“Come see,” our grandson called from the screen door.  “I found a snake outside.” He was so excited that we couldn’t disappoint him.  So four adults rushed to the side yard of the house.

A garter snake slithered through the greenery and among the stones.  “He’s so long,” Alex said.  He didn’t want to pick up the snake, but watched until it disappeared.

Image: sxc.hu

He has the same fascination with salamanders and will pick them up.  He and his cousins spend a vast amount of time looking for these under stones in the area around our house.  The turn over stones and look beneath fallen logs.  (We don’t have a lawn of grass around our house, but simply “tamed” woodland.)  This has given, first our daughter and now her children, ample area for nature explorations.

What curiosities of nature can children find around your home?  Even in urban areas with sidewalks and concrete, there are ants and birds, and occasional flowers.  We lived in the city when my daughter was two-years old.  I was amazed at the curiosities of nature the toddler could find as we walked from our apartment to various shops.  She made me aware that there was more than concrete and buildings in this area.

Take time to look at your surroundings through the eyes of a child.

With springtime come outdoor activities in the northern United where I live.  In other parts of the country, it’s already warm, even hot, so you’ve been enjoying the out-of-doors for some time.  In other countries and the Southern Hemisphere, your activities with your children may vary, but you still might find something of interest in the suggestions below.

Image: sxc.hu

States,

 Encourage youngsters to go outdoors if there are safe areas around your home.  If not, see about taking them to a park , a nearby hiking area or national forest.

 Take walks around the neighborhood.  See how everything around you is changing with the seasons.  This also is an activity to engage in other seasons; compare and contrast what you find in each.

 Take weather observations from your home and keep a chart.  Research different types of weather, how clouds form, what causes the weather you’re experiencing, and even find some weather experiments to do.

 See if there is a nature center within easy distance from your home.  Plan a visit there and make it a half or full day’s outing, complete with picnic lunch.

 Do you have hiking trails near you?  Perhaps you live in the country and have places to hike right on your own property or the neighborhood.  We live on the edge of town, and the area around our home is wooded with trails over abandoned, overgrown  roads. These provide perfect places to hike and explore.

 Build a fort or shelter in your yard or on your property.  We live on 3 wooded acres.  The grandchildren have, for years, built forts or hiding places there, by themselves and with their friends.

 Children often enjoy camping out in the yard, or even on a porch, when the weather is welcoming.  My grandson pitched a tent on the deck last year.  He often used it as his get-away during the day, as well as sleeping there at night.

 What spring and summer activities do you engage in with the youngsters in your life?

When I began painting classes and had assignments to paint foliage in the scenery around me, looking at it in different lights, I realized there were many shades of green.  These also changed with sun and shadow, time of day and season.

Image: sxc.hu

If you’re involved in any crafts that include the green of nature, you’ll find it fascinating to study the different shades.

• trees
• bushes
• grass
• flower leaves
• fields of grain
• pastures & meadows
• swamps & marshes

Sometimes your green variations will be very realiztic and follow nature’s course.  For other occasions, you might be more dramatic.  Much depends on the effect you want to achieve and the medium and materials you’re working with, such as:

• painting
• crewel work
• knitting & crochet
• quilting & fabric art
• beading
• mosaic

How have you incorporated the greens of nature into your arts and crafts?  How would you interpret the picture above into art…or poetry?

In the last post we saw the amazing Wilkinson Residence by Robert Harvey Oshatz. We also looked at some of his design approach. Now we’re going to see such a cool house, you’ll adore it 100% guaranteed.

The Fennell Residence is a floating house in Portland, Oregon, that was designed beautifully to match the floating aspect. Curved glue lam beams, huge glass facade and curved lines are perfectly suited to life on the water. When I first saw this, I had no idea it was even a floating home it was a neat surprise. What I did notice were the tear drop like sides and just fell in awe with this house.

How great is this house? Seriously. Look at the nighttime view…

Sigh. To see more make the jump.

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If you haven’t seen the work of Robert Harvey Oshatz, then you’re in for a huge treat, because he’s our only guest here at Offbeat today. He’s that cool. He gets the whole day. Although really he’s so cool he should get the month. But I digress.

Oshatz has designed many an amazing structure in my home state - Oregon and in other areas as well, as far reaching as Japan. His work is a mix of commercial, residential, religious, and more. What I love is how his work is entirely unique yet somehow manages to fit into the landscape so well - which is crucial I think if we want to preserve the natural environment. We really need to see more often that landscape and structure can ease together.

His design philosophy is really bold. Here’s a clip:

“Except for the basic elements of design composition, dominance, transition, and identity; I stay away from design theories. They seem to be too transitory and irrelevant to my work. Design theories tend to outshine their author’s performance, becoming limiting concepts, prejudicing the mind while tying one’s hands behind one’s back. They are roadblocks to new ideas. While subscribing to a particular theory of design an architect must solve problems within the parameters of that theory; this is limiting at best…

The requirements of architecture are such that I must go beyond what the client understands. There must be surprise, mystery, beauty and delight, elements that make architecture rewarding to its users for a lifetime. This is one of the primary differences between architecture and building. It is the architect’s responsibility to go beyond the mere program and into the realm of what I call the spiritual.”

You should really read Oshatz’s entire design approach though, not simply the clip above. It’s great, very interesting when combined with his work.

I ran into some issues deciding which homes to show. I’ll show two houses today, but narrowing it down to two was very difficult. I love many of his residential works a lot. Being a fan of Oregon in general, I did decide to go with two Oregon homes, which narrowed it down a little.

First up the Wilkinson Residence. This is not a house easily captured in photos. However, it’s lovely and offbeat all the same. Located in Portland the home’s lot is a fast sloping grade which according to Oshatz’s site, “Provided the opportunity to bring the main level of the house into the tree canopy to evoke the feeling of being in a tree house.” The client wanted a home that flowed with the natural environment, and I’m thinking that said client got their wish. Take a look:

It sort of makes you gasp, no? I almost can’t stop looking at it. This next photo is my favorite picture of the home. It’s the entryway, but it resembles a kaleidescope somewhat - like the flow keeps going when you look right at the circles. Very slick.

Make the jump to see a few more photos.
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