Curves and Landscapes

We all like curves. Males are rumored to especially go for them based on some inner attraction mechanism and baseball pitchers – though not necessarily batters – are famous for their love of the swerving lines that Nature seems to deal in. Often, however, people seem to design their structures and buildings using nothing but straight lines. This may be simply because we are too caught up in practical concepts, or too worried about things like “what does buildings insurance cover?” to think about the aesthetics of the building itself. Curved features are likely to be added as something of an afterthought.  Outside of crystals and the apparent flat plane of a horizon, just exactly how many straight lines do we see in Nature?

Well – Here’s a few – note the basalt (volcanic) crystals in this arrangement outside the Portland Zoo.

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Note this other example of an orderly straight line in Nature:

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We’ll make straight lines in our landscapes to determine property limits with fencing or walls, for sure. And if we want a formal structure, we can do it as well. But, for me, by far the primary arc in any landscaping project has the sensation of curving, growing and the sense of revelation and “emerging” within those rigid exterior forms of perfect lines:

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This patio, framed inside the stucco walls containing it, evolves daintily, gradually curving to show off plant effects and softening the hard lines of its perimeter.

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A look in the other direction from the same perspectitve reveals much going on – a water feature at the end of this one, if enlarged, all mitigating those straight, boring walls which provide the privacy:

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Fed by curving walks, the theme is shown, then repeats itself over and over on this large project. All the hard, straight, formal constructions, from the house itself to these patio walls are rigid in their perfection. It needs to get a little less “Uptight”:

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Other factors can increase the “humanity” or the “naturalness” of new constructions. Rocks, mulches, boulders themselves, terrain-shaping – we use all these methods to render a more pleasing and accepting palette for the eye and dare I say The Souls of us to relax just a bit and to allow the mind to ease off the throttle:

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Even simple constructions can ring in a more relaxing take on the hard lines of sidewalks and driveways. The home below, for example, originally had itself a nice square bunch of concrete underneath the pillars and leading to the front door. We not only curved it but we also crossed the lawn for a far more pleasant journey out back:

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This curvaceous sidewalk leads to a very, very curvy circle, hard by the little waterfall and has been perfect for socializing in evenings and mornings “Out by the falls” 😉 :

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Curves also hold out interest by inviting the natural tendency of the eye to follow things to conclusion. We ask: “Where does it go?” and we find a nice, pleasant mystery that maintains a mental hunger but which exists to satisfy exactly that with surprises geared to make us better people.

Their form can make a patch of grass in a desert look like a small lake:

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Or they can provide just enough mystery to make us wonder “What’s around that bend in the road?”:

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A curving line is so cool, it can make you want to take a barefoot walk:

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Nature’s curve balls are excellent fun.

Circle Paver Patterns – Kits and Starts

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The above is a “kit”. These bricks are all preformed, manufactured absolutely perfectly to form circles suitable for all the many uses pavers like this might have. They even come with terrific little designs on paper which you can use to fit in like a puzzle! I adore these, frankly, and that aint hay. There is something truly magnificent about the design artwork and the excess of care involved in breaking up all the hard lines of driveways, sidewalks and patios and putting in something for the sheer pleasurable beauty of it. As a design co-pilot, I can testify that these features add a truly value-added dimension to the curb appeal and resale value of a home – yada yada yada. As eye candy, it is even better. And that’s my thing.

Click any and all images to enlarge – even twice for detail)

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Now, typical me – I have often decided long after the “kits” became unavailable to order in a timely fashion that- “Wow!” –  some sort of this circular mode of paver patterns might be ‘just the thing’!

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The above picture, for example, originally looked boring as heck. All those nice tumbled pavers, set on in rows like little soldiers just wrecked my personal appreciation of a very special project overall. So – I decided to add a bit of “gingerbread!’ And did. It took Kenny about 3 days to successfully negotiate this particular feature and he took to it like a man possessed. I’d stop by and comment (not always well-received, lol) and be bossy and stuff.

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This following feature was one I had my very own gnarly hands in, on a project with John Stone. Naturally, no one bothered considering whether or not “Circle Kits” were available for this particular stone and thus it became yet another round of hand work, cutting, chipping, antiquing and swearing – in no set order. In this case, that fire pit determined the desirability of circularity and I happened to agree, wholeheartedly.

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I’ve posted this picture elsewhere and, as I recall, the comment was something along the lines of  “Only a landscaper could appreciate this picture.” There is definitely some truth in that. These shots give some idea as to what is involved when someone opts – late in the game – to add circularity to brick paver expanses. Inasmuch as we are dealing with “Tumbled Pavers” – those pavers intended to give a worn, antiqued sort of solidity – it is actually easier rather than harder to make them fit. In these cases “approximate” is still good owing to the greater tolerances between the bricks allowed by these “old suckers”. What is a bit more challenging, from a strict design sense, is integrating the colors and style of the two radically different bricks featured here. We’ll check out the result below.

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A better look at the working environment above shows the cutting machine very, very close by. It is loud and obnoxious but walking any distance to deal with the enormous numbers of cuts involved in a circular adjustment is plain cruel and hugely time-wasting. Heaven forbid!  The other consideration involved with cutting and shaping anything somewhat Feaux aged such as these, involves how truly exact the cuts are, when completed. Naturally enough, the diamond blade saw will leave a clear and extremely well defined edge where the cut was made. It seems to sometimes shock people to watch us sit there with hammers and pound the edges down to a similar antique edge – or grind them – to replicate the other 4 edges, but that is exactly what we do. We “ruin” them to save them, as it were.

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Of course, from there, we polish off all the edges from the other paver styles, having them meet the outer edge  of that stupid circle we aspired to. Band aids help the process. As in all projects, we spread the sand and sweep it in just prior to re-compacting it all to a uniform surface. Also, as in all projects, the carpenters wanted us out of the way, “Yesterday”, so they could work somewhere beside the mud which we seemed to take to so naturally. It took a total of about 7.573 minutes for us to spread the sand before the table saw in the picture above showed up.

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Here is the finished look of that area, subtly integrated with some success. I was unable to get back and take more pictures owing to the rapid strain of financial necessity. We left. Hey – we were done, lol.

Now, some circles can also be rendered using other items – like wall blocks to form circular things such as Patio Fire Pits in otherwise unlikely areas:

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A bit more finished look. That is a lot of grinding, lol:

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Next time, I’ll deal with curves – always a favorite! – and how we do much the same thing, using boring square and rectangular items to form the curves and somehow sinewy passages of non-linear walks, patios and even driveways.

First Day Of Spring!!

And the weather is not even bad!!!  😉  Yaaaahhhoooooooooo!

This re-located West Coaster is quietly thrilled today, relishing every single millisecond of 70 degree weather. We even got astronomical verification from The Creator –  ladies and gents, the Solstice went off as planned.

“It is Go, Houston”.

It is in this giddy frame of mind with which I drag myself back from watching a delightful 9 innings of baseball played here at the University of Louisville’s cool new stadium which inspires me to post my favorite Spring Pictures, all drawn from various and sundry travels through those Springtime months of years past and present.

We can begin at the first – Crocuses always thrill me. They are the earliest blooms of all and they most certainly took their time getting here this season. This is not to hold them responsible, of course. Like myself – we are all merely pawns in the Great Book of Life.

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I like the meadow-esque look they can take on when “naturalized” as in this picture. I have to admit, it is by far my favorite use of these gorgeous early Spring bloomers.

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Forsythia always gets the garland for “most desired plant ever” at about this time of year. I wish I had a buck for every Springtime job I did where someone would ask for these to be planted – “Steve, do you know the name of that pretty yellow flowering shrub?”

“Yes.” (rolls eyes)

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Star Magnolias are next on the Early Spring list of glory hallelujah Spring Time bloomers, showing here “in potentia”, then later as a daggone gorgeous tree. These can actually get bigger than heck – always a perfect Spring harbinger.

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And later:

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Early-blooming Plum have always been a favorite of mine. This neighborhood street scene in Portland, Oregon shows why I so admire 4 season climates. This one is in two phases, each of which is gorgeous:

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And a bit later:

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The lime-green of early Weeping Willow leaves contrast gloriously with the bloom from an early-blooming Japanese Cherry tree:

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An old favorite of mine is this Pieris Japonica “Mountain Fire”, whose brilliant new red foliage is a Spring Time phenomenon, soon to revert to green.

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And my old favorites, the Oregon State Shrub – the Oregon Grape – a Mahonia culitvar which travels well and is found in various varieties here in Kentucky – shines in the Sun light with a brilliant yellow:

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I could go on. As Sprintime develops further, we’ll get those pretty perennials like Columbines, Lupines and stuff like this cute Bleeding Heart which now doubles as my own screen saver, lol. I like this picture.

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Until then, consider me happy. Hey, it’s almost baseball season!