Paso Straw Bale Construction Blog

Lightning Speaks for Itself...

2010-10-03T09:28:00.000-07:00

So much to say...

2010-07-06T11:01:00.000-07:00

Yet I will let the pictures speak for themselves.

Off the Road...

2010-03-17T10:04:00.000-07:00

Interesting facts, experiences and opinions from the road:

Aircraft flown in order since 2/22. Boeing 737, 747, 777, Airbus 320, Boeing 777 and 767.

Upper Deck Business Class on the 747 makes flying a different experience

Never fly the low cost carries in India or China unless you are a midget

People line up differently in different countries. India has been the worst so far. There is no allowance for personal space

Terminal 5 at Heathrow is amazing in it's design and architecture.

There were more people at the Chennai International at 3am on Sunday than at San Jose International at 5pm on Friday

Thee should be a place to exercise on flights longer than 2.5 hours.

Winding down...

2010-03-13T04:10:00.001-08:00

On the road in Greece. Just a few snippets:

Theater on the walk up to the AcropolisBackside panorama of Acropolis

Acropolis at night

2010-03-12T09:10:00.001-08:00

Still on the road...

Goodbye Terminal 5...

2010-03-10T08:03:00.001-08:00

Everyone may hate the baggage handling at T5 at Heathrow but it is a good looking Terminal.

Leg 2 of Hoofing it...

2010-03-05T05:32:00.000-08:00

Hoofing it is taking on a new meaning. Having traveled to Los Angeles, San Francisco, London, Chennai, and Pune the past 12 days it was humorous to see these little guys outside the hotel in Chennai:
I was able to sneak in some sight seeing on 2/28 and visit Mahabalipuram:

The pictures do not do the place justice. Also the traffic getting to some of these sights makes rush hour on the 405 Freeway in L.A. look likea Formula 1 race.

And here was the sign greeting my last stop in sightseeing:

For Sale: Marble Arch in London Contact Royal Bank of Scotland

2010-02-26T01:44:00.001-08:00

Hoofing it...

2010-02-19T14:40:00.000-08:00

Another round of travel is close at hand. As I will be hoofing it, this find in the front yard seemed appropriate:

Someones pet deer did not make it.

The rain has arrived...

2010-01-23T12:08:00.000-08:00

and it is wet
But turns everything green

Before the Rains...

2010-01-16T16:49:00.000-08:00

As blogged about on July 11th, 2009, El Nino is here and getting stronger. This photo shows the difference in sea surface height(which corresponds to sea surface temperature)

There are 3 storms lined up for a direct hit on California and Saturday may be the last time a clear day like this shows up for quite a while. Let's hope the road work and erosion control works as planned.

Paso, 7 and Staples

2009-12-30T12:04:00.001-08:00

Spending a few quiet days in Paso for the holiday break and 7 decides to run into rocks. These are the before and after pics. The vet in Paso rocks. Big props to Dr. Deb and the whole staff at Paso Vet for Pets. They not only saw 7 on short notice but stapled her nose, gave her antibiotics and medication for her heart murmur for $120.00. To put in perspective, a big city vet would have charged that just for the office visit.

Thanks

Year of The Creatures

2009-12-08T15:00:00.000-08:00

Not the name of a bad 'B' movie but my experience at the Paso Straw Bale House.

Views from my part of the world...

2009-12-02T17:50:00.000-08:00

A fire in Morro Bay
and a fiery sunset in Paso

Can someone tell me what this bug is?

2009-11-22T18:25:00.000-08:00

After seeing this,I needed this:

4 years

2009-10-31T19:12:00.000-07:00

It has been four years since the occupancy permit was granted. This is what the house looked like Oct of 2005:

And this is what it looks like Oct 2009:Getting there.

Hot and Humid

2009-10-19T08:59:00.000-07:00

Harvest weekend has come and gone. The leaves are turning
the tarantulas are using iPhones to stay connected

and as always the sunsets are wonderful
Even with the temprature in the high 80's and humidity in the 70's, the house stayed cool and comfortable.

Harvest Time

2009-10-03T19:19:00.000-07:00

Harvest is in full view:
The house is a constant 72-77 degrees this time of year. Which is perfect for just hanging out on the couch and watching the sunset.

9/11 in New York

2009-09-11T21:11:00.000-07:00

I am in NYC this week. Remembering events of 8 years ago. On that day 8 years ago, over 3000 people were killed by extremists. Unchecked and unchallenged extremism leads to extreme actions. Fortunately, hope and optimism challenge and frequently defeat extremism.
Hopefully the extremists who yell 'You Lie', spread false rumors about "Death Panels and want to maintain the status quo are challenged and put in check.

Joe Wilson and Sarah Palin can:

Views from the WebCam

2009-09-02T10:08:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the more interesting views from the webcam this year.

Apocalyptic Sky

2009-08-30T17:23:00.000-07:00

This was the sky last weekend. One of the more amazing sunsets in recent memory.

Straw Bale Troika

2009-08-17T07:46:00.000-07:00

I find it odd that I can walk to two other straw bale houses:
and drive to 2 more within 10 minutes. Not to mention the proliferation of straw bale wineries.

Since straw bale is not the most obvious choice for building it is kinda cool.

Landsnaking...

2009-08-01T23:20:00.000-07:00

The majority of the landscaping is complete. The design is fairly close to what was designed.

Here is the almost finished product:
for the visually astute, there is a visitor from a previous blog posting in the picture above...

in the lower left corner in the picture above, is the snake from my April 19th, 2009 post.

Here is a closer look:
and here:
This snake is not camera shy...

Sometimes I forget...

2009-07-19T23:46:00.000-07:00

how much thought went into certain aspects of this house. From the light covered 'cool roof' that reflects a majority of the solar gain and keeps the house cool:
The drought resistant plants and ground cover that keeps the ground cool:
and forgoing rain gutters to allow for run off to water the landscaping during the winter.

In addition to the Low E, reflective windows:

the interior has stained concrete flooring that keeps the house cool, high ceilings to allow for heat to rise and clerestory windows that open to let the heat out at night:
These design features keep the house comparatively cool during the summer. On average the house stays 25F-30F degrees cooler than the outside temp in the summer. When it was 109F+ this weekend, the house stayed 79 degrees.

7/18: Outside 105/Inside 83
7/19: Outside 109/Inside 79
7/20: Outside 112/Inside 80

Overall, the design of the house is meeting or exceeding the expected summer performance.

Let's talk about winter performance in 12/09.

Weather or Not, El Nino is coming....

2009-07-11T10:35:00.000-07:00

They say that California does not have seasons. As a Californian I offer that we have two seasons. Drought and El Nino. Here is a description of El Nino from NOAA:

El Niño is an oscillation of the ocean-atmosphere system in the tropical Pacific having important consequences for weather around the globe. Among these consequences are increased rainfall across the southern tier of the US and in Peru, which has caused destructive flooding, and drought in the West Pacific, sometimes associated with devastating brush fires in Australia
El Nino's usually bring heavy rain to the west coast of California with frequent flooding and mudslides. Mostly in the first 3 months of the calendar year.

Why this is of interest to me is because it usually means rain in biblical amounts. At least for California. The average rainfall in the Paso Robles area is between 12-14 inches per year. The past 5 El Nino events produced yearly rainfall as follows

1978 23.38 inches
1983 26.46 inches
1993 23.01 inches
1995 27.95 inches
1998 20.65 inches

This may not look significant but in 4 of those years over 14 inches of rain fell in January and February alone. This causes the ground to become saturated and mudslides occur like this one in La Conchita, south of Santa Barbara:

The recent work on the road here:

should mitigate the erosion and mudslide that blocked the road that in 2005 after 14 inches of rain Jan-Mar.

I sincerely hope this is my only post on El Nino.

Getting Your Fair Advantage

2009-07-04T11:32:00.000-07:00

A former co-worker of mine has moved to India for a year. He is finding it to be the adventure of a lifetime and is learning what it means to be a foreigner in a very foreign land. I mention this because he and his spouse recently experienced something that seems to be one of the few behaviors that does not discriminate, is multicultural, and leaves the people experiencing the wrong end of it feeling guilty of who and what they are, what they have accomplished. Not to mention a rather large dose of anger as well.

In short, they were taken advantage of by someone they trusted. While it happens to most people at one time or another it still elicits a range of emotions, most of them negative.

What is amazing to me is that this seems to be a human phenomenon, not a cultural one. A trait of being homo-sapiens. The anthropological/cultural reasons for this to exist and be so similar across cultures and geographies is fascinating to me.

Could it be as simple as risk vs. reward. In high order primates, taking advantage in small ways is not punished severely if at all. It is theorized that keeping the social fabric together is more important for survival than ostracizing only the most egregious transgressions. While this is an oversimplification I think it plays out in how people learn to take their 'fair advantage'.

I have come to the conclusion that understanding how people assess risk vs. reward is key to long term working partnerships. If there is very little risk in someone getting their fair advantage, rest assured they will take it. The book Freakonomics has a great chapter describing the risk vs. reward aspect of taking advantage"

"Levitt, the author of Freakonomics, caught teachers cheating by analyzing all the individual answers of every student in the Chicago public school system. What he found was that after students had turned in their tests, teachers were going through and changing their answers. Not every answer, mind you, but enough to boost scores. In his example, he shows how in a class of 22 students, at least 15 students had the same string of six correct answers. At first glance, this seems a little suspicious, especially since the string comes towards the end of the test, where the harder questions tend to be. Not only that, but several of the students who got these answers correct left at least four of the questions in the same section blank, showing they probably could not have answered the earlier questions correctly. To add to it, these were poor performing students who did not have strings of six answers correct anywhere else on the test. The students made huge leaps during this year, however, the next year they sank back down to their low level. Obviously something was amiss."

The motivation was obvious. Teachers, who are notoriously poorly paid anyway, needed the money and were willing to engage in unethical behavior to acquire those bonuses. The teachers did not do this solely because they are unethical, they did it because they realized there was little risk involved because no one was minding the store. A system was set up with no checks and balances.

The community at large is one way to mitigate this. Find out their standing in the community and use your intuition. If you feel like you are helping someone out, perhaps they need help because of how they conduct themselves. If they are going out of their way to help you out, ask yourself what reward are they looking for and what are they risking by helping you.

Fer Sizzle, my rizzle...

2009-06-27T16:42:00.000-07:00

It is a bit hot at the ranch today:

But what is impressive is the dramatic change in temp, 3:30 pm, 111 degress.:

but 1 hour, 39 minutes and 88 miles later. 66 degrees:

In other news the road has been regraded and a fresh load of decomposed granite dropped and compacted.

Work to minimize erosion of the road entrance was also done. Mari Landscaping once again came thru and did a great job.

84 years

2009-06-07T17:46:00.000-07:00

When my grandmother was born:

My grandmother died last week. This has given me the opportunity to reflect on how much has changed and yet how little time we take to appreciate the changes that define each successive generation.

84 years is enough time to see societal norms shift, to see technology begin to supplant human interaction and to see what was once thought impossible, become routine.

I only hope in the next 50 years the change I see is as beneficial as the change my grandmother experienced.

Strange Views This Weekend..

2009-05-24T16:20:00.000-07:00

A few months ago while watching the webcam, I saw two dogs run through the courtyard. A yellow lab and a chocolate lab. The did not hang around, just cruising through. Strangely enough I so them again today. Both had collars and looked healthy if not a bit dirty from their adventures. What I don't understand is why people let their dogs roam. Not only are there coyotes but there are mountain lions, deer, and people who would not hesitate to shoot them.

Another strange view I saw was this:
The really odd thing is that there were two people riding in it. They looked no older than 18-20. Was someone filming a Wells Fargo commercial? Yaaaaah!

Visitors to the House...

2009-05-17T09:41:00.000-07:00

This weekend I had several guests visiting the house.

Allow me to introduce my good friend Lizard Large:

His partner in crime Fuzzy Spider:

And Mothras' Evil Twin:
Brought to you by 104 degree weather:

Moths, Meritage, and Me

2009-05-16T17:36:00.000-07:00

The title pretty much sums up the past few days. I have seen moths the size of small birds,

tasted at least 20 different wines at the 27th Annual Paso Robles Wine Festival
It only took me 9 years to finally go and I really wish the fashion police were there.

Visited with several friends from the Bay Area and the U.K. and lastly enjoyed the sunsets
Nothing major or earth shattering but it was good to get a few days away from it all after all of the travel and long hours.

Earth, Fire, Ice and Sweat

2009-04-26T18:10:00.000-07:00

While winter afforded me the opportunity to install shelving in the kitchen, install webcams, and finally get the utility bath faucet running correctly (No thanks to Harvey Plumbing), spring offers the opportunity to more ambitious projects. A few items on the list:

Landscaping Part 2
Install the fireplace the 1st contractor never delivered on
Install air conditioning

I lean towards landscaping as it softens the view on the house, the landscape contractor does great work and is a nice person, and I don't have any baggage associated with it. Here are some of the sketches he has produced for the back of the house.
A fireplace would make a lot of sense in this corner due to its' proximity to the door:
I could break down and install Air-Conditioning. The house is very efficient and does not vary more than 10 degrees 92% of the time, the 8% of the time it does get to hot makes me want A/C.

And lastly, this blog, this story has been ongoing for almost 5 years. When I started this blog I could not have fathomed the journey I embarked on. I did not know how much blood, sweat and tears it would take get to this point. Oddly enough the my life has been influenced more by people totally unrelated to this project and for that I am thankful.

Here's to another 5 years of blogging, living, and learning.

snake...

2009-04-19T20:36:00.001-07:00

I think this snake must be French as he has effectively blocked the road. Must be protesting the lack of mice to feed on.

And ya know, this is a really big friggen snake!

Sunrise and Sunset

2009-03-28T23:57:00.000-07:00

Today marked a momentous occasion. I was up for the sunrise and sunset. Enjoy the view...

The end of the marathon...

2009-03-22T05:44:00.000-07:00

After 16 days, 5 countries and 6 cities I will be sleeping in my own bed Sunday night. There have been sights, sounds, and unexplained situations which I will never forget. I will have ridden the public transportation of several countries, walked miles in places where no one speaks english, wondered why everything smells like a campfire and taken my life in my hands trying to cross the street.

Here are a few images...

Out and About...

2009-03-15T08:41:00.000-07:00

I am out and about for the next few weeks. Here are a few visual snippets from my journeys.

Are you where you live?

2009-02-28T07:54:00.000-08:00

At times the irony of where I have chosen to live makes me wonder whether I chose the place or did the place choose me. I have lived in cheap apartments below sea level, a ginger bread house on the beach, and more recently a straw house and a nut house. Makes you wonder.

Here is where I live today:

and a view from the straw house this weekend:

Elections, Economy, Environment. Oh My!

2009-02-02T07:08:00.000-08:00

For those of you following the blog, check out the Garden Cam to your left. Great sunsets and every now and then Road Runners.

I also want to take a moment and touch on what is happening in our country these days.

Every time you turn on the news there is bad news. Unemployment is up, consumer spending is down, revelations of fraud has eclipsed the scandals of the 80s and 90s, dogs and cats living together.

Amidst all of this bad news of people losing their jobs, losing their homes, losing their life savings due to people named Hursts, Madoff, and Cosmo, the risk of 'deflation' is not only real but increases with each successive bad quarter.

To illustrate where the economy was and where it is now one need only read this news release from 1/30/2006

"Americans’ personal savings rate dipped into negative territory in 2005, something that hasn’t happened since the Great Depression. Consumers depleted their savings to finance the purchases of cars and other big-ticket items"

Today consumers have not just stopped purchasing big ticket items but are actually putting money into savings. Something that has not consistently happened since the mid-90s.

Perhaps this is the time for all Americans to rethink what it means to be wealthy. Could it be that the accumulation of consumer goods is not the true measurement of wealth?

And on that not I leave you with a few pictures from my newly installed Garden/Sunset Web cam. Have a great week.

It goes without saying...

2009-01-20T00:01:00.000-08:00

From this day forward, America can say that it overcame it's shame. For on this day, all Americans can stand proud and marvel that we have taken yet one more step on the unending road towards a more perfect union.

Spotlight on 7

2009-01-05T07:48:00.000-08:00

As usual 7 will find the spot of sunlight and well, the picture says it all...

Infrastructure Projects

2008-12-25T23:29:00.000-08:00

So begins the work the winter work. Here are the projects completed in the past week.

Install wall speakers in Great Room (finally)
Weatherstrip the clerstory porch
Install R30 insulation in attic where straw bales were not used
Paint trusses black in attic windows
Shelving in kitchen
Wine Tasting on Peachy Canyon Road
Mop the floor
Fill in the den of the skunk who moved in when the coyote moved out

Regarding mopping the floor. That has got to be one of the most unforgiving jobs around the house. Or maybe I am just old.

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

My Favorite Time of Year

2008-12-07T21:19:00.001-08:00

Post grape harvest is my favorite time of year. The contrasting colors make for some seriously good scenery. Click in the image for a close-up.

7 has found her place...

2008-11-23T11:52:00.000-08:00

7 has a internal clock that alerts her to when she HAS to be fed. This happens twice a day, every day. On the days I do not pay attention to the time, 7 will find a spot in the house where it is hard to ignore her. I refer to it as staging.

Here is 7 staged for feeding time:

No On Prop 8 but stop the Civil Rights Comparison

2008-11-13T18:14:00.000-08:00

While I agree and support that all couples regardless of gender should be afforded the same rights, responsibilities, privileges etc, I do not think it is the gubments job to define or otherwise rule on what marriage is. In my opinion gubment should recognize civil unions for all and mandate that all entities that confer benefits on couples not discriminate based on the gender of the couples. That is what people can and will agree on. But when you have some people up there continuing to call it 'marriage' and equating it with civil rights, it alienates a whole group of people.

When people start equating the civil rights movement and treatment of minorities/indigenous peoples with the right to marry, they totally lose my vote. Last I checked the definition of marriage did not stop someone from voting, obtaining a job, moved to a reservation, lynched, or legally prevented from living their lives.

Personally I think the No on 8 people got caught sleeping. They lost the political battle due to arrogance, poor planning, and poor PR. And if the No on 8 people keep throwing in my face that this is like the civil rights movement, I may just totally ignore them. Have them give a compelling argument akin to my second paragraph and I will agree with them and vote to support the cause.

Just my 02.

Better to have signs stolen than an Election

2008-11-05T14:42:00.001-08:00

They campaign signs were stolen but not the election. Obama won in San Luis Obispo County 51%-46%

Thanks to everyone in SLO who voted!

And take to heart what President Elect Barack Obama said last night:

"I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices. I need your help, I will be your president too."

Go Obama!

Go United States!

Intolerance goes hand in hand with greed and fraud.

2008-10-30T16:35:00.000-07:00

Estate Financial and Hurst Financial. These names will be familiar to many folks on the Central Coast. These two companies represent almost $400 million dollars in mortgage securities. Securities that people on the Central Coast invested in. Securities that retirees invested in. As of today, both companies have been shut down by state regulators. And in the case of Estate Financial, only $48,000 of cash was in their accounts. Even though at one point they had almost $300 million in mortgage securities and almost 2000 investors.

I mention this because as Barack Obama has been saying, "the meltdown financial markets is the final verdict on 8 years of failed Bush/McCain economic policies"

Well, I guess the people in Northern San Luis Obispo County don't see it that way because they have consistently removed the signs I have put on my fence.

On 10/19 I put these series of signs up:
It was stolen within one day. Luckily I had more so I put them up again. Once again, they were taken down within 1 day.

Not to be deterred, I put this sign up on on 10/25:
I would like to believe it is still there.

What I find interesting is that I am sure some of the people who are supporting the GOP(and stealing my signs), are the very same ones wondering how Estate Financial and Hurst Financial could be 'allowed' to take their money. My advice to all of you is to reflect on what party has led the deregulation of the financial services industry.

Good luck on 11/04/08

Owls, Horse Sentries and Obama

2008-10-19T20:54:00.000-07:00

When the house was being built there was a Great Horned Owl that lived in the rafters. He would occasionally leave a few owl castings and owl crap. The past few years I have heard the owl outside making, well, owl sounds. Now for the first time, pictures of the Owl:

I wonder if this is why the internet is slow.

There are also guard horses for goats:

And since this is election time no better time than to say GO Obama!

Is the moon really this full?

2008-10-14T18:49:00.000-07:00

Reflections on Paso

2008-10-05T12:10:00.001-07:00

Another summer has past and I am reflecting on the work that was completed this past year.

From finishing out the kitchen island to the landscaping and resealing the floors and patio. I also got a chance to stain concrete in both bathrooms with varying success.

The past year, 7 learned to hunt lizards but not catch them and to relax in the sun. As a matter of fact, she may be reminiscing about Paso in this picture:

Wine and Waves

2008-09-15T07:22:00.000-07:00

I spent a great day at a friends wedding on the coast.

As much as I love the warm days and cool nights of the wine country nothing compares to the blue sky and ocean.

7 does not care where she is as long as the sun is involved.

Not Much Labor on this Day

2008-09-01T09:04:00.000-07:00

It seems as if 7 was the only one working this weekend as she could not get enough of hunting for lizards.She spent hours trying to catch Lizards. After the Frisbee this is her next favorite hobby.

7 hunting lizards is now a spectator sport.
As is cooking dead meat.

Blue Skies...

Sunsets are always a good encore to the day.

Walking Introspection

2008-08-15T05:11:00.000-07:00

It occurred to me that I have been walking city streets late at night for most of my life. I don't mean taking a 15 or 20 minute walk. These are walks measured in miles and hours and stretching over several decades and continents.

At one time or another I have walked for hours in every major city on the

west coast of North America and many cities around the world. So much of who I am has been developed on these walks. These walks help create and define who I am and who I want to be. They allow me time to review decisions and choices and reflect on causality. I am at my happiest and my saddest during these walks. I am at my strongest and weakest as I wind my way in and out of seven figure neighborhoods and slums.

I have run for my life, been propositioned by men and women, physically assaulted by men and women, and abused by the police. I have stood my ground and fought. I have shared laughs with strangers and helped by strangers. I have met amazing people and truly disturbed people. I have witnessed the best in humanity and the taking of a human life.

Walking has allowed me to discover humanity and discover myself.

August in New York

2008-08-11T05:46:00.000-07:00

Another flight,and another week in the Naked City. New York is quickly becoming the 2nd most familiar city to me. To think nothing of hopping on the subway and heading to a museum like MOMA: walking around SOHO and people watching:
or wandering around and seeing this:
makes you appreciate how much life can be enhanced by dense urban living. Until you hear sirens for 1.5 hours at 3am.

Day of the Reptiles

2008-08-03T16:01:00.000-07:00

Lizards are living large in the house these days. Here is a picture of the lizard that makes his home along the back of the house. He was nice enough to pose near a standard size electrical outlet for size comparison.He has a cousin that lives in the house under the refrigerator. About the same size and just as fast. My thinking is that as long as they are around, there are no snakes.

One last look out the window before I hit the road again for some bi-coastal travel.

Tropical Sunsets and Rainbows

2008-07-07T07:49:00.000-07:00

Something about being on vacation makes sunsets special. Not sure what it is so I will let you decide.There were also rainbows everywhere. I think there must be a convention.

And nothing like getting blown on vacation.

Cows again...

2008-07-03T18:15:00.000-07:00

It seems as if every vacation I go on there are a few recurring themes.

Nude people hanging out somewhere
I run into people I know
Cows in the middle of the road

Halfway thru this vacation I was cautiously optimistic that this vacation would spell an end to those themes. No such luck. While 1-2 have not happened, 3 was on full display yesterday.
Go figure.

I have been to the mountain top...

2008-07-02T16:43:00.001-07:00

and it was wet!

Workin on my tan

2008-06-30T15:11:00.001-07:00

I may have overdone it

Guess

2008-06-28T16:21:00.001-07:00

Ah

2008-06-27T20:38:00.001-07:00

Vacation at last

Summer Solstice, Summer Sun, Summer Scorcher

2008-06-22T09:18:00.000-07:00

Summer has arrived. It was 109 degrees on 6/21/08. Not the kind of heat where you go outside. Unless you are 7 of 9. 7 insisted on playing Frisbee. I think we both are sunburned from that experience.

After that experience we retreated to the comfort of the straw bale house. After being closed up for 3 weeks in 100+ degree heat for 5 consecutive days, the house was a comfortable 79 degrees. Not bad for a place with no air conditioning.

One of the great things about the heat is that it produces magnificent sunsets. Here are some panoramas from that most blistering day.

This was taken 1pm when the recorded temperature was 107 degrees.
And these pictures say it all.

Straw Wine

2008-06-17T07:55:00.000-07:00

I have been in a wine mood lately and decided to map out the wineries that I prefer. These are all within a 10 mile radius of the house. Most are pouring 2006 in the tasting rooms but if you ask you may get something out of the ordinary.

Wine Drive

What Up with 7, What Up with Camera, 7Up!

2008-06-13T16:30:00.000-07:00

For those of you who know 7, you know she is a very active dog. Lately she has been running 4 miles in the morning, playing frisbee for 30 minutes a day and getting walked 3 miles at least 3 times per week. I think she has finally had enough as she is now reduced to just standing around looking tired:

The picture of 7 above and the flowers below were taken with a new camera. Yes, after 6 years I have traded in my 4 megapixel camera for a 9.1 megapixel with all the bells and whistles that I will never use:
And finally, I like 7Up. Always have. Though I do not like the amount of sugar they put in soda so when I drink 7Up, it is Diet. While enjoying the cool refreshing taste of 7Up I decided to read the label and educate myself on what I am putting in my body. I was heartened by reading the I was 7Up is using '100% Natural Flavors' to help quench my thirst:
The next question that popped into my head was "What are these 100% Natural Flavors". Reading the back of the can was less than informative:
Can someone tell me what ingredient is 'Natural Flavors".

7 is not sharing her frisbee.

2008-06-11T18:04:00.001-07:00

NYC-SFO-Paso and 7 of 9

2008-06-02T07:05:00.000-07:00

Paso Straw Bale at the end of May. It is only 81 degrees this weekend vs. 104 degrees 2 weeks ago.

As you can see, 7 is enjoying the cooler weather, playing frisbee,

and hiding in the landscaping. Can you find 7?

A little bit of hunting:

And after all of that excitement, 7 went to Silver Horse Winery and made herself at home:

Finally here are a few panoramas from this weekend:

Only in California...

2008-05-29T18:41:00.001-07:00

do cherries grow at the oil change shop.

Reflections on the Naked City

2008-05-26T12:34:00.000-07:00

The Naked City is endlessly fascinating to me. From the food, architecture and most importantly the people. Several moments for me were especially poignant. Grand Central Station will always be a wonder of the modern world to me.
The Chrysler Building never ceases to amaze me. To me it is the pinnacle of art deco and one of the reasons I fell in love with Art Deco in the first place:
Another Art Deco building is the Beekman Tower Hotel. Great Views and a great example of Art Deco at its' best:

Last but not least is the Woolworth Building. To me it is one of the most imposing buildings in Manhattan. It just stand up, out, and about:
It is hard to not fall in love with the vibe that is the Naked City. But alas, Paso calls, after spending time with 8 million of my closets friends.

Yet another flight...

2008-05-25T14:45:00.001-07:00

and all alone in exit row!

Japanese Comfort Food in Tribeca

2008-05-25T14:27:00.001-07:00

Great japanese curry and Hoegaarden beer. Yum!

All Alone on the E Train

2008-05-20T15:37:00.001-07:00

Over 8 million people in New York City and during rush hour I am the only one in this car on the E train.

Eerie...

Warp speed Mr. Sulu

2008-05-19T12:24:00.001-07:00

Another Airport. Another Flight

2008-05-19T12:17:00.001-07:00

And loud baby behind me again!

From Whiteboard to Reality

2008-05-12T08:04:00.000-07:00

Several years ago the builders of this house took it upon themselves to design the landscaping. We started with some simple goals like drought resistant, deer resistant, and naturally offensive to fleas and ticks. We also wanted low maintenance, low overall water requirements, and last but not least it needed to blend in with the surrounding environment AND the house.

The photo of the whiteboard below was drawn in early 2006. The house is to scale as is the landscaping.

Mari Landscaping did a great job in taking this:

To this in Nov 07:

and finally, to this in May 08:

David Brown is going a great job and it shows not only in the work he did for me but in the reputation he continues to develop in North County.

And finally, a plug for Jeff Pipes of Pipestone Vineyards. Even tho he ran out of Zinfandel the Syrah 'almost' made up for it. ;-)

Jeff is doing some amazing work and I wanted to thank him and his wife for taking the time and sharing some of their experiences.

Don't you know i'm loco...

2008-05-07T07:16:00.000-07:00

One of the unintended benefits of this blog has been that it is a unique form of therapy for me. So imagine my pleasant surprise when I happened upon THIS article.

Another of the unintended benefits I have personally derived in this experience on the blogosphere is rediscovering how much I enjoy writing. In a way I can sense the new neural pathways being developed when I am attempt to find ways to communicate in writing landscaping projects, flooring work, owls keeping me awake at 2am, and the battles of the tarantula hawks vs. tarantulas.

So to the friends and associates who have been supportive during these most interesting times, I say many thanks. To the ones who have humored me and made me laugh and see things from a different perspective, thank you. And to the very special people who have stood by me during the moments when I actually may have lost my sanity, I owe you a debt I can never repay.

A window to my

2008-04-28T09:15:00.000-07:00

landscaping.

Had I known that having the landscaping done would significantly alter my perception of the house, it would have been done 2 years ago. No longer do I have 5 foot weeds to look out at when I sit in the great room...

Patio Work

2008-04-27T19:20:00.000-07:00

It only took 1 year but I finally cleaned and resealed the patio. It makes a huge difference in how it looks and hopefully how it wears. Here are the before and after pics

Before:
After after cleaning and scrubbing in 90+ degree weather, this is what it looks like:Of course a weekend in Paso Robles would not be complete with out a little:

Play an accordion, go to prison. That's the law!

On New York Time

2008-04-12T11:10:00.001-07:00

Another great day in the naked city

Babies everywhere, must be the red eye to JFK

2008-04-06T22:25:00.001-07:00

Babies 2 the left and right. This was one of the worst flights of my life. There were two infants in front of me and one behind. To add to the mix, was a person with the worst smelling body odor in the aisle across from me. Never again will I take the red eye. NEVER

Another airport

2008-04-06T22:07:00.001-07:00

and now a word from our sponsors

2008-03-19T07:57:00.000-07:00

For the first time in over 40 years a leading politician has made a head on attempt to begin the discussion of race in this country and to begin the discussion on why racial division persists in this country today.

Very rarely in my life have I read or heard a speech that touches my soul.

Obama's 2008 Philadelphia Speech

This is a non-partisan attempt to begin a substantial discussion that has been pushed to the margins vis a vie 'playing the race card for as long as I can remember.

I truly hope that we begin this discussion. Not just on the racial stalemate Obama so accurately touched upon, but by beginning the discussion of "investing in our schools and our communities; by enforcing civil rights laws and ensuring fairness in the criminal justice system; by providing this generation with ladders of opportunity that were unavailable for previous generations"

This is the discussion that needs to happen along with why we have this racial divide 45 years after MLK's 1963 Washington Speech

The politics of the last 40 years has been one of division, of Blue vs. Red, Left vs. Right, White vs. Black, and the Haves vs. the Have Nots.

Obama states that "It requires all Americans to realize that your dreams do not have to come at the expense of my dreams; that investing in the health, welfare, and education of black and brown and white children will ultimately help all of America prosper."

Perhaps America will rise to the challenge of having this discussion. Perhaps we will look past the race baiting divisive politics of the last 40 years. Perhaps we will see that the politics of 'values' is frequently used to divide us.

My hope is we will. My fear is that we will not and continue down the path of divisive politics and lack of true leadership.

The reach of the Web

2008-03-18T07:09:00.000-07:00

I was chatting with a certain someone who is building a straw bale house in Atascadero and it was never clearer to me that with the proliferation of technology it is possible to influence, impact, and assist, people from all over the world. For example here is a map of one day visitors to this blog:What is amazing is how narrow a category straw bale construction is and yet people from Japan to South Africa find their way here.

Thanks Al Gore...

Spring is almost upon us...

2008-03-17T07:28:00.000-07:00

The winter is receding into the background (along with the rain I hope) and warmer weather is on the horizon.

Amazing that the floors are done, landscaping is pretty much complete, and yet there are any number of projects that still remain to be done. Among them:

Air conditioning
Weed control
Re-grading the road
Sealing the Patio

But I have been finding time to visit a few wineries within 10 minutes of the house. The wines are great, the tasting rooms intimate and the staff are friendly and accommodating.

The flowers are starting to bloom, the days are warmer and unfortunately the insects are coming out as well. Does anyone have a suggestion for environmentally responsible insecticide? Last year was a bumper crop for insects and I would appreciate not having to view the sequel.

It is snowing...

2008-02-12T13:32:00.001-08:00

Ah.. first 13 degrees and now snow. NYC in Feburary
No kids playing in this park:

Hula n East Village

2008-02-09T20:22:00.001-08:00

Blame Dima

New York State of Mind

2008-02-09T12:31:00.001-08:00

Paso worked me..

2008-01-27T16:31:00.001-08:00

I finally finished 'remodeling' the master bath. The thing about trying to get a occupancy permit by a certain date is that you make choices about things that are in the heat of the moment. Sometimes not so good choices. The master bath was the epitome of poor choices.

Having written that, here is where the master bath is at today:

Along with that, the floors were in for a serious cleaning and sealing. Imagine having to mop a 2700sqft floor 6 times. That is what needed to be done. Here is looking from the kitchen to the great room:

This is facing the front door:
and this is facing the back door:

Not that Paso

2008-01-12T20:46:00.000-08:00

How did I end up here??

Yet another line...

2008-01-11T13:23:00.001-08:00

San Diego Southwest line. A01 boarding pass rocks

2007 Was a Long Year

2007-12-26T11:47:00.001-08:00

It is hard to believe this year is coming to an end. Many things have changed. Some for the better, others not so much.

The house saw a combination of frenzied activity starting with the pump freezing at the start of this year, to neglect in the summer months, and finally, the landscaping being mostly done.

To that end I want to share these final images from 2007 that show the beauty that was so often not evident in the building of this house.

Ask 7 about the landscaping

2007-11-23T17:55:00.001-08:00

If you were to ask 7 about the landscaping, what do you think she would say?

I think the following picture answers that questions. ;-)

Can you believe it...

2007-11-18T20:05:00.000-08:00

Landscaping has not only started but there is measurable progress.

I am adding a few pictures for but the great part is that it is drought tolerant, deer resistant, and blends in very nice with the house and the surrounding area.

Mari Landscaping is doing the work.

Denver airport security line

2007-11-08T12:13:00.001-08:00

Yet another line in life

Laid back 7

2007-10-27T17:27:00.001-07:00

7 after a hard day in Paso

Landscaping is sooooo close

2007-10-18T07:37:00.000-07:00

Landscaping is so close I can smell it. A mix of lavender, rosemary and sage. Wish me luck.

I just don't get it...

2007-09-17T07:40:00.000-07:00

Are all contractors incompetent asshats? Most likely not. Are most contractors manipulative bastards? Unlikely. But what is true is that a significant percentage of contractors are incompetent, manipulative asshats.
I mention this not because of my own experiences but with a friend of mine who lives on the east coast. The contractor they are working with has lied and manipulated them to such an extent that it should be criminal. While their situation is markedly different than mine, the excuses are the same, the shifting of blame is the same, and evasive, dismissive, communication is the same.

What I don't get is why some contractors manipulate the dreams that people have. How they play off your emotions. Continue to mislead you to cover their incompetence, ignore your request for truthful information and take advantage of the your desire to work to get your dream. Some contractors take your money, take your time and offer nothing but excuses in return.

If you are a honest contractor who lives up to their word, communicates effectively, and works with their customer to help them achieve their dream, thank you. If you are the contractor who makes excuses, manipulates your customers to cover up your incompetence, and refuses to take responsibility for ruining peoples dreams I hope the next client you take advantage of uses this medium we call the internet to let people know that you have liens against the homes you build, that you do not pay your subcontractors, that you consistently lied about your progress, and that overall you are a miserable human being that should not be allowed to ever put hammer to nail again.

I hear my friends pain and frustration. I understand much more than I would ever want to admit the hurt, the disgust, and the loathing they are now experiencing. I wish I could do more for them except listen and offer limited advice. I so wish I could pimp slap every contractor that treats people this way.

Stay strong, you will get through this.

Only in Paso

2007-09-01T19:54:00.001-07:00

Mom's 60th birthday n virginia

2007-07-22T13:19:00.001-07:00

Mom having fun on birthday

Paso is not red

2007-06-23T16:44:00.001-07:00

Guess where i am

Subway

2007-06-15T05:58:00.001-07:00

This is cool But warm this time of year

Lincoln Center Jazz

2007-06-14T19:29:00.001-07:00

Just a Ballad