Now for Something a Little Different

I found this block of fieldstone near Lyon Falls in the Mohican State Park, close to Loudonville, Ohio.

[ Now that's a strange wear pattern. ]

So are those cuts/markings from the WPA*(Here’s a great article about Ohio’s “Tree Army”) guys back in the 20’s? 1920’s that is . . . But they would not have saws to make the side cuts-then chisel out the slices.

Jack-hammers . . . probably, but not saws like we think of today . . . like a “quickie-saw” or a kwik-kut saw. No none of those nice new power saws for these guys.

However. It sure looks like it was sliced out to help in making the pathway safer to walk, especially on the left. But why all the cutting on the right . . . if that’s what that is.

I find this very peculiar . . . why? Why do I find this stone peculiar?

Well look at it from my perspective. I have now been to every one of these State Parks in Ohio that have a lot of this Ohio sandstone formation(s) in the parks, and no where, I mean nowhere have I seen these type of marks, cuts, slices . . . whatever you want to call it.

I’ve seen a lot of places where the WPA guys carved, sliced, drilled split into stone for steps or access, but nothing quite like this and I thought this oddity would be worth sharing.

What ever the reason it sure is one hell of an interesting look.

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Addendum*: The Work Projects Administration came about through a Franklin D. Roosevelt initiative to put men and women back to work during the Great Depression.

Addendum** :

I have not found too many images of the actual work being done during the depression on these sandstone formations. That looks like the steps going down into Cedar Falls. I cannot be absolutely sure but that rounded over rock to the right looks familiar.

The article refers to the Civilian Conversation Corp(CCC) if I understand things correctly the CCC was part of the WPA.

Addendum: 12 notable WPA projects still standing, of course their still standing these were projects built by men and women with great integrity. These folks were part of the Greatest Generation or the parents of the Greatest Generation.

Addendum: A tip of my hat to my grandfather Porter Anderson and his brother Scott who worked on several WPA projects including the renovation of Cleveland-Massillon Rd from dirt to those beautiful old street bricks. Bricks that were made to last. On roads that were made to last-if they had been able to forecast the millions of cars, and semi tractor-tralier rigs!

Where We Work

There I was the other day sitting between my desk/table contemplating my work, that’s when it hit me.

My office space doesn’t work.

I’m not happy.

I spend/spent too much time bent over, especially when I was working on details . . . which is a lot of the time. It’s in those details and paying attention to those details that separates my work(at least I’d like to think so).

So I made the commitment to fix the way I work on these drawings.

I went out and got this table. Yeah! No more leaning over the board in an awkward angle trying to get things just right.

[ What a difference, working upright saves the lower back. ]

The small rack on the wall is from a old hardware store. It was some sort of display case-the middle section is a door fronted with chicken wire. It’s where I keep my Netsuke collection, Chops, Stamps, and other oddities.

The other side(see below) stayed the same-for now. I have no problem with this size flat table, if it were a couple of feet wider and a lose a foot on the depth . . . that would be perfection.

Two windows, one to the top of this picture(East facing) and one to the left(North facing) side of photo. That wall to the left is a solid bookcase wall(need to post that).

[ With this balance I'm able to balance several projects at once. ]

I have a few more changes I need to make including the desk where the larger desktop computer now resides . . . the desk it sits in now needs more hide storage and I do not like the aesthetics, I want something that looks better.

Along those lines I found some very interesting studies/offices/workspaces of other “creative types”. This article was in the Guardian and if this subject interest you, you’ll wind up looking at most if not all of these very personal workspaces.

Here are a couple that caught my eye:

This is the study of David Hare and I like it. It’s easy to see that the space is very personal to David and that it’s easy to see he spends a lot of quality time here.

Link to take you to the page with above photo and some discussion about why Briggs like this space.

Here’s another space, totally different from above, and totally different from mine. It’s easy to see right off that a illustrator lives here:

There’s a lot going on here, but the key is-it works. The person who works here has everything where it needs to be for them, and the personal touches, enough to distract from boredom or focus when crunch time happens.

Direct link to the page, with description.

What’s your space?

How/where do you work? Does it work for you? Is it a space you have to share with others? Stuck in a cubicle?

No offense to those of you who work in a cubicle . . . but never again. I spent a brief period of time in a cubicle and that was enough. I don’t know how you do it?

Anyway . .. if you’re feeling motivated send me some pics of where you work and tell me how you like your situation, or don’t like your situation. I’d really like to see them.

If you do let me know if it’s okay to post them on here. Maybe we can learn better ways to design/develop our own spaces by seeing how other Designer’s/ Creative Types spend their time.

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Addendum: If my office pics look familiar it’s because I posted those not long ago. I was feeling the need to post a couple images of my cluttered desktop. It seemed like a good thing to do at the time

Interest vs. Commitment

Do you have an interest in changing your life?

Are you willing to make the commitment?

Do you want to be a Professional Landscape Designer? How about working for yourself and not for the man?

If you’re thinking about this or some other goal, and just continue to think about it without really acting on this “interest” . . . that’s exactly what you have an interest.

Instead of a commitment to make the real change-to make the big change . . . to go for it.

In other words

It’s like a Bacon and Eggs breakfast

The chicken has an interest in making a better breakfast . . . now the pig, he’s committed.

Go past the doubts, the fears, the anxiety . . . become that pig.

Killer Mulch? . . . A Follow Up

A couple of post back I wrote about a Gardener who was killed by mulch; more specifically a mold called Aspergillus. Which has generated quite the interest.

Topping that off I have received some interesting e-mail about Aspergillus, and some good information on the subject.

This information points to the fact that dying from Aspergillus mold is really extremely rare and very unlikely to happen to the landscape contractor or gardener.

Rather than me trying to paraphrase let me post the entire comment from Dr Graham Atherton who was kind enough to write a reply about mold and the unlikelyhood(is that a word???) of contracting the disease-let alone dying from Aspergillus:

Hi There

I came across your concerns while doing my regular checks of news on Google. I run the Aspergillus Website (http://www.aspergillus.org.uk) which has an expert board on all aspects of aspergillus illnesses, including US and UK medical specialists. We are non-profit funded by charity here in the UK.

This unfortunate death of an apparently healthy person – they had no known problems with their immune system – serves to outline the potential dangers of working with rotting material. Such cases are very rare unless the person has an illness that is damaging their immune system (i.e. the system that fights infection in healthy people). Anyone that is undergoing treatment that suppresses their immune system (eg some cancers, transplant patients, some diabetics) should avoid working with rotting material or disturbing the soil while their illness persists as both activities can release clouds of spores into the air.

In this case the person involved seems to have had their immune system completely overwhelmed by breathing in huge quantities of spores which were than able to grow throughout their body with disastrous effect.

It is apparent that even completely healthy people should show rotting material a lot of respect and to handle it carefully – avoid breathing in clouds of spores by opening bags of rotting compost away from your face for example. Working with compost on windy days may also help prevent clouds building up.

Further questions? Go to our Q&A board at http://www.aspergillus.org.uk/secure/phorum-5.2.7/index.php

I’d also like to thank Margaret for all her time and help in posting a comment and e-mailing me a lot of good follow-up information . . . thanks Margaret!

Bottom line . . . mulch away, but stay out of the old rotten wood, especially if you have some existing problem(s) like those stated above.

The Top 100

Lawn and Landscape’s top 100 landscape companies is now online. To me the biggest surprise was the blurb about earnings.

In 2006 the average growth for the top 100 was 17 percent(pretty good stuff), in 2007 growth was down-7.7 percent. That’s quite a difference. The top 100 did over 7 billion dollars in business.

Lawn and Landscape also shows the list by states, Illinois(15), California(14), and Florida(14) were the top 3 states with Maryland(9) and Texas(6) rounding out the top five. What that top 5 says to me is that there’s a lot of business in cities like Chicago and Atlanta, and a lot of corporate work in the Washington D.C. area.

I can back up that Chicago/Atlanta remark with the fact that I know a lot of folks in the industry living in those two cities. The opportunities for work are there.

Looking at this list points out a another big point . . . there’s a lot of money to be made in the maintenance business. Look at the names at the top:

• Tru-Green
• Valley Crest
• The Brickman Group
• The Davey Tree Expert Co.
• Scotts Lawn Service Co.

When you look at that 5 . . . to me . . . 4 jump out as guys who do serious maintenance work. Believe me these are not “Mow and Blow guys”.

Which one doesn’t belong? . . . You ask.

Valley Crest, at least what I know about them, lots of large install work including Vegas. If you’re a youngster and looking to break into the maintenance side, bid-install large work, commercial, industrial, corporate these guys are for you.

For those of you not familiar with the top 100 list and how you get on that list let me throw one word at you . . . acquisition.

Acquisition, that’s a big word in this industry and according to this years list a trend that continues to be a major part of this business.

The Future:

What thing I am really curious about is the coming collision between sustainability and the American quest for perfect lawn turf. I don’t think they go hand and hand. Perfect turf need help, those of us in the business for some time know this to be true . . . it doesn’t quite jibe with organic.

So whadda we got . . . “organic vs. obsession”.

Something’s gotta give . . . doesn’t it? Doesn’t it.

I’m gonna guess if there were a lot of comments on this question the typical homeowner would want the beautiful grass. The rabid gardener would respond with a ”who the hell cares about a perfect lawn”, and the the industry professional with;

I get paid to create lush, green, weed-free, perfect lawns. No one pays me to be organic and weedy.

There is some movement toward organic fertilizers, organic applications to remove weeds, but that doesn’t answer the watering question, and the run-off from over watering.

Like I say, it’ll be interesting to see how the big buys respond to the sustainable movement.

Is it a real movement to Green, or is it all talk, and no show . . . style over substance . . . which is really the American way.

An appreciation of Stone (41)

This is another example of great craftsmanship, skill, and pride in one’s work.

[ Just spectacular handwork. ]

Here’s another example from the same castle/residence.

[ Stone work, it doesn't get any better than this. ]

Everyone should have a front door like this . . . shouldn’t they? Shouldn’t we?

Texturing, the hand work, attention to detail, the layering of elements. Certainly the height of the craft in the 1880’s in Cincinnati, Ohio, or any other city for that matter.

Aspergillus kills English Gardener

How many of you in this industry are familiar with this?

FOXNEWS.COM HOME > HEALTH
Gardeners Warned After Wood Fungus Kills Man, 47

Friday, June 13, 2008

A 47-year-old man died while gardening after inhaling a mold known as Aspergillus, which grows on compost and decaying wood, BBC News reported Thursday.

The man, who lived in Buckinghamshire, England, was working with rotting wood and plant mulch in his garden in May 2007 when he developed severe breathing problems, a fever and muscle pain.

The incident is detailed in this week’s online edition of the medical journal The Lancet, with the headline “A Warning to Gardeners.”

X-rays showed his lungs were severely inflamed and doctors initially treated him with antibiotics, thinking it was pneumonia.

Later, tests determined he had inhaled Aspergillus, and he was given anti-fungal treatments, but it was too late.

Medical experts suggest using a face mask and said those who notice any breathing problems after gardening should seek medical attention immediately.

I’ve heard mention of Aspergillus, but not of the severity.

Is it a problem here in the U.S.? I am curious about this because I have dealt with a lot of mulch in my lifetime in this business, and have never had any problems, knock on wood.

I did a little checking and found the complete lowdown about Aspergillus mold at the Dr. Fungus website, that’s right Dr. Fungus.

I was unable to find anything about other deaths or problems, so if you’ve heard anything, pass it along.

This would not prevent me from using hardwood mulch-ever . . . . . however, it will make me look twice at a pile of “old” mulch or woodchips.

I am not Mike Holmes

I know everyone is having a tough time dealing with the fact that Mike has been dumped from television in the USA, including me, and in this case me is not Mike Holmes.

I have a lot of respect for Mike and if you’ve been following this blog you know about my respect for Mike, and what he stands for in his profession, and the profession of being a contractor.

Here’s one of the comments I received recently:

My name is Karen Collins, I am a member of the Janvtville United Church. We our a small but MIGHTY parish. A lot of our parish our elderly and we our working hard fund raising to put Handicap Access so they can attend services. They work very hard to raise funds for many charities and it seems a shame that they cannot attend our church. Because our church is very old we need upgrades to being the process. I thought that repairing this old building would make a good segment on your t.v show. If you could do this it would be like a small miracle, as we our a very small group and usually can keep up with with all our needs but this one is a little BIG for us.

Sounds like Karen is in a jam, but I am in no position to help her. I have been looking at Mike’s site . . . (worth your time by the way) and cannot quite figure out where to forward the above comment.

Here’s another comment I’ve received . . . to Mike:

If you really want to know the whole story on my family please use our e-mail address and we will explain everything to you guys…..I realize you have tons of people writing to you everyday but I really hope i can get some help here. Our house has been broke into 2 times since we have been here and nobody can seem to find out who is doing it.

Another guy who sounds like he needs some real help and no longer knows where to turn. I am actually wondering why they are not getting through to his site, but instead to mine.

Again-here is the direct link to the Mike Holmes website.

I am amazed at the number of hits to this website I get every day looking for info on Mike and the Holmes on Homes TV show

Interruption time:

I would now like to shout out a big thanks to the shallow, superficial, nonsensical Plant Green network which has replaced the Discovery Home channel(still can’t figure out how American Chopper is part of the PG network).

In replacing the Discovery Home channel Mike has been knocked off TV in the USA.

Search continues:

With this network change folks are on the lookout for where Mike will land. I truly believe that people want to see shows where home improvement is discussed in a serious manner. Where the host/top personality is not out of central casting for a TV comedy.

The information is relevant, solid to the point. It’s not shallow-it’s about integrity. About standing by your word. Standing behind your work.

Not designing and building on the cheap, but using the correct materials in a professional manner.

Not applying a coat of paint to hide some flaws and sell a house, but to dig into the problem, replace faulty products and build a solid future.

Integrity, quality, craftsmanship people are hungry for this type of information and quality, so the search for Mike continues.

I am not Mike Holmes

I do not want to be Mike Holmes(I like me, and who I am) However I wouldn’t mind being more like Mike Holmes.

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Addendum: The Holmes Foundation . . . from Mike:

Back in 2001 I had the idea for the TV show that ultimately became Holmes on Homes™ because I was constantly being hired to do renovations a second time. I had to constantly fix bad work done by other so-called contractors. I hated doing things the second time and I hated the toll bad renovations took on families. Sometimes families spent their life savings trying to create their dream home and instead ended up with no occupancy permit…or a home full of mould…or a dirt foundation…or ice dams on the roof…or crumbling stucco. You name it, I saw all sorts of screw-ups. And I saw that people’s lives were often devastated as a result.

Here’s a little more:

Skilled trades jobs pay well, and are creative and rewarding. I love being a contractor and so do most of the people I work with. The goal of The Holmes Foundation is to get people to understand and respect construction and the construction trades so that parents, teachers and students will consider these trades when thinking about careers. Please help me get the message out.

Pierre Boitard

A interesting looking book just sold on e-bay for $1.031.00 Not bad for a 1834 book on Garden Architecture.

Here’s a blurb on the listing:

Pierre Boitard’s 1834 Manuel de L’Architecte des Jardins. Handsomely bound in red morocco, this very rare volume presents an unparalleled picture of every aspect of garden landscaping and garden architecture in the 19th century. None have been sold at auction in twenty-five years and the only institutional copy we could locate is in the British Library. The only copy for sale on the Internet is a later (1845) edition priced at $2398. We offer our 1834 copy without reserve.

I’ve pulled a couple of pages/illustrations from the listing that I found interesting.

[ Examples of 'clipping" work ca1834. ]

Here’s another.

[ It appears the mowers are at work. ]

Here’s the title page

[ The book looked to be in good shape for it's age. ]

I bring this book up because it’s good to know where we have been, and how others in the profession face challenges and came up with solutions. Granted it’s a little different style/class of client but design principles are design principles.

This style of design is worth studying because there are principles to be learned from, borrowed from and used in the present day.

So good reading to the new lucky reader of this great looking book. It’s on this page, not sure how long it will be here, but I’ll post it anyway.

One last look from the book.

[some gate, wrought iron possibilities. ]

Interesting stuff

From the Sketchbook (6)

[ Just doodling away. ]

I guess I was in one of those moods where I was feeling like drawing people in a far, far, away place.

Hey “Alter Eco” . . . you Suck

Okay, 7 minutes into this supposedly hot new show on this hot new network-Planet Green, I’m calling it. BS . . .

Building a shower so you can line up 12-13 “babes doesn’t impress me, actually the whole premise is dumb as hell.

It’s no wonder that mainstream America thinks this whole movemont is nutso, whacky, fruit and granola . . . way to set back those of us who really care, thanks a lot.

Hey dude, “living the greenlife”!

Or the host says “hey look, I’m gonna build my really cool garden and live off my land“. A minute later he jumps because he thinks he sees a snake . . what bullshit.

Okay the “green” girl shows up on a bike and she’s a eco-maniac.

I don’t think I can watch much more.

Addendum: The eco-maniac babe just asked someone at the framer’s market, how/where she gets good soil . . . yeah, a real eco-maniac.

Still Driving me Crazy

It doesn’t matter.

It just doesn’t matter how many times I see it . . . I still go nuts.

It’s junk, it’s lazy, it’s “I don’t give a damn”. It’s certainly pathetic.

[ What's really sad . . . it's everywhere. ]

Look, I understand that some people have severe budgets to deal with, but why do some(most) developers of American strip malls emasculate/whack/obliterate any chance a landscaper has of putting something decent in front of their latest money-making venture?

Why? Why? Why?

Flip side

Why does said contractor, “designer” give up. Yes the budget is bare bones but there are ways to be a little creative here.

• Hold onto the evergreens for seasonal interest and to hold the scene together.
• Get rid of the McDonalds scheme . . . “a red one then a gold one”. I mean c’mon.
• Every shrub installed is the same shape, giving the low-budget maintenance guy a chance to power shear every shrub into the same gumdrop . . .
• Plant some perennials, even if they’re quart sizes, add some live groundcover, cluster the evergreens . . . and for the same money you got a little something. Something.

Sheeesh, these guys are driving me crazy.

Folks can talk about ”being green” and environmentally friendly, and sustainable all they want; but frankly, I still see this junk being put in all over.

And it’s driving me crazy.