Showing posts with label street. Show all posts
Showing posts with label street. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
This Time of Year Again
Daffodils and Oemleria blooming - classic and sure signs of spring in Portland, OR
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Potholes as street planters
What do you see? A street in need of repair, or an opportunity to plant flowers? A crack in the facade of impermeable surfaces? An invitation for life to take root?
In the environmental fantasy Ecotopia (1975, Ernest Callenbach), a reporter from the east coast has finally been allowed into Cascadia, long seceded from the United States. He writes about his first impressions of the transformed streets of San Francisco:
"Since practically the whole street area is "sidewalk," nobody worries about obstructions - or about the potholes which, as they develop in the pavement, are planted with flowers."
One of my dearest dreams for Portland also shows up in Ecotopia:
"The bucolic atmosphere of the new San Francisco can perhaps best be seen in the fact that, down Market Street and some other streets, creeks now run. These had earlier, at great expense, been put into huge culverts underground, as is usual in cities. The Ecotopians spent even more to bring them up to ground level again. So now on this major boulevard you may see a charming series of little falls, with water gurgling and splashing, and channels lined with rocks, trees, bamboos, ferns. There even seem to be minnows in the water - though how they are kept safe from marauding children and cats, I cannot guess."
In the environmental fantasy Ecotopia (1975, Ernest Callenbach), a reporter from the east coast has finally been allowed into Cascadia, long seceded from the United States. He writes about his first impressions of the transformed streets of San Francisco:
"Since practically the whole street area is "sidewalk," nobody worries about obstructions - or about the potholes which, as they develop in the pavement, are planted with flowers."
One of my dearest dreams for Portland also shows up in Ecotopia:
"The bucolic atmosphere of the new San Francisco can perhaps best be seen in the fact that, down Market Street and some other streets, creeks now run. These had earlier, at great expense, been put into huge culverts underground, as is usual in cities. The Ecotopians spent even more to bring them up to ground level again. So now on this major boulevard you may see a charming series of little falls, with water gurgling and splashing, and channels lined with rocks, trees, bamboos, ferns. There even seem to be minnows in the water - though how they are kept safe from marauding children and cats, I cannot guess."
Monday, December 9, 2013
Tepee Attempt
Tried to build a tepee this summer. The quest to recreate the simple, mobile, and graceful shelter of the Plains tribes is a recurring theme for me, and while this iteration didn't get lived in, at least it's an adventure worth sharing.
To begin, I had the help of two friends. Excellent bike handling skills and a sense of humor were required for the task ahead.
Motorized traffic was light on that Sunday morning, but there was still enough foot traffic to provide an audience. One man expressed the notion that bamboo carried by bike is more 'sustainable' than anything else in existence. This may be true.
Arranged into formation, the bamboo took on that beautiful form of a giant cone!
View from below.
We secured four giant bamboo poles on each of two bikes and set off to ride 5 miles through the city to the north.
Motorized traffic was light on that Sunday morning, but there was still enough foot traffic to provide an audience. One man expressed the notion that bamboo carried by bike is more 'sustainable' than anything else in existence. This may be true.
Blue plastic provided a covering and a canvas for slug meanderings.
And it stood, reflecting the color of the sky.
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