Trace One

they could reduce the speed limit to 55, or even better,  45, and save millions of gallons of gas, as Jimmy Carter had learned in the seventies. A simple step, a stroke of the governors pen, but it can’t be done. that is my easy baby step for proving we are serious about conserving energy.

http://www.biohabitats.com/

check out these guys, they are masters..What you are talking about is not rocket science, you just stated exactly what you need for design..check dams and recreated wetlands lower down slope, next to river.. Good idea ( I think!?) that is how it should be.
 
Biohabitats recreated a part of a river running through…[Read more]

Why are you locating treatment on steep slopes? Best Management Practices would put the low point ditch in some kind of  BMP planting design, but steep slopes are only for erosion control, really. More info needed, maybe?  or are you just looking for what to do on steep slopes? (contour grading and erosion control)…

I think your little videos on how to draw landscape are excellent. Good job. One thought, you are more talking about drawing landscape –  the challenge for a Landscape designer is to render a proposed landscape design as accurately as possible. It is sort of a different thing than what you are doing, although the drawing skills you demonstrate…[Read more]

sorry, I’m a big picture kind of gal..
: )

I saw this, I agree, Rob, it seems a doubtful way to store water or to buffer against storms.. It could be wildlife habitat, rats love this kind of stuff.
But I think the best thing is reduction in the  human population. Lester Brown of the Worldwatch Institute thinks human population crash is inevitable, from zoonotic diseases or drought – he…[Read more]

Looks like he’s got a lot of the main ingredient for making living in a dumpster possible – just be drunk all the time. hee hee.

You have to be able to understand how Plans specifications and estimates work together to get what you want, or what the designer wants, and that includes a LOT of practical experience in construction, as well as the ability to follow a list of 500 points in something like a road profile, or a curve alignment,  accurately, and I mean precisely…[Read more]

I second that with the Loire Valley – great bike, you can do a chateau a day, and a great fixed price meal for lunch..lovely time, the biking is easy.
Your list is very good, I think, Mark, but if one has never been to France and Spain, being more “destination – less”, and just getting in the walking spots has a lot of benefits. I’ve never…[Read more]

Paris is great for just the Tuileries, the Champs Elysee, Notre Dame and the Louvre, the Rodin Museum and the Sant Chapelle, most stained glass ever attempted and stayed standing. Stay at small hotels close to the Champs Elysee, and you can walk to it all, get a lovely cafe au lait for breakfast, and walk walk walk all day..
Then head to Sevilla…[Read more]

True Rob.  Komodo’s in America, who knows what the constraints are. As an animal lover, it does seem sad, tho, how carefully they are painting lichen, when I am sure the Komodo could care less. And may be better off without the paint fumes.. But my ignorance and ethnocentrism are likely unbounded, in that view. Thanks for your comment.

the San Diego zoo is actually a world-famous botanical collection in addition to being an animal collection – as far as I know, you can design zoo cages with plants, and should design with plants.

“Learning from Lizard Vegas” ventura und Braun 2020?

Seems ok, Edward, but as an eternal student, my favorite into to the art was by our geology professor, Giegengack, telling us stories of notorious and hilarious failures, mostly by the Army Corps of Engineers. The second most interesting presentation was Sir Peter Shepherds slide shows on design details, aboslutely magical presentations full of…[Read more]

LOL! they do smell, the old ones,  and can’t get up out of the chair anymore.  And constantly harp on how much better they were than the young people today will ever be. hee hee..and have no sense of humor…

cool! Thanks, Andrew! Before I went to graduate school they wanted me to take some art classes, so I enrolled at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn for a pre-arch. class – we did a tour of  something like thirty ‘vest pocket parks of Manhattan” – starting of course with Paley Park..I kept the tour outline for years but then I lost it,  which I will a…[Read more]

tell, tell, Henry! Take the LONG trip out to queens and get us some pix! I remember Weintraub – would love to see the benches..
; )

I think one thing newbies do NOT know about is the huge governement apparatus that is CEQR  and NEPA that provides many LA good jobs with benefits. Not to speak of zoning and site plan review and master plans. All this mandated government (federal state and local) is news to the newcomer. It is not pleasant, is MAY be a way for you to make a…[Read more]

oops, I am confusing Nebraska with South Dakota, I think, Tanya. Your South Dakota grass is even healthier than Nebraska grass..from what I hear…

Isn’t Nebraska synonymous with ‘grasslands’, wheat fields, etc. Never been there,  but that is my image..Grass in the CA. central valley is only there if it is irrigated – in fact, lawns are NOT for sitting, here,  unless you want the wet posterior look for the rest of the day..hee hee.