Projects Underway!

An unseasonably dry early January brought an unseasonably early garden installation season. Clients and contractors were making the best of the dry weather digging footings for walls and pouring new concrete pathways. Of course, last week's rains required that soils were covered in plastic and contractors moved on to other work. I thought I'd share some 'before' pictures and 'process' pictures with you in an effort to share some of the daily tasks of my design work.

I've been consulting with this client for many years. This year they decided to change some of the existing concrete paving and I consulted with them and the concrete contractor before and during the installation.
In this photo, you'll notice that I've sprayed the pattern for the expansion joints in the new concrete.

This is a remodeled version of the old pathway. The new pathway is further from the house and curvier than the old.

More expansion joints and the curve that leads into the existing pathway.

The concrete has been poured and was in the process of being finished when I took this photo. The expansion joints that run perpendicular to those that are visible are full of concrete cream and therefore can't be seen in this photo.

The new path.

On a different project the clients and I wanted a second route to the front door that brings visitors through a garden rather than up the driveway to the front door. The project includes a brick retaining wall, steps to a curved pathway which intersects a half-circle of lawn and terminates at a pre-existing concrete and brick pathway to the front door. 

The brick pathway terminates here.

New Seasons Market to Open in Eliot Neighborhood

I'm very...did you hear me? VERY! excited to have a New Seasons Market within 2 blocks of my house. New Seasons is expected to open sometime in 2013 in the lot that now occupies the highest concentration of the invasive shrub, Buddleia davidii in Portland (don't check that, I'm guessing!). How I've wished for a grocery that I could skip to with my trug, re-living my limited experience in the English Cotswolds. Upon a quick Google search, I found a link on BikePortland.org to the architectural drawings submitted for building permits. The new, one-story store will occupy an entire block sandwiched between Fremont, Vancouver, Williams and Ivy. I'm surprised to learn the new building is only one story and feel certain there must be a height restriction. Why else would such prime real-estate in inner Portland be limited to the horizontal plane? I have so many questions! How will traffic in an already congested area deal with such a large store plunked down in the middle of it? I hope for decreased speed limits and crosswalks. As it is, crossing these streets during rush hour is very difficult.
...Did you hear me? I'm so excited that New Seasons Market is coming to my neighborhood!

The following photos illustrate the existing site.

I'm standing across the street from the city block that N.S. will occupy.
Williams is the street to the left in the photo which heads north and intersects with Fremont street.

Turning to my left, I see the lot that New Seasons will occupy.

Turning further to my left, I see the mass of Buddleia.

...and more Buddleia...

Obscure the View

Obscuring the view creates intrigue. When a viewpoint is partially hidden, the viewpoint becomes more interesting. The space between our eyes and the viewpoint is lengthened by the object that partially obscures the view.

Walking on the Eastbank Esplanade, I noticed this great example of obscuring the view. In this case, the view of downtown Portland is obscured by the downward lines and contorted trunks of willow trees.

Here the viewpoint of the green tree is partially obscured by the grasses in front of it and the concrete curb that pulls our eye to the right and  out of site. The view is layered and complex. If this area were not so loud, I'd stand and stare at this view for hours!....well maybe not hours!

A Garden....what is it to you?

My garden is a place that feeds me. I find natural beauty and comfort there, it is my laboratory for experimentation with art, plants, space, scale, texture, form, dimension, color and light, it is habitat for birds and other wildlife, a place for gatherings of family and friends and the place where I begin and end my days. In the winter months just looking at the garden through the windows of my house gives me great pleasure. Currently, I am at peace with my garden which is not always the case!

My garden, and all gardens, are always in a state of process. In process there is disruption and unsettledness. In the state of disruption and unsettledness there can be discomfort and frustration. You know that feeling when you create something that isn't quite right but you can't figure out what isn't right about it and why it isn't right? I love this challenge!

In 2009 we installed a water feature. It is a craggy rock sitting on a steel pedestal with steel screens behind it. I enjoyed the the look of the craggy rock and the steel screens behind it, I loved the many birds that bathe and drink from it and the sound? ....well, I wanted to like the sound but didn't.

I knew the scale wasn't right and decided that I needed to re-design the water tank/pool. The new water feature was installed last month and I think/hope it is on the right track. The sound is right, the scale of the stone-to-pool-to-screen is right, the birds still love it and when I get it planted I hope that I'll like it too!

Sometimes it takes time to name the problem and then find the solution to the problem. 

An old friend once told me of the importance of allowing ourselves to create the imperfect and live with it. Living with the imperfect, instructs me to be more in the moment, to deeply investigate, to really see what I am looking at and challenges me to persevere to the calm, peaceful state.

What is your garden to you? If you don't have a garden, how do you describe one?

Happy Holidays!

Floating Leaf

Be forewarned that I'm going to expose you to my first video taken with my first iPhone (and/or smart phone) and my first attempt at using YouTube. 

So... one morning last week, I walk out to my truck and notice a floating leaf in the air approximately 5 feet from the ground. Giggling, I investigate. Just what is holding this leaf in the air, I ask?

....I know, I know, we are KNOW what is holding this leaf but let us investigate further nonetheless.

I begin by sweeping my hand through the air to locate from where the leaf is hanging. The leaf moves with each sweep of my hand. At this point, I am gleefully laughing out loud (and look completely crazy standing in the middle of the street waving my arm through the air laughing only to myself).

In child-like amusement,  a thought occurs to me, I have a iPhone... which is also a camera! I take a few photos and THEN realize I also have video capabilities. So I take my first video holding my iPhone with my left hand continuing to move the leaf through the air with my right. 

Spider webs are amazing!

Happy Hanukkah

Happy Festival of Lights!
Happy Winter Solstice!
Happy Birthday, Mom!