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Como Espresso

Castellani Breakfast

 

SOMEBODY HAS TO DO THIS

NOTICE!  YOU HAVE A DEFICIENCY!

EUROPE 2014
We are not amateur travelers. But recently we have been renting apartments in lieu of hotels.  I have been to Paris about 20 times (a week at a time).  We carry a small amount of gear as we know some places don't accommodate such in the kitchen.  But there are some basics that are required for us travelers. We need a table (with lighting) to do our daily planning. The coffee maker will always be a different kind, sometimes not even an espresso maker. The following notes are merely to give you what we call “Feed-back” to help the next traveler, we hope.
FIRENZI- This kitchen was really surreal, One plug for all, had to keep the coffee pot in hall on a chair. Largest cabinet had most utensils stored in it, but you had to access them by lifting up top, ergo, nothing can be stored on the counter. We did take out the flatware & leave it on next little counter. Had micro-wave but it was 4" short of the plug. But a wonderful outdoor deck was way down the hall at other end of unit. (We dried laundry out there on a portable rack.) There were no screens for the mosquitos on doors (probably a Europe thing).  but really swell windows had shutters, insulation, inside shutter + a pull down screen.  Sink had dry rack above but behind doors. Lighting? One small bulb on ceiling, one on stove didn't work. There was only one bath for us five but the lock was broken.
 GARDA – Very Moderne house. Kitchen: Didn’t have much light. Great DeLonghi Espresso maker.!  Dishes kept in Living Room, we cleared a shelf above work area for glasses & cups , at least. Good DW & oven . we used DW to dry dishes from sink. Had a bar thingie with shelves under, at least. Dining room table  handily located.  Frig was  over by the stairs, faced in wrong direction & door but they had it turned so the back wouldn’t show at stair. Jeez!  Not much enough plugs , had to keep rotating them for appliances (all 3). Wi-Fi went out but owner did fix it in a few hours. Fantastic swimming pool next to the beach.
  LYON – Lets not even discuss the fact that the apartment was on the 4th floor, when we had asked for ground floor units. (One 85 year old, one woman with sprained ankle, one with recent operation on ankle) . Lamp out @ hood stove.  Closets are in Living Room, not very handy.  No bidet! What?  But I thought we were in France!  Flush light @ fireplace ceiling  is  out.   Glass table – legs! Glass table legs are a menace. First off, our person with sprained ankle stubbed her toe on it. Poor choice!  Kitchen wall  light needs baffle, I had to tape up a paper one .  Fix drywall hole  @ hall heater.  Entry lock fix is a mess. Looks like someone was breaking in.  Change small tank Water heater for an on-demand unit. Much more efficient & unlimited hot water.   Mark the light switches , I usually put yellow stickys on all of them..
  PARIS --  Fix THE coffee pot! This same pot was broken since last year. Useable but hard to do and just a drip maker. Mark light switches. (See above).  Sconce @ ext. wall out? Worked once.  How to turn on cooktop light? & fan?  How to Open Micro Oven? Very hard & dangerous for my old hands .!  Fix patio table, edges have broken off, Pretty tacky.   Upper bath faucet loose. Show drain plugged with hair, had to clean it out, ugh.  I believe the wicker chair leg still has a nail scratching the 100 year old wood flooring from last year.   Kitchen faucet loose, needs both hands to work.
LOCAL DEFICIENCIES
SEATTLE         
First off, give us a map of the drop off/office   + map of parking access + plan of towers. We couldn't even  find the concierge first off. When he  gave us keys, he didn't say the lock to the tower lobby was the chip, blue, that you just pass over sensor. Isn't with the unit key. Parking was  confused as we didn't know where to park for the NW tower. Lots of  one way streets in Seattle. stop, unload at office first? From garage take the tenant elevator, not public one. etc.  some vertical blinds are broken. Dining table is too high by about 2”.  Deck door needs new rollers, Herculian task to operate. Toilet paper, move to front of cabinet where one could reach it. Toaster is broken on right side

PORTLANDIA
How about a few clothes hangers?  6 would be fine for 5 people.  BR lamp switch off or not working,  Kitchen microwave hood light nonfunctional .  Blinds too heavy to operate. No chair on deck.   Disposal is missing rubber baffles. toilet seat is loose. Location of toilet paper holder is very hard to use. How about on wall next to door in front of toilet?
Dining table is too high, 36", high chairs same.24" Use normal heights for both and get a new “Decorator”.And by the way, a carpet under a dining table is a nuisance.
GOOD POINTS  -  The wood & steel LR tables of rough wood are great design.


My VACATION  this year was based on four items;(1). Visit my son, Zaidi, a builder in Eugene, (2) Visit the scene of the crime; my Alma Mater, The University of Washington in Seattle, where I graduated from Architectural School 65 years ago. I wanted to verify that they had received two of my publications;; 'HILLSIDE HOMES & THE EDUCATION OF AN ARCHITECT;'. I had never been able to get thru to a person or on a website to verify this.(3)Visit Western Wood Structures, who will be fabricating a 72'  dome for a project of mine  in Wisconsin, (ISHA or The Institute for the development of Human Awareness).(4) I forgot.
My four books


WESTERN WOOD STRUCTURES
  Meeting the owner, Steve, and the structural Engineer Paul for the first time as we have been conversing for over a year by e-mail, I toured their facility which was pretty impressive as they have erected some very incredible works such as the 500' diameter Tacoma Dome, the recently finished Cathedral in Oakland and other projects around the world (China, etc.). Once they get a job , they source out the materials; Timber & Glu-Lam beams from various fabricators, Steel suppliers who make up the very complex connectors for the domes & such, then cut, drill all members using some unusual equipment, such as a drill press that drills beams from two side at once, assuring a straight bolt hole. Large bandsaw that is on wheels in order to move around really big members too large to move around.  Plus a heavy duty forklift that picks up material from the side (the first I've seen) in order to move long timbers around. Once all is cut, drilled it all gets trucked to the site along with a Foreman & crew to assemble the structure.  Their VARAX Dome stands for Variable Angle . This dome is structurally made of moment  frames instead of axial connections like a Fuller Dome, thereby making it much stronger when loaded un-symmetrically (like snow or wind).  I was assured that while there are 12 sides to the base, only 6 sides need to be shear panels, and an occasional  double door in these would be no problem.     Once  Paul has done the structural calculations, the fabrication should take about 8 weeks, then allow a week for truck delivery to Wisconsin.

Similar Dome

 

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FACTORY ON THE ROAD

 FARM HOUSING - FABRICASA                 

MOBILE FACTORY

Years go by while everyone talks about what to do about hoUsing farm workers.  It's been about 25 yeas since I designed a portable manufacturing plant for farm housing for the State of California and noticed that it was immediately shelved as soon as we finished the project. The concept was that a minimum of 25 units would be produced whenever the plant was set up. These would all be of the same design and size, some for small families, and some for dormitories for men and women.  It would seem that these units would be financed by the Growers. I don't think anyone went any further into just how they would actually be financed, as no grower would be able to handle such a large amount . Also, each grower might only need two or three units for his operation. The big problem is the seasonal workers, who  come in to harvest the grapes for a few weeks. What do you do with these units for the rest of the year? Naturally there is a need for a few family units as the foremen and a few all year round workers need a place to stay. Now they could rent these for a reduced rate that would be commensurate with their income.

  I won the contract to design the factory due to my previous experience of designing about three modular manufacturing plants in California, the initial one being with Ford Motor Co., being involved with them during their brief sojourn into manufactured housing. My mobile plant took inspiration from observing circus workers cleverly packing of their various rides on truck trailers. My plant was based on about four trailers that unfolded into the various aspects of the plant line, jigs and such. Everything was set up in a large tent (Big Top!) and various components and materials would feed into the main assembly line from the sides. These would be sourced from local suppliers and tradesmen.  When operational, output would easily be one finished unit per day.

LOVE LOCKS   

Built in 1804, this most beautiful bridge of Paris has fallen into the deadly hands of Lovers’ Cadenas d’amour (locks of love).  It all began by some idiot American tourist who was so removed from love, she clamped a lock to the baluster in order to keep her super idiot boyfriend happy. The mob still riles. Note the proliferation of "Love Locks”  in various spots of Paris. But probably will infect the entire world. The human cattle & sheep swarmed over it until the

Behavior of Stupidity loaded the bridge with so many locks that it was in danger of collapsing. Do the math. There were 800 locks per lineal meter, adding about 300 kilos per meter or 205,207 pounds total to the bridge. It was designed for pedestrians (Artists & lovers). Now the Paris authorities are having to remove them all which is no easy task, they will probably have to install new guardrails (Make them spiked, with razor wire if you asked me!). Last time I visited the supposed site in Verona of Romeoa and Juliets’ balcony, it too, was clothed in steel locks.

MINI-HOUSING                                         

MY MINI HOUSING IN COTATI, 1975

the media is making noise again about how the mini house will save the day and eliminate the homeless folks. They even went so far as to show a rendering of several such tiny house on a large lot on a nice flat area. Someone doesn't understand the process of any kind of housing as the site cost and lot can be even more than the cost of the little house.  Think about it, a tiny house for one person will pay the same amount for the sewer hook-ups and rates as a large family in a large house. The same thing goes for the rest of the utilities to a lesser degree (Power, Water, Gas, Cable, etc). Someone better add in the costs of the streets, storm drains, sidewalks, etc. as you don't think the authorities will be able to just put in dirt roads do you?

Maybe we should approach the problem from a different direction, like from the earning capacity of an individual.  Lets see how far $15 an hour gets us. 15x 10 hrs  = $150 a day x 6 days  = $900 A WEEK X 4 weeks=$3600 12 months= $43,200 A YEAR.  That would be OK if no taxes were taken out & no Health But then, you won’t be able to deduct anything from ins. and  Day Care was free.      Consider 1/3rd of that for rent =  $14000/12/3= $1200/mo. for rent is possible.

So what is the official poverty level these4 days? Last time I looked, it was about $10,000 a year, and that seemed fair to me.

But if both parents work, that puts them in a category where they have to have deductions taken out of both earners as they would be out of the Poverty Level Syndrome. . Can the State or Feds pay for operating Day Care centers in order to allow the parents to work?  What is the threshold where a person is called “Poverty” and doesn’t pay deductions? Is it against the law to allow our kids to work , like mow your lawn?

. However, $40,000 is what I gross as an Architect, after four years of college plus four years of apprenticeship plus a zillion years of expertise in the field. I’ve noticed that the Mexican laborers here in Graton are getting $15 an hour, so that means all other wage earners will have to get an additional $5 on top of their earnings. I know Day Care sounds like a Socialist scheme but lets’ face it, we are there already. The Federal & State l Government owns 80% of the West and is still buying up land for parks and such. If we had a Day Care  the kids parents could work and actually pay enough for rent.