Hello there from Casey. While its been a while since I've written on here, there's good reason why. I have actually been busy with some things here, keeping life moving, making art and craft and money. I've been working part time in an architect's office (www.danabixby.com), learning the ropes of running a small architecture business (which is a WHOLE lot of paperwork), organizing and updating her material library, and helping with the design of a small Montessori school near us. I realize just how invaluable my building experience is when it comes to this world, and while I still want to someday run my own studio, I'm starting to question the viability of a formal education, apart from the personal and professional connections I could make. The proof is in the doing, so that's exactly what I'm doing: Doing! I've also become somewhat knowledgeable about staining and dyeing concrete floors, with a little test project of a 35 ft2 hearth. Fun!
When I'm not in the office, I've been lucky enough to have a carpentry patron in the form of our friend Eilene Shine down in Hoboken. I've gotten to know the place pretty well, spending a week at a time down there helping her with her rental apartment. What started off as a few odd jobs turned into replacing a back deck, which then turned into remodeling the kitchen (new cabinets and some electrical work). Hopefully she'll be renting that sucker out soon! I've also gotten to see my friends from Oklahoma that have settled in NYC, which is always a treat to hang with people that you used to see at grade school recess...
On my own, to quell the urge to create, I returned to a short story that I started after Jen and I got back from Asia. It's about a guy from Oklahoma that winds up running away from the Tsunami, and dealing with his estrangement from family and self. I worked it up to about 20 pages and entered it into some competitions. It could be just the beginning of a longer book, but for now its shelved. If you're interested I'll send it to you.
I also just this week completed an entry for a Bay Area design competition called Rising Tides, dealing with solutions for rising sea level over the next 100 years. My entry is a relocation plan for our old town of Corte Madera, which is mostly built on a tidal marshland. The buildings look like topographic ships made of modified oil platforms and shipping containers, donated by a busted (as in legally, some day) Chevron. The main thrust has to do with environmental justice and training underserved populations to build it. Come on big money!
I've also been reading tons of magazines and books, including Rolling Stone, Dwell, Architecture Review, Metropolis, Outside and the occasional Healthy Eating that Jen gets. Books include The Backyard Homestead and Deep Economy, and an old anthology of Modern Poetry. Not to mention blogs galore and all the crazy links that get posted on my Facebook page (thanks David!) and cool lectures from Ted.com. Oh, and Netflicks of course. Recently Jen and I made centerpieces for her nephew's high school graduation party. Cool paper fortune cookies with clever sayings on them (jen's idea) and some colorful chinese take-out boxes with actual fortune cookies in them. I got a whole case (way too many) for $15. These kids need all the fortune they can get!
I'm starting to get excited about our roadtrip across the country, taking the northern route that neither of us has been on before. It startles me how I could have missed out on so much of America and still seen so much. This place is just too big! Can't wait for the Rockies to explode out of the plains. Then I'll know we're back in the west, where, with any luck, we'll feel we "belong". Then on down to the Bay, where friends await, and we'll see once again if this is home, or if we've been totally spoiled by the beauty and peace of a country life, and we'll have to reassess where and when to call it our own. But, I guess if I want to get into Berkeley (again, wondering if school is really the key to success) and get that sense of community and purpose back by building a house and a garden and connecting to those we love and will love, then we just gotta make it work. Wanna help? See you there!
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