, CAMBODIA

'(D)awn prayers began the event for the unveiling of the design of the first local Baha’i House of Worship for the people of this region of Cambodia, which has in recent years witnessed the emergence of a vibrant community life centered on worship of God and service to humanity. The events of the day involved dignitaries as well as inhabitants of the surrounding communities, numbering over 300 people. Some had walked, while others made their way using various forms of transport to arrive on time for the early morning program'.  link

Meanwhile, the completion and dedication of the last continental Baha'i House of Worship in Santiago, Chile, has been scheduled for the Fall of 2016.

"Offering an atmosphere of peace and tranquillity to visitors, each temple has its own distinctive design. Nevertheless, each has nine entrances and a central dome representing the convergence of peoples from all directions gathering at one common site. The Houses of Worship are silent places in which prayer, meditation and contemplation can occur without rituals, clergy or sermons. For this reason, they welcome people of all creeds, who will find their own holy books at their disposal. The Bahá'í community is solely responsible for the construction and maintenance of the temples". link

Learning To Fly Tom Petty Cover Drum Cam

Looks like fun--especially from 3:13 to 3:23.

Well I started out down a dirty road
Started out all alone
And the sun went down as I crossed the hill
And the town lit up, the world got still

I'm learning to fly
But I ain't got wings
Coming down
Is the hardest thing

Well the good ol' days may not return
And the rocks might melt and the sea may burn

I'm learning to fly
But I ain't got wings
Coming down
Is the hardest thing

Well some say life
Will beat you down
Break your heart, steal your crown
So I've started out for God knows where
I guess I'll know when I get there

I'm learning to fly around the clouds
But what goes up
Must come down, hey

I'm learning to fly
But I ain't got wings
Coming down is the hardest thing

I'm learning to fly
Around the clouds
But what goes up
Must come down

I'm learning to fly
I'm learning to fly 

G.I. Joe Tacoma

G.I. Joe 1970 (lower left)

Coincidentally, I worked today on a seismic review of the old motor pool building at Fort Ord, California.

Oregon's oldest structure..русский?

Evidence indicates the oldest known structure in the State of Oregon was built by Russians around 1800, which would predate the Lewis and Clark expedition.  It is known as the Molalla Log House, and it is situate in the Willamette Valley. 

"Unlike typical pioneer construction where chinking was used to fill in gaps in log cabin walls, these logs were hewn to stack so tightly together that there was no need to fill the spaces between them to keep out the weather". *



Corner detail

RESTORATION

Splitting of the horizontal members is a problem

Tight-fitting replacement pieces.  Superb craftsmanship by Gregg Olson.  Half of the structure was replaced.

The southern most known Russian settlement in California is Fort Ross (крепость Россь ), 80 miles or so North of San Francisco.

A Soviet "Russian America" stamp from 1991.   

*Link

Tug

Tug is looking very handsome today.

Johnnie Taylor WALL TO WALL LIVE Bass play along

Bassline to a classic WCS

Streetview

While drawing a seismic upgrade for a structural engineer, I found a conflict between the original (1950) foundation plan of a San Francisco Bay Area theater and the floor plan provided me by the architect of the remodel.

The architect indicates the pilasters on the back wall occur on the outside face of the wall, while the original drawings indicate them on the inside face.


The original foundation plan..

I used Google Street View to verify from a thousand miles away that the wall was built with the pilasters on the outside face of the building as the architect indicated. Handy tool, that.

La Cabaña

Rough-out of La Cabaña on Dolores 

Mysteriously, I just became aware that the owner of the house and the fashioner of the wrought-iron arch with its name died on the 2nd of November.  Rest in peace, Ron.

Tug takes it easy..

Tug takes it easy...again.

Yes, he was squinting when I took the picture.

Бесплатно Скачать

Бесплатно Скачать:  Two Russian words that make me nervous.

Traffic Cone

Traffic cone

Snowball Viburnum

I planted an Eastern Snowball (Viburnum opulus 'Sterile') in the backyard last summer. After dormancy, it has a very showy spring, and then disappears into the background.  I was happy to see that it will someday hold its own in the garden in the fall, as well.



There's potential in that showy little shrub!

The leaves remind me of poison oak.

Location

In a few years it will fill the space like so..

I'm looking forward to a spring display like this..

It looked like trash to them

Milan artists  Sara Goldschmied and Eleonora Chiari's avant-garde exhibit Where Shall We Go Dancing Tonight? at the Museion in Bolzano, northern Italy,  was meant to represent the hedonism and corruption of the 1980s.

             

The museum cleaning crew, however,  thought that a party had taken place and discarded every bit of the exhibit.  Here's what the exhibition room looked like after the clean-up.

The exhibit has been restored (how hard would that be?), and the artists are loving the publicity. They swear it wasn't a stunt. 

I wonder..

From the movie "The Black Robe" (1991)

Red-Orange Crayon

When I was in the 2nd grade at Garden Hills Elementary School in Atlanta, red-orange was my favorite crayon color.

I found some cool pictures of a 24-count box of crayons as I remember them in 1954.

I can still smell them.

kudos to Jenny

Vine Maple

The Vine Maple in the front yard is getting showy..