purpose

The purpose of writing is to give you an idea of what my building will look like. Allbeit parts and pieces with an occasional hand drawing. I take pictures and mental notes of things I notice about old buildings, fire hydrants, cast iron tree grates, signs or whatever. Each item works fits together, it shouldn't compete or it wont work. I like the word "work". It is used best with other words like water works or public works. I like the word "public". It works well with public house or republic. Most of my ideas come from places. Sometimes its places in Austin where I live and others it is on planned trips to places we've visited like, seattle, gonzales, santa fe, tulsa, charlottesville, georgetown (dc), new york. Sometimes when my wife is with friends or family I will make the rare solitary run to places like archer city, tx to visit booked up home to Larry McMurtry. Larry McMurtry is an excellent author because he makes what may seem mundane fascinating because his writes about what interests him. Everybody knows about lonesome dove but what you really should read is "all my friends are going to be strangers". Its about his time at Rice U. and then his road trip to california with an interesting woman. His new book titled,"books" is really good also. I bought it in telluride at another great book store, between the covers. This store is small but they a better than any other book store that I know of at putting out great books to read. That tells me they read what they sell and I think thats important. When were there last year we stayed at a house named sunnyside. It is exactly how I would have a vacation home if my budget were limitless. Partnered with good taste extra cash can reap good design. I prefer a well built cabin to high end appointments so this is a little misleading but I thought I should share because it is so well done. In August we got away for a week in telluride, this time just my wife son and I. I took some photos of things that caught my eye. Some things red,

and some blue,

I dont know how this would fit into my building but except that I like this blue. Its like paris metro lettering blue. I took a clay hand class last spring and made an address sign for the house with the same blue color. I think it would work well with a well designed hanging metal shop hanging sign like one you would see in any good town. And while this third one is not hanging, it is an example of attention to detail. There is something to be said for marking permanent property boundaries. Not marking it like a barbed wire fence with a texas & southwest cattle raisers association sign. More like something you would document something in a drawing. Like you drew a line on the ground that no one could erase. I think a white cast stone with black or charcoal grey paint in the lettering would look right.

I look forward to talking about water towers and cisterns. Round rock and marfa have great water towers. I would like to incorporate that type of watertower design into a water collection system with galvanized gutters. I have other ideas about the overflow once the tank is full. Much like a childrens see saw when the tank is full the see saw, triggered by the full tank, would pivot on its axis and allow the water to continue onto the water quality/detention pond in a channell that is rectangular formed concrete which runs across the property including the sidewalks and parking lot. Ultimately the overflow water would end up in the pond which doubles as a place to flyfish for bass which can thrive in this type of pond (with lots of structures of course). I'll leave you with these three pictures of martindale, texas. The grain silos are there to support the a for (i split this word up so it would wrap)mentioned cistern and water catchment system. The vertical wood member is one of my favorite design features for an old building or a new one. Looks better on an old building. Simple design is always the best. And most importantly is form follows function. "Utilitarian" is what is important. This vertical support is only long enough to bare on the wall and allow for two bolt holes adequately spaced. The bottom of the timber is tapered to ease back to the structural wall (I need to remember to talk about double withe brick walls later). A good example is the tips iron and steel building next to the train station in austin. I think they used to build locomotive engines there at the turn of the century but I am not certain. I will share those pictures with you soon. Behind the support you notice an english running bond with what I call a dead soldier course every 6th course. This goes back to the double withe wall. The bricks are turned perpendicular to the other bricks to tie each stack of bricks together. If you look closely you can see a tension rod at the top of the picture, hidden in the rafters. I dont recall its purpose but it is tensioning something. The last picture is of a carpenter working in one of the old buildings in martindale. I did not intend to take his photo, it was a bit impromptu and I think he rather enjoyed the photo op although his expression hardly lets it on. But he posed anyway and i think people like this really complete the picture. I cant think of a better place to be than exploring a town like martindale. I want to build buildings like they did in 1900.