Pie Chart

I am having a whale sized week of events and work.   I just needed to organize my thinking and I came across this TED lecture that I found fascinating and very useful.

David McCandless on The Beauty of Data Visualization.

A journalist and writer begins looking at patterns and is becoming a designer of Information patterns,

Compressing information into visual patterns; visual patterns being the language of the eye.

“Design is about Solving Problems”

Color makes a difference to our understanding, it interprets for our eye and intake filters.

One can take the glut of information amassed and piece it together to get the real information and the real data that is relevant to understanding and learning.

McCandless’ graphs and charts already completed are truly vital to understanding what our designs are teaching, sharing, and saying as we remodel and create new structures in our environments.

Hope you will enjoy this video.

Bamboo

I have completed six trips to the airport in the last few weeks.  With all the construction on the Interstate I never knew if it would take the usual hour or more and that was tough to judge.  I started loading up my car with CDs and lectures and trying different radio stations.

One trip took 3 hours to get back home!

One midnight run I tuned into a rerun of LIVING ON EARTH on NPR radio.  I heard 4 fascinating stories and one about  the  Bamboo Bicycle Studio I just wanted to share with you.

They have a blog.

San Francisco Studio of Bamboo Bikes

Two fellows in Brooklyn, New York started a bicycle company to design and build a cheaper, better bicycle for the folks of Ghana.  One that would be affordable to everyone and one that could manage the bumpy terrain.

They figured out how to make a very great bicycle out of bamboo.  It is about half the cost of a metal or steel made bicycle from China and of course bamboo is nearly in everyone’s back yard.

They offered workshops in Brooklyn and recently added a workshop in San Francisco and anyone can sign up and build their own bicycle.  Since the first airing of the story they now have a factory in Ghana and folks there are building their own bikes.

The bike is very light weight and sturdy.

I liked that this group survived and are still flourishing.  The whole concept made me feel good, and I liked how this became a Global endeavor.

I am sure there must be some drawbacks, but mostly after checking them out on line – it feels very win-win.

What do you think?  Could you design an environmental friendly bike?  Would you ride it?  Would love to know your thoughts about this project.  Have you heard about this before?

Thank you for coming by and reading. You are appreciated.

My Dream Bike is still in shop for repair at least I have another to  ride!

Wilsonia_pusilla

I came home from work early the other evening because my daughter and her friend were here for dinner.

It was just so great to have company and such good hearty food from the garden to enjoy.

The evening was lightening up my spirits and relaxing the tension from my shoulders.

When sudden out the window a flash of yellow darted into the Gravenstein apple tree, then another and I think I saw 4 altogether. We all got out of our chairs and our guest knew the name of the birds and identified them as Wilson Warblers – possibly on their way to winter in Mexico.

Then the sun broke through after a couple of gray misty days.

The colors were dazzling and there below the branches of their dance were a pair of Chickadees enjoying the treats in the sweat peas.

Chickadee

I felt grounded and as though the world was going to turn around just right – I had a sense of joy that has been missing from my life for quite awhile…Nature in her wisdom had brought me home.

Song: audio

Chickadee: audio

Does nature offer up joy for you? Do you take the time to enjoy? Are you so busy these days that these moments pass you by?

Just thought I would share a bit of the joy that just came to me- deep breath, sigh, and enjoy!

I have always worked on making my designs and projects as compatible with the surrounding area as possible and I am constantly learning new ways to keep the structure sustainable and Green.  It is my job and my value to keep growing my understanding so that I can assist in planning the future and the buildings that every living thing will need.

Climate change laws were submitted to Congress and our Legislature – they were good starts to addressing the problems and concerns of the environment.   From my assessment, they were good starts to the Architecture 2030 program and they were “baby steps” towards what the citizens want to have happen.

There were some incentives to help homeowners and small businesses get a grip.

But I think the Greed factor of big corporation and industries are still driving the resistance parade.  There were not enough votes and so they were shelved.

I know that our congressional and legislative representatives have a very short times to learn and understand the words of the experts and the folks on the ground, and I am not alone, Frog Blog is responding to this in frustration, in feeling that these divided and shouting lawmakers are still not being responsible to what the earth and most citizens are understanding.

Climate change is greatly on my mind as I prepare to vote in our primary election.  I want to be a voice for our future.   How about you?

Wanted to share this TED lecture with you about the oil spill – I think it is good information to share:

Inspiration

I have been working on project interviews lately and highly focused for many hours at a time.  I have found that I am enjoying reading some of the posts by bloggers from other fields of endeavor and I thought I would share with you some of the inspiring ideas I have discovered….

7 Dazzling Ways to Ignite Your Creative Spark

Here is a post on Delightful Work about how your childhood focus can assist in your choices now. Listening to your life work.

Tess on the Bold Life  gave me 40 quotes on boldness that empowered me.

On smiling just because you can The Levity Project

Career Planning Coach Karen Swim writes about Thinking Small to go Big

Lessons learned from Dr. K  on Interpersonal Skills and the Art of Persuasion

Or from London how about 5 Grown up Beers to Drink.  I do not drink beer but the article was fun to visit and explore.

Hope this list gives you some energy and inspiration?  Have you discovered any fun post to enjoy lately?  Inspiring? Change the pace and spiritlifting?

Old Refrigerator

This is not about the bicycle part of my adventures;  this is about the green endeavors.

Our 33 year old refrigerator, out in the garage for garden produce as the freezer part never worked well, really gave up the ghost and some kind of liquid (Freon?) all over the floor.

We called the Appliance store where we purchased it and they would not recycle because we were not purchasing a new one.  But they told us to call Puget Sound Energy before we paid someone to take it to the landfill.

We did!

Puget Sound Energy has a recycling program and they pay an incentive fee.   We set up an appointment; washed and dried the old frig inside and out, and then kept it running.   We took the escaping fluid to hazardous waste management and they accepted it.

The truck came right on time and several forms were filled out and a check will be mailed to us in 4-6 weeks to say thank you for recycling.

80% of the old machine will be recycled and we have already noted a drop in our power bill because it was not very energy efficient in this day and age.

Great Idea and Concept and we were happy to participate.

Do you have a good recycling of appliance program in your area?  We also have a used construction materials store, which we have taken a number of items there such as old windows and door knobs and extra flooring material.   Recycled lumber store? Recycling made fun?

Puzzle

If I registered for this competition, I might win the prize which would be enough to repair my Dream Bicycle?

My Family has ordered me the book, which is exciting in the first place and I think this will be a good riddle to work on.

My book will be here before June 9th…

Here is what the site specifies, does it look interesting to you?

The Architect’s Enigma competition, to be launched at the London Festival of Architecture (LFA) on 19th June will reward the first person who can solve a graphic riddle with £1,000 cash prize.

Entrants must simply purchase a copy of The Architect, by Charles Bancroft and register free of charge online at worldarchitecturenews.com. The international competition is open to everyone.

The launch at the LFA will reveal the first clue, an “odd looking shape” which has been generated from the storyline of the book. The publishers expect that initially it will be almost impossible to crack and every week new clues will be released until it is solved.

Charles Bancroft says he is; “very excited about the challenge as a new level of interaction between readers and a story, they will have to really engage with the plot and the characters to discover the link.”

Phil Sills of Raptor Press in Boston said, “This competition promises to be a lot of fun and embodies the spirit of Charles Bancroft’s thriller, The Architect; colourful, fast paced and a celebration of London. It also brings to life the enigma of the book’s central character, London based architect, Rob Gilbert in graphic form.”

Since its release in October 2009, the gripping thriller has established a growing following and has received consistently strong reviews. It has also smashed sales records at London based World Architecture News selling more than any other book in its 7,000 + online titles.

Reviewers have praised the work for its “cinematic style” and “thrilling and cleverly interwoven” plot and Bancroft is currently working on a sequel, “Masterplan”, which is due out this autumn together with an audio book version of The Architect.

The competition will be open for registration on Friday 21st May 2010 and participants are urged to get hold of their copy now and register early in anticipation of the first clue. Full details of the competition will be available on worldarchitecturenews.com and lfa2010.org

The London Festival of Architecture runs from June 19 – July 4. Further details can be found at www.lfa2010.org

Let me know if you are going to enter.

Stirling Castle

Hilary has been doing a fascinating series of posts on her blog POSITIVE LETTERS about her travels in Africa and now about Scottish Castles.  Her writing is so informative and enjoyable; I asked her to share some of her insights here on this site and introduce you to her perspective and know how.

I discovered Hilary when she began commenting on other blogs that I was reading and felt an immediate connection with her as she has come home to care for her mother after her mother had a stroke (I may have that time line incorrect).  Her posts and comments keep her connected during this hard time.

Hilary says about herself:

“I have had a eclectic life and after living in London, I worked in South Africa for 15 years, we live in interesting times, which I am learning about, while being with my Mother in her last months –“

Without further ado, I will let Hilary’s writing and post speak for her:

Castle Buildings and Hammer Beams

How did they start to build these great castles?  The vision of great buildings has always been in the mind of man …  hence their ability to instruct the workers to garner the materials, work their magic, and conform to the expectations of time, creating these huge edifices for their noble masters.

Each building conformed to the mark of fashion of the day – the particular style appropriate to a window, or perhaps a tower, the fireplaces, even the memorials in the graveyards.  From the Middle Ages, 1,000 – 1,300 AD approximately, the Norman Conquest removed Britain  from Scandinavian influences and tied her politically, commercially and culturally to France and the Continent.

Stirling Castle 1900 – showing cemetery within the grounds

Stirling Castle in Scotland had been a royal residence and capital of the Scottish Kings for many centuries before Alexander I of Scotland died there in 1124.  From then on many changes occurred utilizing the old buildings and the extremely valuable strategic positioning.

Great hall interior, facing south

The three James (IV, V and VI), Stewart kings, embarked on an ambitious construction programme at Stirling, when it was the principal royal centre used by the kings.   The influences reflected in the buildings show an eclectic mix of English, French and German influences, highlighting the international ambitions of the Stewart dynasty.

It was during this time that the Great Hall or Parliament Hall was built – which is described as the “grandest secular building erected in Scotland in the late Middle Ages”, representing the first example of Renaissance-influenced royal architecture in Scotland when it was completed in 1503.

English craftsmen and design ideas were incorporated into what was a conventional medieval plan – inside are five fireplaces, and large side windows lighting the dais end, where the king would be seated – within this large hall, which was138 x 47 feet (42 x 14.25m) in dimension.

The restored new hammer beam roof in the Great Hall at Stirling Castle

The original hammer beam roof was removed in 1800, along with the decorative crenellated parapet, when the hall was subdivided to form barracks.  It has now been historically corrected and the outer walls have been lime-washed.

The Royal Palace – this time slightly later – but with the Renaissance architecture and exuberant late-gothic details is one of the most architecturally impressive buildings in Scotland, covered with unique carved stonework.  It took twelve years before completion in 1542.

East Facade of the Royal Palace, showing statues

It seems that the architecture is French-inspired, but the decoration of German inspiration, while the sources for the statues have been found in the work of the German painter Hans Burgkmair (1473 – 1531).  The 19th century architectural historian, R W Billings, described the statues as “the fruits of an imagination luxuriant but revolting”!  Aptly described?!

The two apartments, one each for the king and queen, have a hall, presence chamber, and bedchamber, with various small rooms known as closets.  The King’s Presence Chamber was originally decorated with a series of 56 carved oak portrait roundels, known as the Stirling Heads, although little remains of the Renaissance decoration since the building’s military use.  38 of the heads survive and there are plans to eventually re-instate the ceiling as close to its original form as possible.

Chapel Royal, Stirling Castle

The Chapel Royal had extensive renovations too in the Middle Ages appropriate for royal Coronations and Christenings – when Italianate arched windows were installed, with the wall paintings from the 1620s – 1630s recently rediscovered in the 1930s, being presently restored.

Stirling Castle seems to encompass architecture from early times, along with other disciplines appropriate to the day … stonemasons, painters, while the engineer in his present day format was probably more likely to be utilised as a “praefectus fabrum”, per Julius Caesar: the official who controlled the labour gangs and parties of artisans for roads and basic defence works.

On a smaller scale, here is a view of a hammer beam inside a timber frame residence

(I just loved the lines of this picture and so wanted to include it in the post – hope you enjoy it)

North-West of Stirling in the Grampians is a strenuous, two day ,78 mile cycle route around Lochs Rannoch and Tummell starting from Pitlochry .  this goes through Rannoch Moor, one of Britain’s last wildernesses …  reflecting the area’s past and future.  (See below for links)

Times Online Article
Map via the Times

Thanks for reading – it’s been a pleasure being here,
Hilary Melton-Butcher
Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

Start of Woodland Trail

I am in serious training for the Seattle to Portland Ride now and John is just back from two weeks of California riding with the group.

The weather was definitely wonderful.

Flats of the steam plants Where are the Elk

We ended up doing 75 miles and enjoying the day. Here’s picture proof  without the huge hill!

Looking down the hill from the Chahalis Steam Plant

What is your idea of a picture perfect spring day?   Where would you go for a bike ride?

Steam plant and train yard coal

Hoping the rain will hold off for another great ride this week!

County park at Lewis County Border