in a beautiful place out in the country
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By ro / lu in design Published: Monday, 06 August 07 - 06:41 PM (GMT -06:00) Last Updated: Wednesday, 08 August 07 - 12:36 PM (GMT -06:00) |
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i'm interested in almost everything that's green, modern and smart. the recycled shipping container as shelter movement is no exception. my fervor grew a couple of years ago though, thanks to hbo's completely amazing baltimore cop show, the wire.
the season 2 storyline takes place on the baltimore docks and the episodes chronicle the many criminal behaviors made possible by the thousands of "cans" that come and go through the worlds ports daily.
the character "ziggy" from the truly amazing hbo series, the wire.
there were some stunning shots of the docks, with so many cool stacks of colorful containers, or, as they refer to them in the show, cans (something tells me the characters would think living in a can was for a truly, special kind of idiot though).
i got pretty excited about how they looked there and beyond that, i pass by a train yard almost daily that usually has some great stacks and i started to notice things looking really cool over there as well.
as excited as i was, i still wondered if there was a "can | con" factor. i had read so many positive things about their potential but, i have this tendency to be excited by things that are largely theoretical and thought this was another in a long line...maybe i always think reality should be better than it is. (if you want to see a real "can-con", check out these container shots in our new pal joe kral's flickr account. they're unreal, literally... beautiful. he's a great graphic designer and all his sets are cool. chk it)
enter my pals paul stankey and sarah nordby.
paul is one of the hive mod architects and he's been talking about the shipping container weekend place he and his wife have been working on in northern minnesota since i met him. i remember seeing some pics but nothing recent and things were still pretty basic.
me, my wife and our friends scott and jessica were headed up to the north shore of lake superior for a week and i finally got a chance to stop by and see for myself since it was on the way. after a long trip down some beautiful but fairly sketchy roads, we arrived at the gate and walked the last stretch...
we rounded the corner and...
there it was.
very cool. two containers with a window filled middle section...
glass all the way through (sporting a "stache" in the reflection).
i didn't have the key so i smashed a window to get inside...
everyone was taking pictures...
it's not quite done inside but...
i didn't have the key so i smashed a window to get inside...
just kidding. i did leave paul and sarah some proof we stopped by though...
message from the yeti?
everyone was taking pictures...
it's not quite done inside but...
obviously, a really cool start.
outside? totally great...
and different from what i expected too. much quieter aesthetically and very elegant.
way back, i was originally attracted to the container movement by lot-ek for it's bright colors and unmistakably progressive look. usually there is a heavy graphic element to how i've observed container projects too, since they are usually renderings rather than real life examples.
paul and sarah's has a very different feel that makes me rethink the possibilities.
almost gentle...
i have to publicly tip the hat to them for doing another amazing thing a lot of people talk about doing... so yeah. respect.
the photo below was taken a few miles down the road from paul and sarah's...
outside? totally great...
and different from what i expected too. much quieter aesthetically and very elegant.
way back, i was originally attracted to the container movement by lot-ek for it's bright colors and unmistakably progressive look. usually there is a heavy graphic element to how i've observed container projects too, since they are usually renderings rather than real life examples.
paul and sarah's has a very different feel that makes me rethink the possibilities.
almost gentle...
i have to publicly tip the hat to them for doing another amazing thing a lot of people talk about doing... so yeah. respect.
after walking the trails they've made on their 40 acre plot for an hour or so, we headed back off towards our main destination.
the photo below was taken a few miles down the road from paul and sarah's...
ahhhh...
eventually we found ourselves on a deck in a location much further north...
eventually we found ourselves on a deck in a location much further north...
and i snapped this pic of my lovely wife amy, and she looks great and all,
but,
check out the full moon rising up over the water in the background.
wow.
blake wrote "gratitude is heaven" and i'd add, sometimes it comes easy.
posted by matt
but,
check out the full moon rising up over the water in the background.
wow.
blake wrote "gratitude is heaven" and i'd add, sometimes it comes easy.
posted by matt
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