Small houses
Small house by Bluesky
There was a great article in The Oregonian this Sunday about Rich Daniels, a builder of small homes.
Seems he (and several others) have found a growing market for houses as small as 400 square feet. With a price tag in the $40K range, these homes are becoming quite popular with people looking to cut back living expenses to a minimum.
What an awesome idea.
And small doesn’t mean you have to compromise style. This photo is a home built by Canadian builder, BlueSky MOD, focusing on low-impact, high-design.
Definitely something to consider. In case you’re curious, here’s a directory of small home builders.
Awesome.
Curried red lentil soup
It’s winter. It’s cold. And there are few things that take the chill off my bones like soup.
But not just any soup. Yummy soup.
I took a chance and picked up some Curried Red Lentil Soup by Pacific Natural Foods, hoping it would be half as good as the name sounds. It’s awesome. (Otherwise I wouldn’t be writing about it here, now would I?)
Delicious. Flavorful. A bit spicy. Awesome.
And perfect on a cold winter’s day.
Crayons
crayons
Crayons are awesome. Awesome in an arts and crafts way. Awesome in a favorite childhood memory way. Awesome in a magical way.
Put out some construction paper and a box of crayons and watch the magic happen.
Did you know the first box of crayons was introduced in 1903? And since then over 120 BILLION crayons have been sold throughout the world. Wow.
Look here for more fun facts about crayons.
In your own skin
feet
When you’re comfortable in your own skin, it’s THE best place to be. Because when you’re comfortable there, when you can wear your skin with ease and grace, it means you are also comfortable with yourself. With your self. It means you love who you are, without condition or reservation–warts and all.
Somebody once said, “The love affair you’re looking for is with yourself.” True, that.
Fall in love with yourself, and being in your own skin will be the most awesome place you can imagine.
Sofia Aderer
Thanks to Melia Dicker for suggesting this post.
Just like a good love story, I’m a sucker for a good “rise above” story–you know, where someone comes out of an unpleasant situation and uses it to make something better.
Sofia Aderer did just that. At 12 years old she’s working to help the Audubon Society clean up birds and other animals after the BP oil spill. She’s pretty awesome.
“Sofia’s Story: Twelve-Year-Old Girl Helps Oiled Birds” (TRT: 3:59) from Alison Fast on Vimeo.
On August 29, 2005, Sofia Aderer, age 7, lost her home to Hurricane Katrina in Waveland, MS, a town that was “wiped off the map” when it received the eye of the storm.
In response, she penned a song called “Katrina Blues” that won the attention of local media.
Now, on the eve of the five-year anniversary of the storm, Sofia is at it again, with a venture that she started in early June to address the impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on birds and other affected animals.
Her “bird project”, called the Sofia Aderer Audubon Society Fund, is a testament to the resiliency in young people, and their ability to turn a negative into a positive through creativity and self-expression.
This video is part of a series, created by Alison Fast and Chandler Griffin, a husband-wife team, producing stories to give voice to residents of the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
More stories of local heroes will be posted shortly to their web site: www.WhatWouldBobDo.org (COMING SOON!)
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/BP-Oil-Spill-on-the-Gulf-Coast-What-would-Walter-Anderson-do/105556202824491?ref=ts
Producer/Director/Camerawoman: Alison Fast
Human Nature
Airports often have displays flanking the corridors of their terminals. Local artists, historical displays, they can be vaguely interesting. But once in a while, a really great installation catches my eye.
Dane Picard
Right now, the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs has on display a really interesting collection, in connection with Los Angeles World Airports.
“Human Nature,” as it’s called, features Annie Buckley and Dane Picard, two artists doing work that combines the human form with other natural forms. Buckley’s work combines forms of women with trees. Picard’s video installations are moving mosaics that depict animals using tiled pictures of human hands.
Both artists are engaging, making for a truly awesome project in a truly unexpected location.
New Zealand Department of Conservation
DOC information sign
The DOC, as it’s called, does a bunch of things. It manages campgrounds, and books treks through the mountains for visitors. It staffs gift shops and tends to miles and miles of rugged trails.
The DOC has a simple vision:
New Zealand is the greatest living space on Earth.
And the DOC is there to protect it for future generations. According to its website:
The department’s responsibilities are encapsulated in its Maori name – Te Papa Atawhai. Te papa signifies a box or container (for the taonga or treasures) and atawhai the act of caring, nurturing or preserving.
That’s a pretty tall order. But, from what I’ve seen, the DOC is doing a pretty great job.
Hanging glacier
That’s right. A glacier that hangs on the side of a mountain and moves by avalanche.
Hanging glacier, Mt. Cook National Park, New Zealand
This one is in the Mt. Cook National Park in New Zealand.
I’m not sure there’s really more to say other than: awesome.
Farm-fresh eggs
Traveling around the US, and many parts of the world, there are great, local ways to experience. food. Whether it’s fruit stands or pick your own berry fields, eating local can be a great way to go.
For me, farm-fresh eggs is a favorite local option.
Farm-fresh eggs
I get them from friends with chickens, or buy them at roadside stands with honesty boxes, or find them in hole-in-the-wall restaurants, next to displays of old water skis.
Not only do they taste great, I know that they don’t have funny hormones or chemicals, ans that the chickens live happy lives.
And that’s an awesome thing.
Cookie Time
Aotearoa is the Maori word for New Zealand. They say it means, “island of the long white cloud”. I say it means “island of the cookie”.
Everywhere I look there are signs for “Cookie Time,” the local favorite in terms of pre-packaged cookies. They’ve got chocolate chip, apricot, fudge covered, and gluten free.
Cookie Time!
For strangers looking for a bite of sweet, they’re pretty darn awesome.
