Patrick Dougherty is a nest sculptor.  He makes nests.  Huge ones out of willow and other bendy sticks.  And houses.  And structures of sorts.  He also makes magic.

Dougherty Nest House

My mother and sister discovered his work at an installation in Sun Valley, Idaho.  Here’s what they had to say:

These are so amazing I don’t think any pic would do them justice. They smell amazing too. I would like to live in one.

These are seriously incredible.  Mom says “going in them you feel something.”  They are a tad bit mystical if i do say so myself.

Quite.  I say they’re a tad bit awesome.  For more pics, check out Environmental Graffiti.

Ask a Gay!

I’ve always got a number of projects going.  One that has received a lot of positive feedback is Ask a Gay! After a number of conversations with friend, family and coworkers (including the co-founders of 365Awesome) I decided there was a need for a safe place to ask questions about GLBT issues.  Here’s the idea:

Mt Hood

I’m simply fascinated by the way a totally familiar landmark can be transformed by the perspective of the aircraft.  And I’m held in awe.

So I made up a batch to help me climb the Inca Trail.  And it worked!  That’s prety awesome!

Here’s my recipe:

1 part raw almonds

1 part salted, roasted peanuts

1 part date pieces in oat flour

1 part dried apple pieces (little pieces work best)

1/2 part m&m’s (milk chocolate)

You can get most of this in bulk, which means it’s cheap.  The m&m’s I like better than the bulk candies.  The date pieces in oat flour are easy to find.  You’ve probably just looked at them and thought “eeewwww, yucky,” but they’re really tasty in trail mix.  And they don’t melt.

Mix everything together and enjoy!

When I walked into my room at the Ace Hotel, however, I found the most amazing little bar of soap.

Pearl plus detox soap

It’s got pearls, it’s got charcoal.  It made me smell like a delicious campfire at the beach.  According to the website,

Pearl+ Detoxifying Soap is a combination of crushed pearl, to restore luster and smoothness to your skin; and charcoal, added to help absorb impurities while detoxifying your skin. Ingredients also include quality oils of olive coconut, palm and rice bran, shea butter and a refreshing blend of pure essential oils.

It’s a pretty awesome soap.

Literally meaning, “hot waters” Aguas Calientes is home to a hot springs.  Just up the valley from the main part of town is a soaking facility where locals and tourists sit together in the pools of hot water and marvel at the beautiful Andes mountains around them.  The river ambles through the town, the washing pools of the locals marked by brightly-colored plastic tubs, and ladders clinging to the side of the retaining walls.

The city is small, but it plays host to the pilgrims of Machu Picchu.  It has a vast market, where you can buy just about any textile, pottery, or stone you can imagine.  The main street, which is dominated by a set of train tracks,  is filled with restaurants.  The wood-fired ovens sit out front, cooking pizzas, and guinea pig.

The energy of the mountain town is palpable.  It is alive with the ruggedness of the landscape, and with the awe of the people who visit.

Oh yeah, and he’s 3-years old.

Amiri Horn IMAGE: Timothy Horn Photography

Along with raising money, Amiri has been featured is Willamette Week’s “Best People” issue.  He is, after all Mercy Corps’ youngest fundraiser.

Want to help Amiri?  Visit his Mercy Corps fundraising page.

This little guy is already awesome.

Cigar Box Guitars

At the Recycled Arts Festival I came across these guitars made from old cigar boxes.  Some topped with old license plates.

Besides being really awesome and totally repurposed, these musical instruments actually sound great.

You can find them from Alan Matta.  No website, but send him an email at hammeredfrets (at) gmail.com (sorry for the anti-spam version).

Make some music!

Stand Up For Mental Health

Stand Up For Mental Health teaches stand up comedy to people with mental illness as a way of building their confidence and fighting public stigma, prejudice, and discrimination.

If that isn’t awesome I don’t know what is.

In an article on WTOP.com, founder and teacher David Granirer said, “People see these folks with labels like ‘bipolar’ and ‘schizophrenia’ and ‘depression’ doing standup comedy _ something that most so-called normal people would never even want to attempt _ and so they’re seen as people that we admire as opposed to people we pity and look down upon.”

If you’re up for a laugh, check out some of their videos.

Building in Lvov, Ukraine

I think this may very well be the largest crossword puzzle ever made. It’s on a 100 foot tall building in Lvov, Ukraine. At night, as seen in this photo, with the help of special lights, the letters appear.

Way, way awesome.