GRIZZLY PEAR

written snapshots

Category: Artifacts

  • Blake Street Garage Apartment

    After college, I moved into a small garage apartment. At $450 per month, it was a steal to have my own place, a 168 square foot studio with a free parking spot in the driveway.

    I tried to start a container garden in that driveway. It faced north so nothing survived except onions, but it changed my life one morning by attracting a feral bunny (as I headed out to inquire about an internship at Dwell Magazine). I never saw that little guy again (and Dwell never called back), but the moment of staring deep into the eyes of another creature led to adopting two rabbits and a season of volunteering at the House Rabbit Society.

    The interior of this converted single car garage was painted light yellow to maximize the natural light. Even though the window orientations were not ideal, it still had glass in two directions with a window over the kitchenette and a big glass patio door looking into the back yard.

    I built custom bookshelves, borrowing a table saw from the Berkeley tool library to with split 2×2’s clamped around PVC pipes. I maximized every cubic inch for my books and my rabbits. It was tight, but there was just enough space to clank out fifty thousand words for a NaNoWriMo T-shirt, clean up on Monday Nights for Irish dancing at the Starry Plough, and assemble portfolios for graduate schools.

    Twenty years ago, I drew this top down, single-point perspective as one of the projects in those portfolios.

    When I left, I swore I’d return to this city that I loved so dearly.

    I’ve visited twice.

    Line drawing perspective looking down into a cluttered studio apartment.

  • Celestial carabiners clanked across charming cliffs, calling coyly, “Come climb, come climb.”

    An outline handsketch of a hand shaping the ASL American manual letter “C”, in red ink on a yellow spiral bound steno notebook.
    A series of stones on concrete, transitioning from green, through blue to violet and magenta to blood red.

    My parents dropped by our place in the morning to give the kids polished stones from a roadside stand on the way to the Grand Canyon. After they left, the girl sorted the collection before coming inside for breakfast.

  • Standing on a chair, he raised his right arm with a weighty buoyant triumph.

    Mama cut the ears of corn.
    Gave us two pieces each.

    He pulled out two chopsticks from the drawer,
    For himself and his big sister,

    I inserted the bamboo into the soft cob.
    Corn on a stick!

    He waved his yellow lollipop at me,
    I inserted the back of the chopstick into his second piece.

    He raised the golden barbell and announced,
    I’m a strong guy!

    ䷯䷜

    to
    drink
    out of a
    clean well
    shared
    joy

  • The bark expanded like a paper mesh, broken lines flowing above the undulating trunk, marks of the growing inside tearing to the outside.

    A lizard sunned on a tree stump.
    With a bright blue chin.
    It ran away, then stopped.
    Flashing pushups, it watched my withdrawal.

    Spaceship walk!
    He climbed onto my back for a better view of the lake.
    As I put him down, he grabbed my collar and whispered,
    Actually, I don’t want to walk anymore.

    As we walked towards the pond,
    A duck flew in to join two companions.
    Quack.
    Quack! Quack!

    Quack.
    Quack! Quack! Quack! Quack!
    Quack!
    It flew away.

    A jackrabbit froze on gravel road.
    It darted of when the kids clomped down the hill.
    We told you to stop!
    But he started first!

    We saw a propane grill on a pickup truck.
    Someone people are better at partying,
    Even at a State park,
    Especially at a State park.

    ䷏䷀

    Family moments
    gather like a
    Hairpin.

    the Sun
    sets behind
    a mountain Ranch

  • Our House

    To celebrate our 10 year anniversary, I’m sharing this house that has been a part of our marriage for 9 years and 7 months.

    The 1,100 sf house was constructed in 1952 and needed a complete renovation.

    Along with an complete update of the plumbing and electrical systems, the kitchen was rearranged with the former laundry room opened up for interior access and the insertion of a new powder room within the existing footprint.

    Exterior work included a new roof, retrofitting the carport structure, and new concrete flatwork.

    We performed the work as owner, architect, and general contractor overseeing the major trades. We also installed and refinished the interior throughout the house.

    Project Description

    This project was a constant irritant for four years, and we only lived in it for a few months. But it was worth it. We’ve had a great tenant for the last five years, and it set me up for the second phase of my career.

    I had always been an employee without subordinates. This was the first time I managed other people. I suspect the hard won experience in difficult negotiations and contractor conflicts came through in my interview, helping me grab this job and preparing me to be an Owner PM.

    Every architect should remodel their house, once.

    This remodel also taught me to treasure the moment and trust my wife.

    By the time we moved in, she was pregnant with the boy. Once he arrived, we moved back in with her parents so they could help with the kids. Then the girl started school in their neighborhood and we never came back.

    The universe doesn’t care how long you’ve taken to pursue a dream. Maybe you’ll get nothing, but sometimes it will be kind. Be grateful for those moments, however short. We got a Thanksgiving and Christmas in our house.

    Victory is fleeting, and time moves fast. This experience taught me to be picky with my commitments. I learned to focus on activities where I’ve already won by merely doing. (That’s why I’ll never do another house remodel!)

    Remodeling isn’t easy with two architects. I tend to rush, but she would sense something amiss and pause. So we’d stop. And think. And redesign. Again and again.

    Each delay took days, but it kept getting better. Replay this drama a few times and I got the message. If she’s not ready, then I know something is wrong. I learned to trust her instincts.

    I suspect most folks can learn such lessons without a miserable house remodel, but this was our crucible. Here’s to a decade, let’s hope for many more!

  • Blonde bonobos bounced boorishly, brazenly belching behind brunette beavers belligerently bereaving burst bubbles by beige barbed birches.

    An outline handsketch of a hand shaping the ASL American manual letter “A”, in red ink on a yellow spiral bound steno notebook.
    Pink and blue yoga mats on beige tile, strewn with scrap paper and toilet paper tubes.

    Last week, our daughter designed and built a roller coaster from materials at home. Watching the girl press against her 3rd grade deadline surfaced messy memories of late night college studios.

  • Ten!

    Two kids and a remodel,
    Still together,
    A big anniversary.
    (Another quiet day)

    I worked at the office.
    Rushed to the community center.
    The girl checked out a theater class.
    (The boy quickly lost interest)

    Crossed the street,
    Passed through a skate park,
    The four of us ran around.
    (Inside the bowl)

    At the playground,
    He swung slowly,
    She crossed the monkey bars.
    (I did a couple pull-ups)

    Heading home,
    Watched teens at the skate park.
    Backflips on scooters!
    (Dangerous)

    She cooked a late dinner.
    Penne and sauce,
    Sardines, cucumbers, onions, and artichoke hearts.
    (I stole most of a celebratory soda)

    The kids pressured mom,
    “Make a cake!”
    Too late.
    (9:00)

    They ran off,
    I cleared the table,
    Celebrated again.
    (We split a surreptitious popsicle)

    We outlasted:
    The reception venue (Firefly now Nacho Daddy)
    The wedding venue (Bonnie Springs, demolished)
    The rehearsal dinner venue (HK Star and its many replacements)

    Nothing is guaranteed,
    I’m grateful things have worked out.
    On to the next decade.
    (Hoping for more quiet days)

  • He sculpted a blue playdough figure (with a tail) called the “Girl Stratosphere Tower” (the Statue of Liberty).

    He told momma,
    I found it on the “process shelf“.

    What’s the “process shelf”?

    He pointed at the bathroom countertop.

    Let’s start the process at 8:30.
    It’s 10 o’clock! How come we haven’t started the process yet?
    OK, time to wash up and brush your teeth!

    Now that they’re older,
    Going to bed isn’t a battle.
    But it’s still a process.

    If we let them.
    They’d drag it out
    Process,
    All night long,

    ䷓䷴

    witness

    after
    gloaming

    before
    somnolence

    ablutions

  • They delayed tidying the living room by jumping on the bed and cheerleading their father folding fresh laundry.

    Claire!
    Claire!

    Who’s Claire?
    Oh wait!
    She’s your imaginary friend, right?

    No! She’s our imaginary little sister!

    …

    Charles!
    Charles!

    Who’s Charles?

    He’s our imaginary baby brother!

    Really?
    When did he join the family?
    Last week?

    No! He’s been with us for a year!

    .
    .
    .

    An hour later, I asked my wife if she had met Claire and Charles.

    What are you talking about?!

    ䷺䷓

    apostolic sea
    auspicious foam
    ambitious dissolve

  • Angry aardvarks advertantly abducted an airship at Akita Airport absurdly assuming acerbic albatrosses abducted an adolescent aye aye.

    An outline handsketch of a hand shaping the ASL American manual letter “A”, in red ink on a yellow spiral bound steno notebook.
    A faded pink pillow with a giant tear down the center and exposed stuffing.

    Many years ago, a BoardGameGeek user in Australia asked me to receive several shipments before his arrival in Vegas to attend a friend’s steampunk themed wedding.

    When he came to pick up the games, his wife gave me this pink handmade pillow with chibi Star Wars characters for my newborn daughter.

    Last year, I joined Post.news. The open and accepting crowd inspired me to start drawing again after years of fearful, constipated dormancy.

    I started a series of hand sketches forming the ASL manual alphabet.
    After a few letters I started adding alliterative sentences.
    A month into this exercise, I was forced back into the office.

    Reinserting a commute into my routine was so disruptive that I dropped the project before completing it.

    ~

    A couple weeks ago I also joined Substack Notes. One of the first folks I met was Charlene Storey, who started a weekly ritual to share pictures of “everyday magic”.

    Given my interest in the mundane objects that surround us (I earned my 2003 NaNoWriMo by writing about the stuff in my tiny garage apartment), it’s a perfect way to jump into the new stream.

    ~

    I should finish the alphabet series, but I also like this new weekly thing and I don’t want to wait half a year before archiving these memories.

    So for the next 26 weeks, I’ll be doing a series of unplanned diptychs. Let’s see how it goes.