Honeymoon Cottages

This duplex unit is under construction on Tybee Island near the new walk-over just installed

at the North end of Byers St. just as you enter the island. Built by Keith Gay Jr.

Stonehenge? or Tybee Cottage foundations?

The smell of fresh concrete just stripped of its forms does it for me. Wet kiln dried 2x4 and plywood formwork in a tropical environment? Does it get any better than that? My Tybee cottages being built by Keith Gay Jr. are coming along nicely. These simple 12"x 16" piers sport some of the best concrete work I have seen. Champhered corners, no air pockets, just a real fine workmanship like job. It's not Stonehenge, but so far so very good!

I have always loved the primitave beauty of post and beam construction. It's something about man's dominion over nature, building things because you can, realizing your visualizations of space.

House Rules

Today, I will breathe in and breath out, be thankful for my family and all I have. I will keep these House Rules in mind as I go about this beautiful day.

Thanks Kathleen.

Grayson Stadium, Savannah

Here is the picture of Callahan Pyrch up on historic Grayson Stadium's center field scoreboard in SCAD's game this past Tuesday. He did a great job in his one inning of relief / setup work. This is only the second time in his college career that he has used the sidearm or submarine delivery. He has become a productive contributor to the team, and as coach Wollenburg told him, he is now a viable option for the Bees. Follow the SCAD Bees baseball with live stats and home games on Internet radio at http://www.scadathletics.com/

It has been extra sweet with my new job as Architectural Coordinator with the City of Savannah. One of my many projects is working on some new improvements to Grayson Stadium. My office is in Daffin Park, where Grayson Stadium is located.

Polar Bears

I am so grateful to Kathleen for giving me the gift of fitness. Her job at the Tybee YMCA has given me a discounted membership. Callahan and Chelsea both work for the Y so their memberships are included. I am taking Zumba and Water Aerobics with Chelsea and Laura, Tone and Burn with Sunny and Bonnie, Spin class with Randi, Core Fitness with James and April, Yoga with Betsy, Will, Susan and Jim.... not to mention Family Fusion Surf Camp with Turner and Alex last summer and all of the other great programs like Skate Night in the gym etc., etc., etc.
The Y's motto: “We build strong kids, strong families, strong communities,” will happen if you take advantage of all the Y has to offer. After a year of working out at the Y, see for yourself the improvements in this picture taken at the Polar Bear Plunge in 2008 and again in 2009.

Since I took the new job with the City of Savannah 2 weeks ago, my challenge will be to stay fit and get my workouts in around that 8-5 schedule. When he gets a break from SCAD classes and baseball, Cal can be spotted in Tybee Y's fitness center. Professional baseball player and former SCAD all-star pitcher Richard Sullivan got a pump in with Cal at the Tybee Y on MLK day (Richard has been working out and coaching with SCAD preparing for spring training). Callahan has generously outlined my workout:

Monday (lower bod)
leg press 3x10lunges 2x10leg curl 3x10leg extension 3x10calf raises 3x10wall sit 1min 30 sec

Tuesday (upper bod)
bench press 3x10 db row 3x10 db incline 3x10 lat pull downs 3x10 shoulder press 3x10 side raises 3x10bi's, tri's 3x10 (superset) ABS: physio ball crunches 3x20 plate twists 2x20

Wednesday (cardio)
Running, biking, swimming, etc.

Thursday (total bod)
incline chest 3x10 leg press 3x10 reverse push ups 3x10 leg curls 3x10 shoulder press 3x10 leg extensions 3x10bi's/tri's 3x10 (superset) Abs: inline sit ups 3x20 bicycles 1x50 leg lifts 1x20 (hold six inches)

Friday (cardio)

Happy New Year

As usual, I do not make any resolutions, but I would like to post the following list I came across on a blog I follow:

RESOLVED: To be fully awake and aware. To keep this list in mind:

The most destructive habit……..Worry and not being Honest
The greatest joy…….Giving
The greatest loss…….Loss of self-respect

The most satisfying work…….Helping others
The ugliest personality trait…..Selfishness
The most endangered species…..Dedicated leaders

Our greatest natural resource…..Our youth
The greatest "shot in the arm"……Encouragement
The greatest problem to overcome……Fear

The most effective sleeping pill……Peace of mind
The most crippling failure disease……Excuses
The most powerful force in life……Love

The most dangerous pariah……A gossiper
The world's most incredible computer……The brain
The worst thing to be without……Hope

The deadliest weapon…..The tongue
The two most power-filled words……"I Can"

I am so excited for my second year on Tybee Island....the first one was very good, and I am so looking forward to SCAD Baseball beginning this month at Grayson Stadium, more kayak trips, cool projects to work on, Zumba with Chelsea, Yoga, tone and burn, bike riding everywhere and just being on a beautiful island with my incredible family
See you at the beach.

Tybee Cottages

my preliminary front elevation without shutters

This is the new Katrina Cottage just built on Tybee, fits in very nicely, (here's to good 'ole red white and blue) love the roof.

I have this really nice new commission. I'm calling them The Tybee Cottages. The project consists of two new single family houses and one new duplex. The duplex is made up of two of the single family houses connected by grade level storage rooms. The three lots will share a private driveway. The big idea for the design came from the Katrina Cottage, a small human scaled house that was born as an alternative to the FEMA trailers that the federal gov't. was sending to house people that lost their home when hurricane Katrina hit a few years ago. Architects and designers like Marianne Cusato (author of Get Your House Right, one of my latest favorite books) came up with good looking small houses with front porches, clapboard siding, good proportions, and even though they are small (300 SF to around 1800 SF) they look and feel like a proper house.

There is a Katrina Cottage on Tybee that was just finished last year. The plans and materials were purchased at Lowe's. My project began as a Lowe's Katrina (google Lowe's Katrina Cottage) Cottage, but the client's program required that the bedroom be bigger, and the bath be more luxurious, and added a deck off the bedroom with a two person hot tub, for those oooh la la Tybee beach getaways. So it is looking like a honeymoon cottage with a huge master bath, a murphy bed and a sleeper sofa in the greatroom with fireplace, and a cool kitchen with farm sink, dishwasher and an island on castors that can be moved out of the way. I can't show the 730 SF floor plan yet, but here is a preliminary front elevation.