Pomeroy, WA

So last weekend, err.. the weekend before last, I went down to catch the action at the Olympus Rally in Pomeroy, Washington. Contrary to my initial assumption, Pomeroy is not, in fact, in the middle of nowhere. On the contrary, it is on the edge of nowhere. One must first drive through nowhere in order to get to Pomeroy. On the way down there I passed through a couple of snow flurries including some accumulation at Alpowa Summit leaving me wondering if Rally America was going to have a third snow rally of the season. Usually, Sno*Drift in Houston, Michigan is the only "winter" rally, but this year 100 Acre Wood in southern Missourah, also had a couple of inches of snow.

...Anyway, on to the pictures.

The rich kids were there of course.

Extreme motorsports Wunderkind, Travis Pastrana.
Fellow Motocrosser, Kenny Bartram.

DC Shoe Magnate, Ken block.

Canadian rally heartthrob ACP.

Last year's teenage 2-wheel drive champion, Kyle Sarasin

In addition, Subaru was there with its latest version of the STi

This was the 08's debut in rally form in the Production GT class. Apparently, they were still working out a few bugs so it probably won't appear in the open class until next year.

However, the Open Class did include a beautiful 2004 VW R32. Sadly it didn't perform too well, but that naturally aspirated V6 sounded sweet compared to the anti-lag turbos on those Subarus and Mitsubishis! If you're not familiar with what I'm talking about, The VW at full throttle sounds like the bloodcurdling shriek of a mountain lion while the typical turbo rice burner hisses, sputters and yowls like a pair of feral cats in a burlap sack.

There were some sweet 2-wheel drives in attendance as well:

This old Volvo beat the pants off the SRT-4 Neons and Ford Foci in Class 5, taking both regional contests, and smoking several 4WD open class rigs as well in almost every stage.
This team has the right idea, the multi-color livery makes repairs faster and cheaper, eliminating all that pesky repainting between meets.

I'm not a big Honda fan, but I've always liked the look of the RSX.

And as the former owner of a B210, and having driven a late model Tsuru around the Sierra Madre del Oeste in Sinaloa, Mexico a few years ago, I had to admire this old SE-R.

This old RX-7 is apparently a fixture in northwest rallies, and it's nice to see another rear-wheel drive in the mix. The 4WD 323 next to it, while a classic, was severely outclassed by the modern competition.

I was hoping to see this old roadster bringing up the rear, but it was just for show.

I don't know of a a more ideal location for a rally race than the rolling hills of the Palouse. The combination of open vistas, lush rolling hills, winding roads, and clear skies remind me why I left the god-forsaken tundra of the upper midwest.

Look! There's a Phil & Ted's Stroller, just like mine!

But the real reason I was so gung-ho to get down to Pomeroy was to get some shots of its incredibly well-preserved architecture.

While many rural county seats have beautiful old courthouses, few are in such a pristine condition as this one. Note the distinct lack of mid-century modern, or worse, hideous faux-historical post-modern additions to this old girl. I guess that's the advantage of maintaining the same population for over a hundred years.



But what really blows me away are these ornate storefronts along Highway 12. I'd love to find out who the masons were and if they have any heirs still in the trade.

Finally, I'm glad I don't have to heat or maintain this old farmhouse, but it displays an elegant simplicity lacking even in the most "functional" of modern works... even if the proportions of the porch are all wrong.

At least there's no scaffolding...

...but there have been jackasses with hammers banging on my roof and chimney for 5 hours straight, without so much as a 5-minute break.

More bubble news

In all the outcry about falling house prices, one key possibility is being overlooked. Maybe living in a cookie cutter house in suburbia just plain sucks and the market is starting to reflect that.

The Washington, D.C., metropolitan area has been hit hard. Prices tumbled an average of 11 percent in the past year. That's the big picture. But a look at Ashburn, Va., about 40 miles from the center of town, finds a steeper fall.

In parts of the county, housing prices have dropped 18 percent over that same period. New construction has ground to a halt.

But prices aren't falling everywhere.

It's a different story for properties that are closer to the city's center — in areas of Montgomery County that are on the edge of Washington.

"When I have a listing in this neighborhood, there are often 40 to 60 people coming through the open houses," said Pam Ryan-Brye, an agent with Long and Foster Real Estate.

Inside the city, median home prices are actually up 3.5 percent from a year ago.

This is all very interesting to me from an outsider's perspective. In a small(ish) mountain town I get to enjoy the walkability of an urban neighborhood along with access practically out my back door to lakes and wilderness, but I still have to drive over half an hour for decent paying work in a larger city in another state. I know that this arrangement is not sustainable long-term, as sprawl is already starting to choke the freeway. The decision will eventually be whether to change where I live or where I work... or both. It's a bit of a conundrum, but it is of my own making. Frankly, compared to most people's problems it's nothing.

Artsy and pointless, but kinda pretty

I hope that's okay.



I'm gonna have a carry a tripod with me everywhere now, 'cause that would have been so much cooler if the shots weren't so shaky.

Disrespecting the Neighborhood

The other day I walked past the foundation of a Condo site where somebody had spraypainted "R.I.P. Freemont". Damn condo developers. I wish I'd taken a picture of it.

I did take the picture of the sticker on the right. Guess I wanted to remember the website, which turned out to have such a boring front page I didn't poke any further. Here's a tip - if your website is about visual art, put a few samples of it on the main page.

There's this public map in Ballard just o'er the bridge and down a few blocks. I totally want to go paste a sticker to it, covering up "Ballard Port and Township" with "Your Village" and a penny-farthing bicycle.

But who am I kidding? I take property law pretty seriously. I'm no anarchist, and certainly not a graffiti-artist. I've never even carved my initials in a tree or grade-school desk. I'm just a boring wishy-washy liberal crybaby.

I do like visually pleasing graffiti. Probably from those years spent near Graffiti Bridge in Eden Prairie. Here, however, there's a bunch of taggers who just stupidly draw their initials all over everything. They piss me off. I saw this beautiful mural last week, painted on the side of a store. Some idiot had come along and painted his tag over repeatedly - it detracted from the art and obscured details, so clearly it wasn't the signature of the mural-painter.

I don't like big condo developments who bulldoze down cool old buildings to make tightly-stacked identical shoebox housing. Thankfully I live in a city where people sometimes fight that. And I suppose, if I had to choose between idiot kid taggers and big nasty condo companies, I'd go with the kids - I just wish they'd be more artistic.

Oh, yeah, and I wish they'd leave the traffic signs alone. On the one hand, it's funny when they add a "C" to the "Stop For Me, It's The Law" sign and draw a pincher on the pedestrian's hand. But more often than not, they just scribble initials in such a way that it renders the sign (and the initials) unreadable. It's sad and lame.

Denny's Longhouse

From the Seattle P-I, good news on the viking longhouse that used to be a Denny's:

Ballard Denny's site spared from demolition: It's a landmark
The pointy-topped Ballard building that formerly housed Manning's Cafeteria and then a Denny's restaurant may have no identifiable architectural style, but it's a landmark that should not be demolished, the Seattle Landmark Preservation Board decided Wednesday evening.

Sweet! Hopefully they'll get a restaurant in there again. A viking restaurant, with boiled potatoes and lefse, and soytefisk. But no hotdish, so it doesn't steal business away from my favorite bar, Zayda Buddies.

on the 90th day

In the beginning, the heavens and the earth (and the apartment)









were covered




in darkness








but on the 90th day


the apartment manager said






"Let there be light!"





and the Tyvek was pealed back from before my eyes


and I beheld Seattle




...and it was good.

Don't Breathe - Or Make Pyramids

The best reason against world government - arguably more immediately relevant than conspiratorial bankers - is that it would be government of the lowest common denominator. Stupidity is undeniable, no matter your stance on conspiracy.
Case in point: Check out this nonsense from Egypt:

Egypt to Copyright Pyramids
by Rayad Abou Awad

CAIRO (AFP) - In a potential blow to themed resorts from Vegas to Tokyo, Egypt is to pass a law requiring payment of royalties whenever its ancient monuments, from the pyramids to the sphinx, are reproduced.
...
"The new law will completely prohibit the duplication of historic Egyptian monuments..."
...
"If the law is passed then it will be applied in all countries of the world so that we can protect our interests," Hawass said.

Attempting to copyright something your ancestors built 5,000+ years ago is pretty ridiculous.

Later this afternoon, I shall be attempting to copyright Oxygen. It's made by plants, which I share a common microbial-soup ancestor with, if you look back far enough. From then on, all modern plants will owe me royalties or be guilty of infringing my process. In addition, if you humans want to breathe oxygen, you'll have to buy it from one of my authorized vendors. If you pirate any oxygen, my lawyers will sue you under international copyright law. I'm lookin' at you, Jake. See you in court!

Architectural Substitute

Since someone isn't around to give us all random architectural notes of interest to a select few, I'll do my best to pick up the slack.

So here is an article on the fire stopping potential of Vedic architecture.

On October 25, 2003, a fire began near the mountain town of Ramona in San Diego County, California. Fueled by acres of dry brush and fanned by strong Santa Ana winds, the Cedar Fire spread rapidly, burning 273,246 acres, destroying 2,232 homes, and killing 14 people. According to Jeff Harter, battalion chief of the California Fire Plan, California Department of Forestry, the speed and ferocity of the blaze "were heart stopping."

Jeanette Worland watched the fire approach across the hills, while her husband, Paul, hosed down the new home he had designed and built according to the principles of Maharishi Vedic Architecture. Pushed by 40 to 60 mph winds, the fire roared up to their home around midnight, then made a sudden 90 degree shift and passed directly outside of the house's Vastu fence. This sudden shift allowed the Worlands to evacuate – and it saved the house and everything in or near it. After shifting the blaze away from the house, minutes later the wind shifted back to its original direction and consumed the acreage directly behind the home.

The astonishing jog of the fire around the house was confirmed the next day by two fire fighters who noted with amazement that the fire seemed to lack the "desire" to destroy this house. Five other Maharishi Sthapatya Ved houses located within the fire’s path were similarly spared with only smoke damage. One of the five was the only house among several in a cul-de-sac not to burn.

Seriously, I have no clue. I'll just quote some more.

Although not familiar with the Maharishi Sthapatya Ved system, the basic principles Borden was taught, outlined on his website vastu-design.com align with Lipman’s. Both architects also stress the importance of laying out a building according to an earth energy grid, siting a residence in alignment with the owner’s birth time, the specific placement of entry doors, and the necessity of a Brahmastan, or central courtyard.

Irrespective of the alleged wild fire stopping powers, I've always liked the idea of a 'Brahmastan' and appreciate now having an exceptionally cool word by which to call it. Of course to have one requires one having enough funds to build a house large enough to really utilize one. I dare say that is not the majority.

Greater Pyramid

A group from Dessau, Germany has coordinated with Dutch architect Rem Koohaas for a competition to build a pyramid which would eventually grow more than twice as high and ten times as massive as the Great Pyramid at Giza.

The Egyptian pyramids were built for eternity but only for one single person. This pyramid is open to every individual. Rather than hastily burying one another or allowing our ashes to be scattered, as a small stone in the pyramid we can remain part of our species’ constantly shifting and ever-expanding tableau.

Personally I'm not a big fan of immortality. I'll take the scatter approach, thankyouverymuch. Let my legacy be in the minds of those I've affected through my actions, whether good or bad...

...and a pounding hangover from my wake.

That said, I am interested in the design competition, but more for the recognition in the here-and-now. Surely I can come up with a better rendering than that.

Hanford Houses

The Tri-Cities of South Central Washington are widely considered the armpit of the Pacific Northwest, but even the human armpit is an erogenous zone, so the combined mini-metropolis of Pasco, Kennewick and Richland situated at the confluence of the Yakima, Snake and Columbia Rivers must have some redeeming features. With that in mind I decided to do a little research on them this last weekend.

Prior to World War II, the history of these towns pretty well paralleled any other shithole desert outpost. But the Manhattan Project changed all that in 1943. The once tiny town of Richland, situated adjacent to the Hanford Nuclear Reservation was seized by the Federal government and grew to 25,000 by the end of the war. As a result it has an interesting architectural legacy, the Alphabet Houses. Ranging from spartan pre-fabs to basic colonial boxes, these hastily erected structures have become prized real estate to the point that the Gold Coast neighborhood recently gained a spot on the National Register of Historic Places.

Well into the 1950s Richland remained a closed town with checkpoints restricting all access. In many ways the community foreshadowed the modern suburban gated community with its narrow range of housing options, restricted access, auto-centric layout and lack of an urban center--all several years before Levittown. While urbanists may decry the effects of this model, there is no denying the city's historical significance.

Due to their proximity and status as an established agriculture and transportation hub, the neighboring towns of Pasco and Kennewick grew as well. However, these cities each retain a small pre-war downtown core at either end of an elegant cable-stayed bridge. Kennewick, while still barely a century old has a nice collection of early 20th century houses and commercial buildings, and thanks to the recent redevelopment on Clover Island, it is experiencing some renewed attention.

The eldest of the three, and still a major agricultural center, Pasco has until recently languished economically on the eastern bank of the Columbia River. Even so, in the last decade as development has exploded in the former irrigated fields along I-182, the new residents rarely if ever venture into the old town, now home to a largely Hispanic population. I know some of the new residents who go so far as to refer to their sprawl as "East Richland".

For all its environmental and developmental ills the Tri-Cities region does have some advantages going for it. The winters are sunny and mild, a welcome escape for many Northwesterners contemplating suicide in February. The summers, while definitely hot are not nearly as bad as in the southwest, with the added advantage of cool evenings with long northern twilight to allow for outdoor enjoyment even in July. The area is home to some world-class wineries and plentiful produce. A lush greenbelt is in development along the Columbia River, and real estate prices are not nearly as astronomical as they have become on the West Side or even in the more desirable parts of the Spokane/Coeur d'Alene area. While I'll admit my lust for one of those Alphabet Houses, I still don't think that I'd want to live there, but it's not as bad as a first impression would suggest.

DIY Architecture Comix

Normally, looking at an architectural thesis is an exercise in pity. Pity, either for the student's idealistic naiveté or for their sheer banality of spirit. This one, however is a rare exception. The concept of a DIY punk architecture is progressive, yet the delivery, in the form of a graphic novel, is accessible. If you've ever sat through an architecture thesis crit then you'll appreciate this combination. They either tend to be so over-thought that they lose all sense of reality, or a mindless regurgitation of traditional forms and concepts.

Not that those of us who've been in the "real world" for several years would criticize this exercise any more than we'd criticize a Mormon groom at a bachelor party. These kids are likely in for a lifetime of missionary position commercial and institutional buildings. No point in taking away their fun.

But I really think that this guy is on to something. Something that many of us who had come to accept that the only role for punk in architecture was when we put on our headphones to crank out details and finish schedules. Something that we've admired about our fellow freaks who've gone on to pursue their talents in music, literary and visual arts, even if only in their free time. The ability to produce a finished product on one's own terms.

Architecture, frankly, requires a boatload of money to get anything useful built, and the people who have it fall into one of two categories: wealthy individuals or committees. Throw in NCARB, ICBO, and a million local planners, and there's not a whole lot of room for a DIY work ethic. For the most part architecture's just a job. In that respect, we're no different than artists working in coffee shops and factories who pull out the guitar or word processor in their free time. Maybe we get to do an occasional remodel or addition for a friend or relative. Unfortunately after doing it all day, it's hard to put one's heart into moonlighting on small cool projects. Without that distance between "work" and "art", I almost wonder if searching for the means to express one's self requires a break from the daily grind of professional practice.

The research portion of the thesis delves into the DIY movement in other arenas, and brings up one group of architects, Jersey Devil. Even their name sounds more like a punk band than a firm, and there nomadic practice conjures up images of Grandmapalooza. Still, their Bruce Goff-esque work depends on the patronage of the upper class. Another approach would be that of Jonathan Segal, who took on urban blight and bad taste by becoming his own developer. Ironically, his capitalist approach put modern design and urban infill into reach of the middle class, if not the actual poor. He's no Michael Pyatok, but he's doing a better job than all those "affordable" prefabs, and he doesn't have to drive a battered Volvo around to all those tedious community action group meetings

Fuck it, maybe I'll just take the Paolo Soleri route and sucker a bunch of hippies in to building my wacky shit for free.

From the big house to the big house.

I know it probably won't last long, but I love to see people building stuff like this:

He firstly added three floors, but was not keen on the outcome, so he added more floors and just kept goind, he calls the finished project a "happy accident". For the one-time gangster, who has spent four years in jail on racketeering charges, Nikolai Sutyagin's home is certainly different. Not only would his house be a perfect love nest, but it could even accommodate the 18 executives of his construction company. Now penniless Sutyagin lives in four poorly heated rooms at the bottom of his wooden log cabin with his wife.

Heroic!