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Seems very appropiate for the industry
I can only please one person per day. Today is not your day. Tomorrow is not looking good either.
Who takes credit for this?
Oh, silver tree!
Oh, shining rivers of the soul!
In a Harlem cabaret
Six long-headed jazzers play.
A dancing girl whose eyes are bold
Lifts high a dress of silken gold.
Oh, singing tree!
Oh, shining rivers of the soul!
Were Eve’s eyes
In the first garden
Just a bit too bold?
Was Cleopatra gorgeous
In a gown of gold?
Oh, shining tree!
Oh, silver rivers of the soul!
In a whirling cabaret
Six long-headed jazzers play.
—Langston Hughes.
[In the Wasatch Mountains, Utah.]
Beware of the man who works hard to learn something, learns it, and finds himself no wiser than before. . . . He is full of murderous resentment of people who are ignorant without having come by their ignorance the hard way.
—Kurt Vonnegut
This is so ridiculous a statement I don’t know whether to be mad or cry, or have a stiff drink-I think I’ll have a stiff drink:
Landscape professionals rely on computer programs “100 percent,” most often choosing Rhinoceros or Maya, according to Mark Thomann, design director at Balmori Associates, a Manhattan-based landscape architecture firm.
The NYTimes is gullible for quoting this guy, and this is more evidence that New Yorkers don’t know there is a whole entire country to the left of them. Some using more than a computer.
It’s not just me, Mike Linn’s classes continue to sell out almost everywhere he appears . . . designers like the pen in their hand, the ability to sketch on-site. Manhattan-who knows?
Here’s the entire story . . . which is laughable in itself if you think some software will make you a designer, teaching you design principles, light, shadow, mood, soils, water, drainage, emotion, function, usable space, utility space, compost, plant life, spacing, growth by region, color, water, irrigation, electrical lines, bed preparation, form, texture, base material for walkways and installing, ponds, fish, bird habitats, ground plane to vertical relationships, art and science, fencing codes/style/application, evening light, and on and on . . .
Here’s a good one:
Technical fumbling aside, gardening by computer can be kind of fun.
Yeah who needs sunlight, the wind in your hair(I said your hair-not mine), smelly dirt, weeds, mulch, rain on your face, the soft sound of the water hose, mosquito’s, basil on your fingertips, Japanese beetles, that 1st tomato . . . for me: it was/is the standing back at the end of the day and saying . . . “yeah, I did that”
Heck no!
Garden in the computer-it’s fun!
She’s got a plan in hand for the fall . . . New Yorker’s . . . . sheesh.
“A guru can cook for you, but can’t eat for you” -Baba Hari Dass
“When bankers get together for dinner they discuss art. When artist get together for dinner they discuss money”. -Oscar Wilde
The truest mark of greatness is insatiability”. –Henry Fielding
.
.
“A leaf falls-
fluttering.
The Earth reaches up-
grabbing it“
-written in one of my sketch books.
Here’s a story that has caught me a little off-guard today. According to the New York Times, Discovery Communications will make the announcement today to move the Discovery Home network to a Green Channel. I admit I was surprised when I 1st read this, then as I started writing about the branding change it seemed to make sense.
The home improvement market is over-saturated(network-wise) you got Discovery Home, DIY Network, HGTV, TLC, and all the other shows on various networks, and let’s face it . . . most of the info is not very good, presented poorly, based on lowest common denominator, and always looking for the cheap way to do things(my thoughts). Too much of the same ol’ smae ol’, over and over. What I find really maddening is, it seems every show is produced by the same person. Here’s some of the reasoning for the new branding be the Discovery people:
In addition to satisfying the interests of viewers, Mr. Zaslav said that advertisers now have distinct green budgets in the same way that they have online budgets.
Mr. Zaslav said that the Discovery Channel and its offspring, which includes the Animal Planet and the Learning Channel, have always championed environmental causes like wildlife preservation. However, the new cable channel would specifically promote an environmentally friendly lifestyle.
He noted that the channel would be in more homes — 50 million — than the media baron Rupert Murdoch’s anticipated business news channel, which is expected to start later this year.
Here’s to hoping that the new network doesn’t produce every show in the same way. A 20-something with no real experience in the required field shows us the before and afters of the new green laundry room;
Shows the before laundry room (slow pan by camera) 3 times, and here’s the after (slow pan by camera) 4 times. With the happy couple proudly displaying their wheat-germ detergent, and their fresh and clean hemp undies. I shudder to think.
Kidding aside. It’s apparent the sustainability movement is picking up serious momentum. Discovery Communications wouldn’t make this move unless they thought the viewers were there, enough viewers to have the channle make money.
From my perspective. I am still not getting a lot of request to focus on the sustainability/green movement in residential landscapes. The mantra continues to be . . . low maintenance, we want low/no maintenance, or at the higher end, service contracts are invloved in the design/build process.
Something else I thought was interesting from the NY Times article was this:
For the last two weeks, the main Discovery Channel has gained acclaim and viewers for a documentary series, “Planet Earth,” which it produced with the British Broadcasting Corporation and began showing two Sundays ago.
Asked if the rebranding of Discovery Home suggested that some of the company’s other 14 domestic channels might also be rebranded, Mr. Zaslav said he was looking closely at the portfolio.
Where Discovery Home was concerned, he said he wanted to differentiate the channel by featuring topics like home improvement, cooking and gardening. The channel’s current lineup includes shows with titles like “Cookin’ in Brooklyn,” “Toolbelt Diva” and “Garden Police.”
“The channel is doing well economically,” Mr. Zaslav said, “but it’s not serving this higher purpose.”
To hear corporate types talk about higher purpose brings out the cynic in me. Higher purpose, was does that mean to the bean counters at the network?
Finally the bigger question for me . . . what in the world is going to happen to the Garden Police?
[A entry rendering, done with sharpies]
- “Some lives are tragic, some ridiculous. Most are both at once.”-Edward Abbey, writer and activist
- “To wait for luck is the same as waiting for death.” -Japanese proverb
- “Everyone has got the will to win, its only those with the will to prepare that do win” -Bobby Knight
I noticed that a lot of other site’s particularly garden sites are always showing off their gardens. Well as a Professional Landscape Designer I thought it was high time I showed off my very own garden space(s).
Stuff I have been working very hard on, very hard. So I am excited to share this with my readers. I really like the new shed that I had designed and built myself.
The screen door against the fence is great also, it’s one of those ephemeral pieces, you know . . . they don’t last long-going to fall apart over a short time period.
Lastly; the big Kahuna is the pergola, whatever I could find I kind of threw together and came up with this awesome overhead structure . . . it’s great! . . . isn’t it?
I’d have to say the patio is pretty nice also, but I cannot take credit for it . . . . alas, it was already there.
[Rick Anderson's very own patio space . . .]
Great stuff . . . did I get you? Well happy AlL Ph0Ols DAy! Join me in celebrating one of the most understated holidays in the History of mankind. A day full of greatness, wackiness, mirth and merriment. Today is easily the most understated holiday of the year . . . All Fools Day!
“April 1st: This is the day upon which we are reminded of what we are on the other three-hundred and sixty-four.” — Mark Twain
“You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.” ~Abraham Lincoln
“A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools.” ~Douglas Adams
“We’re fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance.” ~Japanese Proverb
“You will do foolish things, but do them with enthusiasm.” -Colette, in New York World-Telegram and Sun, 1961
“Lord what fools, these mortals be”. -William Shakespeare
Finally:
Phools, Fool, n, One who lacks judgement or sense; a silly or stupid person; one who is ridiculous or stupid; a dupe; a idiot; a maroon; an incompetent boob; a complete an total dumbass. -last seen on a Rick Anderson t-shirt April 1st, 1995
Why am I so pumped about this day? Why the enthusiasm? Well it’s a great day! Yes it is indeed true, on April 1st, 1956 the universe split wide open and a time shift occurred . . . thereby dropping me on Earth’s doorstep. Heaven help us all.
[RA . . . back in the day]
[Ash Cave, I probably took this Summer of 2005.]
- “The Bradford Pear is the most over rated tree in the U.S”. -Dr. M. Cathey, 2/22/90
- “Everything moves in life-so gardens should have . . . movement/motion”. -Jim Chadwick 2/91
- “People will tell you what they want-but they don’t mean it”. -Jim Chadwick 2/91. Referring to Designer/Client interview.
- “As civilization advances we become less and less in tune with nature”. -Robert Berkibile 2/15/91(quoting?)
- “Knowledge is control over nature-old quote. Knowledge is empathy with nature-the new way”. Robert Berkibile 2/15/91
Finally Darrell Morrison from a lecture in ‘91 on Characteristics of Natural Design:
- Mystery
- Intricacy Detail
- Sense of Place
- Change over Time
- Sustainable Landscapes
Using the above 5 characteristics the Landscape Designer can create a Naturally Evolving Landscape.
For me the highlight of Friday’s talk was Dan Heath who has written a book along with his brother Chip, the name of the book is Made to Stick, a very popular business book. This is something ANLA usually does very well. Bring in an Author or two who have a new/hot —business/motivation book out that applies to how we can improve our personal or business lives.
The title of his talk was: What Sticks? The 6 Hooks of Successful Ideas. It was a lively well-thought out, well-delivered presentation. Concerning the 6 Hooks/Principles are:
- Simple
- Unexpected
- Concrete
- Credible
- Emotional
- Stories
posted, 12/00/06
” It’s a good thing I had a bag of marijuana. If I had a bag of spinach, I’d be dead by now.” -Willie Nelson
posted, 12/19/06
I believe that water is the only drink for a wise man. ~Henry David Thoreau
Filthy water cannot be washed. ~African Proverb
“Throughout the history of literature, the guy who poisons the well has been the worst of all villains…” -ANON
“Water is a very good servant, but it is a cruel master.”
C.G.D. Roberts, “Adrift in America”, 1891
“You could not step twice into the same rivers; for other waters are ever flowing on to you.”
Heraclitus of Ephesus
“When you drink the water, remember the spring”
Chinese Proverb
“When the well is dry, we learn the worth of water”
Benjamin Franklin
“The stone in the water knows nothing of the hill which lies parched in the sun.”
African Proverb
My thanks to Samuel Clemens for the title quote, thanks again Mr. Twain.
The above falls was built from Colorado fieldstone, the falls in the photo is about 18inches high, and running about 1700 gallons per hour regarding the rate of flow.
My hope is to use this site to spread some info about the art and practice of Landscape Design. It is a very misunderstood profession; I do not cut grass like the next door neighbor's cousin who carries 3 mowers and a blower in the back of his truck.
I will also pass along comments on industry happenings, events, etc., and any maybe a few other adventures going on in my world-after all this is "my" blog. Thanks for stopping by and taking a look. Questions? Drop me an e-mail.
rick (at) whisperingcraneinstitute (dot) com
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