Elements & Components

I like things that have well defined elements of age. This copper water pipe protruding from a wall surrounding a concrete vat somewhere in Napa Valley caught my attention. The natural patina on the bottom of the pipe took some time to form. Upon closer examination, however, you can tell by the condition of the concrete that this structure hasn't been in place more than perhaps a few years. Give it another 20 years or so of full-time exposure to the sun and the wind and the rain and it will likely take on a completely different level of character. A hundred more years and the guys who built it should also be worthy of contemplation regarding what their individual lives looked like when they weren't pouring concrete and installing water pipe.

This gate was fairly new when I snapped the picture. I took it because I liked the strong and utilitarian simplicity of the manner in which it was constructed. I'm no architect or designer, but I like things that work properly and are built to last. My guess is this gate will stand where it is way past "long enough" for the metal to rust appropriately and the wood to weather gracefully. Holy snot....am I beginning to sound like a professional HGTV design guy or did someone invite the Schwan's delivery guy over for coffee?

This rope and hardware holds up a nice wooden swing on the front porch of a unique restaurant Sue and I sampled while on a trip west a while back. I thought it was a good example of something that was done right the first time. In addition to buildings that are well constructed, I find I'm drawn to structures that contain unique and contrasting building components. In this case, rope and steel fasteners along with painted and bare wood, gave this building an inviting atmosphere and look. My guess is most folks don't sit around analyzing why they like a particular building or structure--they just know they like it. I've started looking closer at structures I like at first glance, in an effort to discern specifically why I like it. Sometimes I take pictures with the intent of remembering these various components, so I might one day incorporate some of them into our home, cabin or barn. Or, maybe I'll try my hand at constructing something cool that can be used for a specific purpose while contributing to the overall landscape. I'll keep you posted.

PS. I mentioned a while back that I'd keep you posted on the planned distillery project Kleitus and I had dreamed up. Upon further review, we decided that our time, and the world, might be better served if we focused more of our attention on some other mutual project. We also realized there are at least several bevy's of folk around the world right now working feverishly in an effort to make enough booze so that everyone who has the desire can get and remain stoned as often as they choose--daily for those who's lives are built primarily around booze. We were hit with the realization that two aging baby boomer-goomers distilling whiskey out of view in a relatively remote location, might not actually be such a great idea. Left to our own devises we might someday find ourselves "coming to" in a stooper wondering where the last 20 years went. As occasionally occurs with individuals of our gender, clearer heads prevailed!