Abundance

Sitting watching the rain on a Thursday afternoon, wondering what will come of it all as we venture further in the unknown of tomorrow......


......... In keeping with one of my previous posts in which I showcased the cupola of the Shelburne Farms breeding barn, I now present the cupola of the Teal Farm energy barn. Separated by about a century in their construction, a similar theme runs throughout yet one that has been manifested in completely different ways. Although each farm is about the same size in acreage, Teal Farm being technologically and aesthetically pleasing is far less awesome in its grandeur than Shelburne Farms. I guess the gilded era of times past had more of a pinach for hugeness. The scale and scope of vision at Teal Farm is far more impressive
than the actual built environment of the buildings and landscaping. The great cathedral builders of times past would be quite proud of the one hundred year plan in place at Teal Farm, one that incorporates and plans for the uncertain paradigm changes that are befalling humanity at the moment.
Teal Farm is, at best, a shining example of what human ingenuity can accomplish in the face of these trying times filled with global resource shortages, climate change, political instability, and economic contraction. The trick though is in the scalability of a model like this. How does the average farmer, builder or anyone not in a situation similar to the people behind Teal Farm, create a resilient network of systems that are flexible and adaptable to an ever changing cosmos? This question is something I shall be expounding upon for quite some time I imagine.
The following photos are from select projects that I have recently partaken in that are attempting in some way shape or form to tackle these problems in vastly different ways. The first is a timberframe shot, from a Yestermorrow class that deals almost exclusively in natural building techniques. The class builds a structure, in this case, a small mixed use building that is destined to become a community space. The ethic of bringing people together through either a timber frame raising or a mud stomping party is not only building a strong and resilient building but also a strong and resilient community; something that in essence will be much stronger than any building.


The next photo doesn't say much except through its wabi-sabi conotations. The three generations of siding board (one with a dried snake skin pressed onto it by natural forces) reinforce the general philosophy behind this structure. I'll leave the rest to your imagination and your thoughts with parting quote from Richard R. Powell ,"It (wabi-sabi) nurtures all that is authentic by acknowledging three simple realities:

nothing lasts,
nothing is finished,
and nothing is perfect."

The last photo is a picture of the greenhouse that I have been installing on the side of a barn at the Green Mountain Girls Farm in Northfield. They have a decent sized farm operation going on in which they have extensively planned and implemented their vision according to whole systems thinking.
Anyways, enough of the update for now. I've got to continue designing a suitable structure to reside in. My schemes have lead me to a place of desiring to create on my own terms for the most part while utilizing resources from the immediate area. The area in question being the property of the White Bucket Farm, located in the flood plains of Richmond upon the banks of the Winooski river. Till next time...

Hardship

Well, so begins another official chapter. The foreshadowing of previous entries can only allude to the inevitable outcome of what has yet been written. I've been spending the last week gathering my thoughts, material possessions and general wits about me in an attempt to live out some of my beliefs in this era of monumental paradigm change by simplifying my life to a radical extent. Having officially ended the Yestermorrow internship and commenced upon reentry into the "normal" world, I feel a mix of emotions that span the spectrum from joy and elation to trepidation. The "normal" world that I return to is one that is far different than the one I left. On a global scale; possible war on the Korean peninsula, influenza outbreaks, and the rest of the usual suspects and on a personal level; different work, different people that I am surrounded by and different places all coupled with a strange semi-nomadic existence. All in all its quite exciting to say the least!

Going forward, hardship.

Coming back, union.

The proper place possesses solidity.

Proceeding Humbly

The past four and half months at Yestermorrow have been an amazing and unforgettable experience, one that will surely shape me for years to come. A great philosopher once said something along the lines of " not knowing is the first step towards wisdom". Right now there is a lot that I don't know. I like that feeling. My perception towards the world is an always changing beast but at least now there is more of a solid foundation behind aspects of it which concern the essentials of food, shelter, and community. It is these three goals that are now driving me on this journey to where I know not where I will go. Its going to be fun!!

Fulfillment

After things have been accumulated, courtesy and righteousness should be fulfilled.

Thus, after Little Accumulation, Fulfillment follows.

Above is Heaven; below is Lake.

An image of Fulfillment.

In correspondence with this,

The superior person discriminates as to duty between high and low,

And sets people's minds at rest.

The Uncarved

For such a long time now, I have been fascinated by the Taoist ideal of the uncarved block to the extent that I actually would carry around a small rectangular block of wood to remind me of the nature of the uncarved along with possessing a large cut off from a beam that I found many years ago. The essence of the uncarved block is that of pure undifferentiated awareness before any concpetion is placed upon it similar to that of a piece of wood before the carvers gouge gets to ever remove any material. Most of the time, we, as fully developed humans are in a state of sculpted reality. Our views, thoughts, and reactions are all carved into us from the moment we begin to have a sense of self. What would it be like if we were to manifest and harness our pure untainted nature? One can only imagine.
It is with that mind set that I approached a week long Architechtural Woodcarving class. A fellow student and intern half jokingly said that I was going to spend the whole class carving a Yin Yang, yet another classic Taoist concept. I didn't quite carve one literally but I sure did carve the figurative version of it with the Dragon and the Phoenix.
Day one I carved the fish. Day two I carved the man in the tree. Days three through five I spent on the dragon and phoenix which is far from done but at least presentable in its current state.

Perception

Its interesting to think of the varied ways that people see. The essence of design, as I've mentioned before, is really a way of seeing. Not just a way of taking in light through the darkness of the eye's pupil and mentally processing it, but a way of experiencing as much of existence as possible and understanding and actualizing that experience in an attempt to become it so as to know the answer to the question of ....

"What am I designing and therefore bringing into creation?".

The answer on a most fundamental level seems to be that of one's life and therefore the lives of others because no man is an island and on the deepest level there is no other. The silence and the sound are one and the same. If for only a moment we all had that realization and then acted on it......

Nourishing

The depths of winter always bring a bittersweet flavor to the moment of existence for us warm blooded creatures. The beauty of the snows intermingled with the brutality of the cold are one of life's enduring mysteries. In a more ancient and balanced age, humans were at the mercy of the seasons, which most likely helped us be aware and understand the precarious niche we inhabit in the world. Yet with the advent of the modern age, we have fully distanced ourselves from the natural cycles that sustain. This separation has not been in total vain due to the fact that in the process of objective rationalism, birthed in the age of Enlightenment, we are able to fully understand many of the systems that sustain us on a scale that until now would have been unthinkable. Which brings me to the point that I am trying to make; the interconnectedness of the modern world and all the information and resources available to the 21st century monkey (us) we can do wonderful things, like grow lemons in Vermont in the dead of winter. It was a sight to see for sure. Granted their life cycle is assisted by petroleum products in the form of plastics and electricity but still the cost seems to be quite worth it. This particular lemon tree in question, according to the grower, Buzz, produced fifty lemons in the month of December alone. Not bad for tropical plant growing at 1,300 ft surrounded by snow at the base of some of Vermont's larger mountains.
It makes one think, especially in light of what is going on in the world today when the average piece of food on an Americans plate travels 1,500 miles, that up until not too long ago, everyone grew their own food or knew where it came from. How many people today have seen a chicken processing plant or a salmon farm? I know I haven't but in addition to the lemons, I also ate some fresh cherry tomatoes that had been growing since June and also scoped the four season chicken coop. Its great knowing that a revolution is happening, one that is rumbling in the fields and forests and dinner tables across this land, a revolution that is more of a remembering than a forging of a new path. We've all been their as a collective group at one point in the past and we will be there again. It just tastes really good when you get to actually take a bite of it on a cold February day when the sun is shining.

The Bailout Calculator

The Bailout Calculator

Temple Days...

A new stand
discovered again
in a more intimate
light of perspective,
under the story
of time
and the revealed rocks,
I turned
my awareness north
again to see.

Diversity

The soothing sounds of Tchaikovsky have relatively negated the early morning coffee jitters. Too much coffee is normally not a problem for me considering if need be I can take a nap soon after consumption but it becomes a problem when a) I am relegated to being in a chair and not being able to physically exert upon random tasks and b) staring at computer screens that happen to be tied into the Internet therefore allowing my stream of consciousness to run wildly afar from the task at hand. All in all, I am managing to maintain a degree of functional normalcy in light of whats really going on.
I am actually holed up in the Yestermorrow office for the weekend filing papers, making copies, doing computer work and obviously drinking copious amounts of coffee at no cost other than to my own personal health. I have to say though that being here is hopefully teaching me a good lesson and that is that I can't always have my cake and eat it too when it comes to the perspective of design/build. There is always going to those aspects of whatever work one has chosen to passionately pursue that are inherently at odds with ones true nature. I guess for me it happens to disciplined organization. I would much rather be involved in the creative aspect of concpetually birthing some element or actually shaping the physical universe to suit my needs especially if it involves being outside and away from this ticking clock that happens to be perched near by. I cant stand ticking clocks.
Maybe this evening I will continue with this....



The wood in the above picture is just your average cherry but when thinking of the life cycle of wood, its good to remind oneself of the fact that it is the flesh of a once living organism that in subjective terms is far more worthy of divine praise than we are. Wonderful creatures like these, some with names like The Lost Monarch, Hyperion, and Zeus. The following photos are from Richard Preston's site where he chronicles his adventures into the Grove of Titans and beyond.

And the band plays on...

Sometimes humor is the best medicine, especially when voiced by a small cartoon dog.

Developing Gradually

Well, here I am. Having survived my intensive two week journey down the rabbit hole of regenerative whole systems design theory and come out unscathed with something to show for it all, I feel pretty good overall. Having said that, it sure felt good to get outside this weekend, strap on the skis, stretch the legs, work on my beardcicle despite the biting chill and revel in the fact that, even though Myers-Briggs says I am an INTP "Architect", I don't think I have it in me to be confined to chairs and drafting tables for periods of intense duration. Design surely has its merits and is essential and as far as I am concerned, is more a way of seeing what is real and working in harmony with said reality rather than imprinting our own meager understandings and desires on it, which by its very nature is far more effective by design, whether intentional or not, than anything we will ever come up with.
The entire concept of whole systems thinking , really boils down to a series of metaphysical questions that are subjective to the one designing and therefore asking the questions. That seemed to me to be the hardest part of the whole class, asking the right questions. A difficulty that culminated at two in the morning with me designing of a tower that was created entirely out of Pabst Blue Ribbon cans which had a life cycle of about two minutes. A form of mental massage and cerebral release from the constraints of big picture thinking to say the least.
When thinking holistically about parts and wholes, the line that divides gets blurry. In a certain respect though, that is the end goal of whole systems thinking, the breaking apart of dualistic thought that has so plagued humanity and gotten us into this collective cluster of juggernaut proportions we are now in. One can only wonder how different the world would be if everyone perceived themselves as intrinsically linked and essentially no different than any other aspect of the created world, especially biological. One is left to wonder, mostly in awe.
And just to add inquisitiveness to imagination, I couldn't bring myself to separate the reality of my life and how it ,being a part in a whole, also encompassed the class and what I produced within it. I wasn't about to spend two weeks of my life filling my brain with valuable knowledge for the purpose of designing some fantasy homestead ungrounded from the realm of potential being when I could be focussing on a design that could in fact bear fruit. A much harder task than imagined considering that it really comes down to phases of implementation.
I in essence designed a concept aside from the specifics of a house and rough permaculture plan. A concept that I believe will be applicable to any situation and any environment due mostly to the fact that the inherent foundation of the design is a set of tools for seeing and hearing what the situation calls for. I realized, once again, the inherent life force in any process.

"what can be done with one substance must never be done with another. No two materials arealike. No two sites on earth are alike. No two buildings have the same purpose. The purpose, the site, the material determine the shape. Nothing can be reasonable or beautiful unless its made by one central idea, and the idea sets every detail. A building is alive, like a man"- Howard Roark

Seeking Harmony

An owl followed me around today
I, making footprints in snow
She, one with the silence
becoming one with the air
I labored to breath
All the while seeking harmony

Left Brain or Right Brain?

An interesting item that was brought up by one of the teachers of the class I'm in to demonstrate our perspectives of reality. Is the woman spinning clockwise or counter clockwise? Which way she spins is determined by which side of the brain you use. Counter clockwise is left brained and clock wise is right brained.

LEFT BRAIN FUNCTIONS
uses logic
detail oriented
facts rule
words and language
present and past
math and science
can comprehend
knowing
acknowledges
order/pattern perception
knows object name
reality based
forms strategies
practical
safe

RIGHT BRAIN FUNCTIONS
uses feeling
"big picture" oriented
imagination rules
symbols and images
present and future
philosophy & religion
can "get it" (i.e. meaning)
believes
appreciates
spatial perception
knows object function
fantasy based
presents possibilities
impetuous
risk taking