Ruins Of San Juan Parangaricutira Church

A couple of years ago as we traveled through the Mexican state of Michoacan

 we were advised by fellow travelers to visit the Paricutin Volcano. 

I am glad we did.

More Gates

It is time to look at some more gates.

The gate above is in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico.

Church Domes In Mexico

I want to add one more post on domes.

Above is in Zacatecas, Zacatecas.

What We look For In Real Estate

     

      This is the fifth in a series on buying real estate. To access the first four posts click on Buying Real Estate on the right side bar under Labels. The earlier posts cover where to look, whether to build or remodel, using the internet to look for real estate and what to look for in a realtor. I am not a realtor but only want to share what I have learned buying and selling a few properties over the years.

Bamboo Water Features

When we were in Taos, New Mexico this past summer 

we stopped by the Wired Coffee Shop a couple of times

 and admired their gardens around the patio 

which had some nice water features.

In the photo above a slow stream of water fills the bamboo 

and when enough water drips in the extra weight

 will tip the bamboo allowing the water to flow out and down. 

Buying Real Estate; Realtors

     This is the fourth in a series on buying real estate. To access the first three posts click on Buying Real Estate on the right side bar under Labels. The earlier posts cover where to look, whether to build or remodel, and using the internet to look for real estate. I am not a realtor but only want to share what I have learned buying and selling a few properties over the years.

Domes In Mexico

One of the things that interests me the most

 about building in Mexico is the domes.

Above is a beautifully tiled dome in San Carlos, Sonora.

Real Estate: On Line Sites

     This is the third in a series on buying real estate. To access the first two posts click on Buying Real Estate on the right side bar under Labels.

     We use several sites for looking at real estate on-line. The main one is to do a search for Multiple Listing  Services (MLS) in the area you want to look. The MLS is the list realtors compile of all the listed properties for sale by a realtor or real estate agencies in that area. The list is constantly changing as properties are sold and new properties are being added.

Murals In Truth Or Consequences, New Mexico

I would like to expand a bit the definition

 of alternative building to include murals.

Small Buildings

There has been quite an up surge in interest

 in small buildings these last few years and that is good

 as I have always been a proponent of small is beautiful. 

So here are a few to consider.

Passive Solar Ideas

With winter coming on it seems like a good time 

to look at some passive solar heating options.

These are all in northern New Mexico.

Adobe In Patzcuaro, Michoacan

A couple of years ago we stayed at the Hotel Villa Patzcuaro campground 

in Patzcuaro, Michoacan, Mexico and the owners son, Hernan Pimentel,

 is an architect and builder who has a passion for adobe and traditional building.

Rainbow Gathering Kitchen

In the summer of 2009th the annual Rainbow Gathering was held

 in a remote area of the Jemez mountains in northern New Mexico.

The Winter Garden #2

Back in early March I did a post on our friend Susie's garden in

The Urban Food Producing Winter Garden in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

 Now is time to look at that again here at the very end of a cold November.

The Ruins Of Paquime

In the northwestern part of the Mexican state of Chihuahua

 is the Pre-Columbian ruins of Paquime.

Bridges

Thinking of building a bridge for your landscape? 

Well here are a few ideas.

Windows And Doors At Ranchos De Taos Plaza

Since this is my third post on the Ranchos de Taos Plaza

 you can see how much we enjoyed our visit there.

Hoop Houses

This past summer we went to an open house at the

 Sustainable Agricultural Science Center At Alcalde 

which is in northern New Mexico just upstream 

along the Rio Grande River from Espanola.

 This is a farm run by New Mexico State University.

Stone Walls In Winchester, Virginia

For my last post on stonework in Winchester, Virginia

 I want to concentrate on walls.

More Color

An interesting trend in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico 

in the last few years is adding color to the exteriors

 of some commercial buildings as they are remodeled.

Gypsy Wagon

We have been in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico recently 

and I had the fortunate opportunity to tour this gypsy wagon.

Stone Steps #3

What can I say?

 I love stone steps and I love building stone steps.

And here are more.

Water Features At Parque Eduardo Ruiz

If you are dreaming up plans for a water feature... 

An Adobe Dome Building

Our friends Bill and Barbara up in El Rito, in the northern part 

of New Mexico, took advantage of the Adobe Construction Program 

put on by Northern New Mexico College (NNMC) a few years ago

 and had the class build a small adobe dome building on their property

 for the price of supplying the foundation and the adobe bricks.

 Such a deal.

Insulated Concrete Forms

Our friend Susie let us tag along when she went to check out

 insulated concrete forms at a job site in Santa Fe, N.M.

 She was interested in using Faswall Wall Forms 

and had gotten permission from local contractor Doug McDowel 

to let us visit his building site where he was using Faswall.

Andrew's Windows

If you are planning on designing or building windows 

our friend Andrew has built several that offer an array of ideas.

Thorncrown Chapel, Eureka Springs, Ark.

Before we leave the Eureka Springs, Arkansas area I want to include

 the Thorncrown Chapel which is on the edge of town.

The website has a nice virtual tour.

Spring St., Eureka Springs, Ark.- Buildings, Gardens, And Springs

Whenever we are driving across the country and we have enough time

 for a detour we try to stop at Eureka Springs, Arkansas

 And once there the place to be is Spring Street.

More Stone Buildings In Winchester, Virginia

The previous post was on the Colonial Stone Buildings Of Winchester, Virginia

 but building with stone continued into more modern times.

 Above, and the next two photos, show mid 20th century homes. 

The Colonial Stone Buildings Of Winchester, Virginia

Winchester, Virginia is a gold mine of historical architectural styles

 which have been carefully cared for and restored over the years, 

and there is an abundance of stone buildings

 throughout the historical downtown area.

An Artist's Home

We have been camping near the tiny town of Pilar, 

about 20 miles south of Taos, in northern New Mexico recently.

A Small Backyard Pond

I have covered our friends Susie and Ray's
 Albuquerque urban garden in previous posts:

Rain Water Harvesting on June10th
A Cold Frame on April 17th
Worm Composting on April 2nd
The Urban Food Producing Winter Garden on March 7th.

Now I want to show you their very nice and very small backyard pond.
Above is a water lily with koi swimming below.

Stone Descanso

Recently we were driving between Ojo Caliente and El Rito

 in northern New Mexico, when we stopped to photograph 

this descanso which had been placed here to memorialize some one 

who had apparently died in an auto accident at this spot.

Cabins

Small buildings are making a big comeback, 

at least in the blogging world, as witnessed by the number of sites 

devoted to the subject.

Above is a cabin at Breitenbush Hot Springs in Oregon.

Semi-Stabilized Adobe Techniques

Our friends Bill and Barbara have been building ( in their spare time )

 a music and art studio next to their house in El Rito, New Mexico

which is in the northern part of the state.

We happened to stop by the other day to check on the progress.

Real Estate: Build Or Remodel?

     On July 26th, I started a label on buying real estate where I talked about where to look. Now I want to continue with that label and consider the pros and cons of building from scratch or remodeling. My wife and I have always looked for properties to remodel so this will be slanted in that direction. 

More On Shipping Container Building

Back on May 16th I wrote a post on Shipping Container Buildings
and as I was reading the local Santa Fe arts guide yesterday, Pasatiempo
 in the Santa Fe New Mexican, there was an article on the very same project.
 Sorry but Pasatiempo is a pay site, not sure about the archives.

La Santisima Trinidad Church In Arroyo Seco, N.M.

While we are on the subject of adobe churches in the Taos area

 I want to include the church in Arroyo Seco just to the north.

Ranchos De Taos Plaza

Surrounding the St. Francis de Asis Church, which I covered in the previous post, 

is the Ranchos de Taos Plaza,

 which in itself gives a history of building with adobe in New Mexico.

Here is the complete series:

The St. Francis De Asis Church,

Windows And Doors At Ranchos De Taos Plaza,

The Annual Mudding Of The St. Francis De Asis Church In Ranchos De Taos, N.M.-Part 1,

The Annual Mudding Of The St. Francis De Asis Church In Ranchos De Taos, N.M.-Part 2.

The St. Francis De Asis Church

We have been on the road again so I haven't put

 up a post in what seems like forever.

We are in the Taos area and last week we stopped in Ranchos de Taos

 to see the the San Francisco De Asis church.

More Stone Steps

I would like to continue with a post I did on Stone Steps on March 7th.

 If you happen to be thinking of installing steps 

maybe these will give you some design ideas.

Tile Mosaic

I saw this very nice tile mosaic

 in Silver City, N.M. the other day.

Windows And Doors At Arcosanti And Cosanti

My last post had no pictures so I hope to make up for that now.

 I have covered the work of Paolo Soleri enough now 

that I will make his own label covering his work

 at Arcosanti and Cosanti as well as the updates I have added 

about the amphitheater he designed in Santa Fe, N.M.

Buying Real Estate

     My wife and I sold our fixed up home that we had owned for 13 years back in June of '07. Since that time we have been looking at real estate, mostly in New Mexico, but also just about anywhere we have been in this country and Mexico. It is always fun to speculate how we would like to live in different places. We rarely pass up an open house put on by realtors. In the years before we have bought and sold 2 homes without a realtor and 1 home with a realtor all told.

Free Form Stairway

I want to get back to stairways and one of the coolest 

I have seen lately is one that Andrew has built.

Paolo Soleri Amphitheater Update #3

     Laura Paskus has a good article in the Santa Fe Reporter that came out today on the Paolo Soleri Amphitheater and the Santa Fe Indian School. The feature article is Redemption Song. For more links on Soleri, Arcosanti, and Cosanti go to my update from July 12th - Paolo Soleri Amphitheater Update.

     Paskus is an excellent writer and her article is well balanced on what has become quite a controversy in the Santa Fe area about whether the amphitheater should be torn down or not. She also includes some history on the Santa Fe Indian School. Enjoy.

Stone Work In Silver City

Since we are in Silver City, N. M. for a good part 

of this summer I want to continue with some

 of the building techniques that I see around town.

Woodworking By Rob Stout

I have highlighted some of the work of Rob Stout in 3 previous posts:

 An Active Solar System on 6/15; 

The Attached Solar Greenhouse on 6/25;

 and his work was included in Door Handles And Latches on 6/24.

Now I want to show some of his woodworking skills.

Tile Mosaic in Silver City

We are currently in Silver City, New Mexico

 and yesterday I went by this beautiful mosaic wall 

and the owner and artist, Jan, was happy to let me take photos.

The Paolo Soleri Amphitheater Update

     This blog has followed the work of Paolo Soleri in three previous posts: on April 4th - Arcosanti; on April 16th - Cosanti; and on May 25 a link to the plans to demolish Paolo Soleri Amphitheater in Santa Fe. My wife just alerted me to two articles in the Santa Fe Reporter on the issue: from June 11th - Frances Abeytas Fire and June 21st - Stewart Udalls Life. I am not sure where things stand at this point but I am not hopeful that the amphitheater can be save.

Mudding The St. Francis De Assi Church

     I ran across this article in the Santa Fe New Mexican this morning on remudding the St. Francis de Assi Church in Ranchos de Taos. This is an annual affair and gives a nice account how this is done. Building with adobe is still an important part of life in northern New Mexico and is not just an oddity enjoyed by the rich or owner-builders.

Window Gardens Of Guanajuato

Window gardens of Guanjuato, Guanajuato are to be seen 

all over the central historic area.

An Adobe Tower

I have wanted to build a tower for some time

 and I am not sure of the motivation, 

but my friend Andrew has already accomplished the feat. 

More Stone Carving In Mexico

On our way back from Mexico we stopped at this stone yard, 

Canteras Guadalajara, in Imuris, Sonora 

just about 40 miles south of Nogalos, Arizona.

What Is Wrong With This House?

We are currently in the Silver City, New Mexico area

 and just down the street from where we are staying 

is this seemingly empty but very new house

 in the county just outside the city limits.

So far we have not seen anybody in or around this house.

 We don't know if it a foreclosure or what.

 There is no for sale sign and it just seems 

to have been sitting empty for quite awhile.

Monticello's Gardens

     I ran across this article in the New York Times this morning: At Monticello, Jefferson's Methods Endure. For the slide show click here. Enjoy

Windows And Shoji Screens

     This post is the first under the new label of windows and I want to start with a window I wrote about on February 13th, Woodworking At 831. It brings up a couple of points.

Ethical Architecture by Professor Paul Lusk

     I was looking through a book on green remodeling when I noticed a link to Ethical Architecture, a site that features the work of Paul Lusk, an associate professor of architecture and planning at the University of New Mexico.

     This is a rather old site but he has some very interesting ideas he experimented with on grey water purification systems, composting toilets, building with adobe, cement ponds, solar greenhouses and cooling towers in an addition he added to his house in the southwest valley of Albuquerque, New Mexico.

     I did a google search on Paul Lusk and came up with the book Building to Endure: Design Lessons of Arid Lands available at Amazon. It looks interesting and no this is not an endorsement and no I receive no money for anything I put on this site. If anybody knows more about Paul Lusk I hope you will post it in comments.

Shel Neymark's Tile Murals

Back in May we went to the Albuquerque Botanical Gardens

 which I have shown bits of in previous posts. 

One of the things I was most interested in seeing was some of the work

 of Shel Neymark whose work we had become acquainted with 

while living in Santa Fe.

The Attached Solar Greenhouse

I have recently been covering the house 

that Rob Stout has designed and built.

 The complete set of posts are:
 An Active Solar System,
Woodworking By Rob Stout,
and his work was included in Door Handles And Latches.