The flow of the river is ceaseless and its water is never the same.
The bubbles that float in the pools,
now vanishing, .... now forming,
are not of long duration:
so in the world are man and his dwellings.
It might be imagined that the houses, great and small,
which vie roof against proud roof remain unchanged from one generation to the next,
but when we examine whether this is true,
how few are the houses that were of old.
Whence does he come, where does he go, man that is born and dies?
We know not.
For whose benefit does he torment himself in building houses that last but a moment,
for what reason is his eye delighted by them?
This too we do not know.
Which will be first to go, the master or his dwelling?
One might just as well ask this of the dew on the morning-glory.
The dew may fall and the flower remain - remain,
only to be withered by the morning sun.
The flower may fade before the dew evaporates,
but though it does not evaporate, it waits not the evening.
An Account of My Hut
Kamo no Chomei, (1212 !!!) ...... !!! nearly 800 YEARS AGO!!!
Tags: old house building abandoned An Account My Hut...
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The most stunning public use architecture work I've ever been in... a public library (Seattle WA).
truly amazing "Temple" for book and knowledge lovers! The scale and ambiance left me breathless, so I'll let a real writer tell it:
MEET YOUR NEW CENTRAL LIBRARY by WILLIAM DIETRICH
seattletimes.nwsource.com/pacificnw/2004/0425/cover.html
"... The result is not just a library, but a community hub and global showplace that transcends its own city block between Madison and Spring streets. It reaches out and melds with the downtown towers around it.
The mirror-like overhang that shelters the entry on Fourth Avenue ripples like a river from the reflected lights of vehicles passing by. The library's soaring atrium above its "living room" is a diamond-windowed panorama of surrounding buildings, the view changing with each slant of sun, passing cloud, patter of rain or crescent moons of white left by falling snow. The building preens in the mirror of neighboring skyscraper windows, its reflection wavering like water, letting outsiders peek in even as it simultaneously seems to expand out. It is a brilliant play of light, an echo chamber of architectural form, stealing open space from the plazas across the street.
How the devil are patrons supposed to pay attention to their books?
Most buildings are predictable once you get past the lobby. Floor copies floor. But this 11-story library has a succession of very different spaces, each skewed sideways to take advantage of views, explaining the tetrahedral oddities. If it were a sculpture, it might be called Knowledge Breaking Out of a Confining Egg.
The children's room on Fourth Avenue has a cave-like coziness, while the adult reading room at the building's top expands outward into the sky. The "living room" at the Fifth Avenue level is a glass cathedral and civic lobby, with espresso stand and fiction stacks. The book "spiral," which is actually more of a gentle switchback, is a worm hole of knowledge.
Tags: seattle library koolhaas architecture hdr city reading books
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The most stunning public use architecture work I've ever been in... a public library (Seattle WA).
truly amazing "Temple" for book and knowledge lovers! The scale and ambiance left me breathless, so I'll let a real writer tell it:
MEET YOUR NEW CENTRAL LIBRARY by WILLIAM DIETRICH
seattletimes.nwsource.com/pacificnw/2004/0425/cover.html
"... The result is not just a library, but a community hub and global showplace that transcends its own city block between Madison and Spring streets. It reaches out and melds with the downtown towers around it.
The mirror-like overhang that shelters the entry on Fourth Avenue ripples like a river from the reflected lights of vehicles passing by. The library's soaring atrium above its "living room" is a diamond-windowed panorama of surrounding buildings, the view changing with each slant of sun, passing cloud, patter of rain or crescent moons of white left by falling snow. The building preens in the mirror of neighboring skyscraper windows, its reflection wavering like water, letting outsiders peek in even as it simultaneously seems to expand out. It is a brilliant play of light, an echo chamber of architectural form, stealing open space from the plazas across the street.
How the devil are patrons supposed to pay attention to their books?
Most buildings are predictable once you get past the lobby. Floor copies floor. But this 11-story library has a succession of very different spaces, each skewed sideways to take advantage of views, explaining the tetrahedral oddities. If it were a sculpture, it might be called Knowledge Breaking Out of a Confining Egg.
The children's room on Fourth Avenue has a cave-like coziness, while the adult reading room at the building's top expands outward into the sky. The "living room" at the Fifth Avenue level is a glass cathedral and civic lobby, with espresso stand and fiction stacks. The book "spiral," which is actually more of a gentle switchback, is a worm hole of knowledge.
Tags: seattle library koolhaas architecture hdr city reading books
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SEE this work Larger on Black...
Its like a monument to FISHING,
possibly an ancient temple dedicated to the Spirit of Fish.
Still actively worshiped at every day:
folks sit here for hours in quiet meditation,
then at random times they get excited & speak loudly in tongues,
and even provide ritualistic live sacrifices of many different types of small critters.
Bridge Forms are amazing and grow even more so in HDR...
in this shot I saw the weird light "under" the bridge and couldn't believe my luck... the sun was low off to the right and its rays bounced off the water and up to light up the underside of the bridge.
Tags: bridge forms megalith monument man
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Saw this old structure far off the road, basically in a plowed field, obscured by wild weed growth. Stopped to take some photos but there was barbed wire with many No Trespassing signs. Pit Bulls etc are a reality here so I almost drove away, then I saw a tiny home across the street and thought maybe they own the land?
I knocked on the door and a small animated old man answered with a broad beaming smile. After introductions, I told him I'd like to get somebody's ok to take photos of the old house. He invited me inside for some ice water and informed me that he was, as he stated the facts, "Only 97 years old and I don't give a shit about what anyone thinks!" Quite a character, he then related many stories to me about the land in that area, the families, and the way of life here in early Florida... as he colorfully summed it up, "Twern't No Disney World here Son! It was a hard life... a very hard life!"
I learned about him, his childhood, his family, his WWII experiences as a naval gunner that had left him almost deaf, and about the old house. The 98 year old (that is O-L-D for Florida!) wooden house was built here in 1912, by his family, one of only 6 homes in the area around Ft Denaud, FL. He sold the land and old house 3 years ago but he said the new owners probably wouldn't mind an honest photographer just going over to take pictures... and there were no bad dogs!
With that I thanked him for the water, the friendly conversation and the historical background and mentioned that my Mother (now 83) lived in the area and was a lovely, lonely widow... he took the bait and quickly quipped "Oh No! She sounds very nice indeed but she's waaay too young a gal for me! Those young fillies can be a lot of trouble you know!" and we both had a hearty laugh as I left...
I went and took my photos, and they were interesting... but the real treasure that memorable day was the serendipitous meeting of such a colorful character and learning of his and the area's history!
Tags: old house wooden home florida shack shed
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