Costa Rica upclose

I'm back! Just after graduation Andrea & I headed off to Costa Rica for some adventurous vacation time. We had an absolute blast and met some incredible people. Our 7 days there gave us only a small taste of the country. But, we did manage to see a broad range of scenary in the mean time; San Jose, the coast, the rainforest, a waterfall, a volcano, small towns, agricultural countryside are just some of the places we visited. Quite a diverse trip.

This is my favorite photograph from the trip. Although it doesn't say much scenary-wise, it is beautiful. I wish I could take credit for this one, but I can't this is the photograph genius of Andrea. I believe she shot this on manual (which is impressive seeing as she had to get all her settings correct, and she's new to shoting manual). It's wonderfully composed with simple, yet strong colors. Well done, friend.

Throughout the week I probably took well over 100 photographs of the flora in Costa Rica. I couldn't help myself, it was gorgeous and worth remembering. Everything seemed to have such vibrant color. I'll share more of Costa Rica in coming posts.

We're graduated

So we're masters now, at architecture, they say. What a great weekend. All our families came into town on Thursday. A bunch of us spent the day out at our professors house for a get-together. Then we all reconvined at Mad Hatters on northgate. It was fantastic for our families to meet and hang out. I think I speak for all when I say we had an absolute blast. Then Friday was all the ceremonial stuff. We started with the college hooding ceremony in the morning and then the university commencement was at 2PM. And, I did end up making it to Amanda's wedding after all, the reception atleast. Right after I recieved my diploma I met back up with mom and dad at the car then headed for San Antonio. Busy, busy, but totally fun weekend!

This is one of my favorite photos from the festivities. Left to right is Preston, Chad and Alejandro. I don't what I would do without these guys. When's the next reunion?

Love and rings

Tomorrow my good friend Amanda is getting married. Unfortunately I am having to miss her big day because of my own graduation, which I am dissapointed about. I enjoy weddings. It is so wonderful to see two people dedicate themselves to one another. Being around such strong love is a powerful thing. So, Amanda and Ross, I wish I could be there tomorrow to see you two birds.

This photograph is of Amanda's ring. Fairly soon after their engagement we had a reunion weekend, and we did a little photo shoot of her ring. Rings are hard to photograph because you want to zoom in on them real tight, but most lenses don't have the capability to go in so close. So, with the help of some flowers we managed to make the ring the subject of the photograph without having to be right up on it.

School's out forever

Oh Alice Cooper, I hear you singing now. Today was my last day of school ever. I actually didn't even realize it until Andrea called this morning and reminded me! I was like, whoa, it is my last day of school! I had to go up to Langford to meet with Phill about my tao panel and then I cleaned out my locker and turned in my key. Good times. Now for all the cap and gown business (or as Alejandro says, the batman suit ceremony).

Adios school. It's been fun.

The way of heaven

This semester I took a directed studies on sacred geometry. I worked with professor Phillip Tabb. I explored the idea that geometry is powerfully expressive and has meaning to us. And often when it has meaning it can be considered sacred. What is sacred? Well that's a whole other subject for another time.

So, first I had to learn the difference between pure geometry and sacred geometry. Then I decided to apply what I had learned in a design of a veneered wood panel. The influence of my panel design was the tao. In short, the tao is the "way of heaven" or a "resolution of opposites." In geometric form the tao is represented by a square, triangle, circle. The circle, across most cultures, is considered the most divine, representative of oneness or God. Similarly the square is symbolic of the earth. And geometrically the triangle mediates the two. Hence the tao is the way of the heaven.

After becoming familiar with sacred geometry I embarked on my panel design. Slowly the tao panel design took shape (no pun intended!) geometically. I found it very difficult to transition from square to triangle to circle. Quite interesting if you think about it; the way of heaven is not an easy path to follow, yet it is a worthy one. After the geometry of the panel was established I had to determine where the wood veneers would go on the panel. The grains and colors of the different veneers introduced new challenges. Finally I reached a complete design that I was ready to craft.

I've spent the last couple days crafting the panel. Craft is so different from design. It's so much more intimate. You spend time with the material, understanding it better than you ever could have during the design phase. What you see in the photograph is the craft of my tao panel just prior to adhering it to the substrate. I'm actually about to adhere and press the panel just after this post. So, when it is complete I'll show the final panel.

What did you learn?

What did you learn? This is a great question, if not, the question. I had to ask myself that this weekend after my review. When I left the review I had a feeling of what-now? Reflection was what. I spent the weekend thinking about what I had gained from the final review, my graduate education and my cummulative architecture experiences in general. A bit overwhelming really. I had to tone it down eventually. What I came to realize was I had learned so much, but basically it boiled down to one thing: it's not over. There is plenty of learning left to be had. And, when you feel like you've got it all figured, be worried. The last comments in my review were from my committee chair, Kirk Hamilton. He said, "I've seen you mature as a designer, but you still have a lot of learning ahead of you." And, all I could think to say in response was, "Well I guess that's a good thing." And yes it is.

Thanks are in order for my wonderful committee. Alejandro snapped this photo of us at the end of my review. From left to right is Kirk Hamilton, Ward Wells and Robin Abrams. Quite an all-star group. I appreciate everything you've taught me. Onward and upward.

All smiles today

Today is the big day. I'm basically beaming. In about 2 hours I will be presenting my final study project. And in 3 hours I will have earned my Master of Architecture. I am ecstactic. I have been looking forward to this very day for years now. I remember the day I came into the College of Architecture. We had orientation with our parents. Mardelle Shepley explained to us that we would have to pursue a Masters if we intended to become a professional architect. I remember, both mom and I were shocked at that information. I rolled my eyes at the fact that all of a sudden I not only had one degree to pursue, but two! That seems like so long ago. Well now that I'm about to receive my Masters I really appreciate its value to me and my education.

I realize I have been reflecting quite a bit in the past several posts, but that seems to be appropriate right now as I'm transitioning into a new phase. So, thank you for listening. I also realize I missed posting yesterday. I suppose that will happen from time to time, but I will try to keep it to a minimum.

Enjoy the smiling fire hydrant. I took this photo in Seattle in March 2007. I was trying to see things in a new way. You ought to try it, it's fun.