#but on the other i’m so attached to this room/building/area/view out the window/etc just by virtue of living here for a few months

[magnus-rhymes-with-swagness]

[guy who gets overly attached to everything voice] idk why i get overly attached to everything haha

[anauthore]

Escape From Halloweentown {Jack Skellington x Reader} CHAPTER 1

Summary: When a game of hide-and-seek goes wrong, you find yourself lost in the woods without a way home. Whether it be fate, or just dumb luck, you suddenly find yourself in a far bigger predicament than you ever thought you would be- and it’s not just because you can’t seem to find your little brother.

**Pairing: **Reader / Jack Skellington. A very slow burn fic.

NOTE: This is a full-length fanfic! If you don’t want to read chapter by chapter on tumblr, please use the following links to read in a different format / on a different website!

Wattpad | Quotev | AO3

Fic Below the Cut | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

You had thought the doors in the trees lead to a cozy, hollow trunk, or even just a black-filled void of some solid decorative substance. Of course, once you found yourself launched onto the ground in front of you, sprawled out after trying and failing to break your fall, you quickly came to realize that that obviously was not the case.

You grunted, wheezing in the air you’d just had knocked out of you. Once you managed to scramble to your feet, you brushed yourself off, picking the pebbles and other woodland debris from your stinging palms and knees. The inflicted areas burned, and you idly ran your fingertips over the little divots they’d made into your skin before you turned around to face the door. Or rather, doors.

They still were attached to the circle of trees you’d found in the beginning, all towering over you by miles as they stood stoic and unmoving as trees always are. Out of both a burning curiosity and an insatiable impulse, you reached forward toward the gleaming knob to twist it, yet it was as stiff as a board. You furrowed a brow, trying yet again, but it didn’t move.

It didn’t move.

You looked beyond the massive trunk in front of you and out toward the horizon, where the sun had just started to come up. The entirety of the sky was painted a fruitful orange, and despite the beauty of the picture, you were more confused than you’d ever been before. The sun, as warmth-emanating as it was, sat there, climbing in a direction opposite of where it had just been moments before.

You blinked. And then you blinked again.

And then you squeezed your eyes shut and clenched your fists, digging the ends of your nails into your palms to ground you with some semblance of pain.

It was almost too easy to convince yourself that everything you’d just experienced was, in fact, a dream- yet still you found yourself trying your hardest to cling to the façade. It definitely seemed more real than the reality that was currently right in front of your closed eyes in the moment.

You sighed, and when the sun didn’t revert back to the other side of you, and the doorknob still didn’t turn, you gave up. 

You turned on your heel, tentatively at first, but then started to walk away. You didn't know where you would end up, but using this newfound daylight for something other than trying to convince yourself you were crazy is the best you could do. You crunched browned leaves under your shoes, their steady rhythm keeping you going.

Crunch crunch crunch crunch…

You breathed in and out to the beat of your own footfalls, so lost in the monotony that you didn't even realize there had been a dirt path bare of grass and leaves before you. You'd been so focused on figuring out what had just happened that the transition into silence didn't even faze you, so when you finally did notice you were actually heading somewhere, you were surprised.

Your pace quickened, excitement coursing through your veins. Maybe there was a town nearby, or at the very least, someone's backyard. As long as you had somewhere to go, you could make it work. 

The trees started to thin, as did the grass and underbrush that had surrounded you nearly the entirety of your journey. The forest itself pushed back, and ahead you could make out gnarled buildings that curled and rose toward the grey sky. Although the architecture was odd, especially by modern standards, you couldn't help but smile. It was a town! There had to be people here that could help you, and if you were lucky enough, maybe you’d find someone who’d seen your brother.

The clouds fogged the distant towers, making it seem so far away. You didn’t let that deter you, however; you passed the opening in the trees and met a dull graveyard with twisted tombstones and gnarled wording carved into them. You furrowed a brow and stopped for a moment, taking in the sight before you. These stones were surely unlike any you’ve ever seen, the lettering curling in such a way that you couldn’t make out what it said other than the dates in which these people had died: 1743, 1820, 1789, 1650, etc, etc.

Your eyebrows raised and mouth parted to breath, surprise etched in your features. You didn’t live in the north, where the pilgrims settled and died as early as the 1600s, and you didn’t know of anywhere around that could remotely match these dates of death. It was astounding to you that there had been people living here during that time- and then your shock turned to wonderment. The headstones all had one thing in common, aside from the material they were made of; none of the dates had passed the mid-1900s. Where were you? And what kind of town looks like this, with old buildings and outdated graveyards?

Shaking off the oddness of the situation, you left the line of tombs, only glancing back a couple times to make sure that you’d seen the dates correctly. You trudged on until the blackened iron fence that enclosed the rest of the graveyard came into view, the gate pointed and an unmistakable jack-o-lantern etched into it’s bars. It was propped open, it’s bottom hinge broken and the butt of the gate sunk into the dirt. From the path, you could see stones, and eventually a cobble route that was indistinguishable from the stone archway and wall that closed in the uncanny town in all its glory.

The alleyways were mostly empty, save for an occasional statue you mistook as a person. There was no litter among the lines of houses; just empty trash cans, rusting bars on windows, and locked doors to accompany the already peculiar feeling of the place. In the distance, the crashing waves of the somehow-running fountain gave some life to the town center. This, of course, was one of your only indications that there were people here at all; why would the fountain be running if there wasn’t anyone to manage it? Everything was clean, too- so this place must be a town of hermits, with outdated traditions and their own ancestors in their graves.

You sighed, and noticed the sun still creeping over the horizon. It hadn’t taken you long at all to get here, and usually that would be a good thing, but now that you were perched on the fountain’s edge looking at the vastly differing houses around you, you weren’t so sure that this place would be of any help. If anything, you were scared. You very plainly not even a full-fledged adult yet, but here you were, in the middle of God knows where looking for your little brother where he didn’t seem to be.

Tears pricked at your eyes, and you instinctively sniffed to get rid of the stinging sensation. You were here for your brother, and no one else. That meant that, despite the scary situation, you would go door to door and ask for help if you had to. There were no ifs, ands, or buts about it.

All the houses here were menacing in their own way, so, as you did when you chose a direction to walk in, you just turned toward a house and decided to walk toward it. You breathed in and made your way to this particular house’s stairs, stepping up one to plant three loud knocks on the front of a surprisingly sturdy wooden door.

You stared at the outside of the building. The windows didn’t have bars, like the others; instead, there were rotting boards covering the openings. The more that you looked at the exterior, the more you realized that there would be no way for any semblance of light to creep in, which made you raise an eyebrow in question. A moment more passed, and you knocked again, growing impatient with this empty village. Right as your knuckles brushed against the door for the third time, it swung open, revealing the dark interior and a tall, thin man clad in black standing before you.

“Yes?”

His voice was high, but it fell and rose as though it were a teen greeting her friend in a sing-songy way. You gave him a once-over, realizing that not only was this man inhabiting a house that could be compared to an abandoned lot, but he was also dressed as a vampire… in the middle of November.

“Uh, I was looking for my brother. Have you seen him?”

He had to squint to see you against the light of the outside, but even so you could tell he was looking you up and down. Though you had no idea what was going through his mind, you could tell that he was probably just as confused as you.

When he didn’t reply, you decided to elaborate; “We were playing in the forest, and he got lost. I don’t know if he ended up here, but could I at least use your phone? To tell my dad I’m safe. Mine’s dead, I can’t reach him.” You stopped yourself before you continued to ramble on, biting your tongue and hoping he could help you.

He didn’t say anything at first, and you thought that he might not respond at all. You opened your mouth to speak once more and the door closed in your face. You had no time to be shocked before it opened once more, creaking on its ancient hinges. He stepped back and gestured behind him, his cape draped over his arm as if he were Count Dracula.

You bowed your head and thanked him as you stepped into the very dimly lit room, the only source of light coming from an old lamp that sat in the corner of the room, which seemed to be nearly burnt out. You glanced about and saw that it wasn’t just this man’s costume that was vampire themed…

His décor was littered with Victorian era styles, a large coffin in the corner next to the lamp, slightly larger than the lopsided grandfather clock that sat next to it. It didn’t seem to be running, but you wouldn’t be able to tell even if it was. Wary, you seated yourself on the edge of the couch, hands folded in your lap as you watched the vampire-enthusiast close the door gently and look at you. Your eyes took a moment or so to adjust, but once they did, you realized that the interior of this place was nearly as dreary as the rest of the town.

“So, what did you want again, dear?”

You cleared your throat, nervousness coursing through you. “To use your phone, if that’s alright.”

He cocked a brow and glanced to the side, thinking before he responded in a hushed tone; “Let me see if I have one to use… just give me a moment.”

He was gone, around the corner and down what you thought was a hallway- it was too dark to really see anything, but you figured since he lived in this house, he had memorized its layout perfectly. You sighed, twiddling your thumbs as you waited, still thinking about the man’s obsession with the popularized blood-sucking creature.

 He returned, floating across his carpeted floor with no phone in hand. Trailing behind him were two shorter figures, both dressed the same as he was with long black capes and an equally dark robe. You couldn’t tell if they were related, or just friends, but they all seemed to have one thing in common; the idolization of the vampire. This, of course, worried you some. What if they were to try and suck your blood? Or maybe they were some sort of killer posse? If that were the case, though, then surely this town wouldn’t be as empty as it was. Surely, you thought, they’d already have done something to me by now.

The tallest one- the one which had answered the door for you- informed you that these were, indeed, his brothers. They were both shorter than he, albeit heavier and wider. You smiled half-heartedly as a greeting and looked back to the original.

“So, did you find a phone?”

“A phone? What’s that, Prince?” One of the brothers drawled, his voice as old and scratchy as the other’s.

“Well, no, I didn’t. But I know someone who can.” He elected to ignore the previous question and instead followed it up with a request from the other two; “Go get Jack. He’ll know what to do.”

With a curt nod, the brothers practically floated out of the front door, arms over their heads as a classic vampire would most likely do to shield themselves from the sunlight. The tallest stayed- Prince, he had been called. He didn’t sit down, as you were, nor did he really move from his standing place.. The silence in the room settled, thick and heavy, until you were so fed up with it that you decided you had to speak to preserve your own sanity.

“Uh, I like this room. It looks very nice- it’s really unique.” You smiled a thin-lipped smile and looked to him, gauging his reaction. He had already been staring at you- you chalked it up to him having not had guests in a long while. He nodded, not smiling when he responded; “I like it too.”

You didn’t like the tension, nor did you enjoy just sitting around, however you needed a phone. Or at the very least, someone more capable of getting you one than Prince. Summoning all your patience, you waited.

You were lucky that you didn’t have to wait very much longer. You’d been bouncing your leg and fiddling with the dead skin on your fingers the entire time, and you didn’t want to seem too nervous or scared. You had a feeling that it might’ve been rolling off you in waves, so you tried your best to stifle the urges. 

Your ears perked up after a minute or so more, alerted to a crunching sound outside of the door. Both you and Prince looked at it before it was pushed open by the shortest brother, who bumbled inside ungracefully, followed by his other similarly dressed family member. You looked passed him, expecting another vampire, or maybe even a normal human person, but what stood in the archway was so much more than what you were expecting.

It was a skeleton. 

[weaselle]

Sims 4 Build

OK. So. I started a new play through a while back and I wanted my sims to go out to eat and if you aren’t familiar with the Sims there are only bar/lounges and of course that ridiculous place in the faux Hollywood world. So I went to the Gallery and downloaded a couple of restaurants and...

Because I have worked for 25 years in the F&B service industry, I immediately became salty about a number of things.

And that’s why I built this restaurant, full of all the things people leave out of their restaurant builds.

See, it’s not a house. Stop building house shaped restaurants. And, nobody includes parking lots, but since I did, I made sure the handicap spots are the two closest to an entrance and have a loading zone adjacent.

I’m detail oriented in my sims builds.

If you’ve worked in restaurants, you’ll identify with all the commonalities I’ve found missing in most gallery builds that I’ve applied to this restaurant, even if you don’t play Sims.

If you haven’t worked in restaurants but you do build them in Sims 4, you could view this as a tutorial

FOH - The Floor

First of all, idk what people are looking at when they go out to eat, but evidently it isn’t the seating arrangements -- I kept finding restaurant after restaurant that seemed to have no ideal how to set up a dining area with tables. Like, the tables would be so crammed together the sims couldn’t actually walk between them, or they’d have a white cloth establishment with almost all 6 and/or 8 tops (a six-top is a table with six chairs) and almost no 2 or 4 tops; sometimes there would be like, mostly 10 or 12 tops!

Or they’d put chairs on every side of every table even though this makes everything cramped, or they’d jigsaw a bunch of different table sizes into a giant crowded square filling most of the restaurant. But mostly I saw people... doing all of these things at once they were all just doing all of this all the time omg. 

(Though I did see a couple builds where they had a huuge restaurant and then like, five small tables) Nobody seemed to know how many people a space should comfortably seat, or how many tables/seats a restaurant might need, or how to set them up

look

some things to notice: 

This seats 46. That’s good. When we move into the bar the bar tables and seating at the bar are going to bring it up to 63. Depending on your restaurant you’ll usually have between 40 and 80 seats, so I’m hitting my target perfectly. 

more than half the tables are 2 tops, but more than half the chairs are at larger tables; this isn’t like, a rule, but does mean there is probably close to the right mix of table sizes, especially for a white table cloth kinda place. There are only two “large” tables, which is about right.

The layout is easy to comprehend and section out. This floor easily lends itself to a two-server or four-server shift, and three servers isn’t hard to figure out. Like, I know exactly which tables each server would have as a four-server shift transitioned down to the closer over the evening.

It’s nearly symmetrical but not quite 100% which is what you usually see in a restaurant.

The lights are not placed randomly. You might think this doesn’t need to be pointed out. You’d be surprised.

There is plenty of room to move between the tables and have guests feel like they have their own area, with like, lanes to walk down, but there is no wasted space. It’s very full, but not at all crowded.

There’s a defined entrance, with a waiting area. The game tells you that you have to include this host station

which, yeah, some places just have a simple podium, but I built it out to help define the entrance, which has a menu stand and some seating for a wait list and the host stand has clutter like extra table tent menus and a condiment caddy. 

Similarly, the game says you need this server station

but I turned it into this

Now THAT’s a server station, with a drinks fridge, extra menus, plates, condiment shelves, and a coffee pot, which is orange for decaf because theres a regular coffee station that includes an espresso machine behind the bar. See?

Lastly, you can’t really tell from the pics so far, but the dining room and bar seating is only about half of the total space in the building, which is about right.

Here’s the bar tops

and the bar, which has a pass window right to the kitchen line, under the TV (don’t worry, there’s a proper pass for the servers and an expeditor through that door to the right) 

But once I addressed these issues with the Front of House, I realized: there is so much more missing from most restaurants on the gallery.

Like the back office.

BOH - Office

I didn’t find a single restaurant on the gallery that included one, but just about every restaurant has a shitty little back office crammed into what should be, like, a small closet. They all tend to look a little something like this

I had to hunt through debug for most of this clutter - it’s hard to tell in this pic, but that’s a couple stacks of money just sitting out on the desk to the right of the computer. That’s, shall we say, not super unusual to see in one of these crappy little paperwork prisons. And of course the mess of files and mail and shit.

You know what else every restaurant has but I never saw in any on the gallery?

Dish Pit

The game is not set up to allow you to make a proper dish pit. Like, there isn’t an industrial dishwasher or anything. Bu tI made one anyway. From the floor sinks, to the dish racks, to the horrible, heavy-ass red rubber mat that’s such a pain to clean at the end of the shift, I think you’ll recognize this room right away

I really had to fiddle to get this one -- those dish racks? they’re actually overlapped home counter racks that look like this

they were super hard to line up right. The “floor sinks” are actually a drain that’s supposed to go on the bottom of a pool, the dishwasher is actually three floor models raised to the right hight and overlapped facing different directions, and I added the little drain panels on either side by shrinking and raising floor vents to the height of the counters, which are actually overlapping tables. The floor I lucked out on, the Sims 4 has a tile floor pattern that comes in both grungy and clean, so I placed the clean ones on the outside edge of the dish pit floor in half-tiles along an irregular pattern with the edges matched to the lines of grout and added a couple of my own floor smudges so there wouldn’t be a straight line of dirty versus clean tile. Then I put some water stains over the whole thing to mask it better, overlapping some of the water stains to create the illusion of a flow of water going down the floor drain. 

Speaking of the dish pit, most restaurants have this cousin to the dish pit, that I don’t know what to call except maybe a 

Mop Closet

The Sims doesn’t have one of the yellow industrial mop buckets with the squeezy thing attachment, but I did pretty good here. Wish I could have erased the shower head, but I for sure needed the wall spigot handles and the hose. Managed to size up a bucket with water to the right dimensions and trick the game into letting me stick in a mop that’s supposed to hang on a wall. Added some cleaning supplies and stuff to the shelves.

Speaking of shelves, nobody ever includes dry storage when they do a Sims 4 restaurant. You know, with the empty beer kegs and those metal rack shelves full of, like, rows of little bottles and the restock items like six packs of soda and sacks of dry ingredients and way up on the top is the shit that never ever gets used but somehow you have to get up there every other week anyway?

See that door, the one with a light over it and a light next to it and a little temperature gauge? Yeah, you know what else I never see in gallery restaurants builds? 

Walk In

this was a pain, not only did I have to meticulously place every bottle on top of that fridge unit, but those kegs are actually tiny soda cans with no labels that I had to pull out of the vast un-tagged and un organized debug menu. I don’t even think they got placed by the devs anywhere in game, I think they are some kind of frame that gets a label/skin before it gets placed, usually. And see that fan up top in the middle of the wall? That’s actually two separate pieces of nonsense -- like, the center part isn’t a fan at all, its a stone wall decoration. But the design looks like a fan, so I shrank it and shoved it most of the way back into the wall til it was nearly flat and found that other thing that had a circle the right size in the middle. and viola. Oh, and it and those other vents next to it don’t just go to nothing, oh no, they match up perfectly on the outside to these

Okay, now, everybody building restaurants in the Sims DOES include a

Kitchen

And they often do a fine job, so I’m not going to spend much time here, but they do tend to skimp on prep space

(hey, see those shelves on the top right? Those are shelves full of dishes. I never see shelves full of dishes in gallery restaurant builds, but like, you need a bunch of shelves full of dishes. And off in the corner to the far left of the top wall? Prep sink tucked away back there.) 

Dude, let me just say... that prep counter?I placed every vegetable on that counter individually, AND I had to trick the game into letting me put more than the like, three items each counter space usually has slots for. What a pain. Worth it tho. It’s hard to tell, but there’s a knife next to the cutting board.

And lastly, no restaurant would be complete without 

“out back”

okay this post is long enough, but I just want to point out the stack of empty pallets, the discolored liquid and debris under the dumpsters along with a rat trap, and a little smoke break area with shitty chairs and a garbage table with some kind of bowl or something being used as an ashtray.

There’s more to this restaurant, employee lockers, bathrooms, etc, but this post is long enough, and I covered the most important stuff. 

In conclusion, I’m getting pretty good at sims builds, and other builders should ask me for tips on restaurant builds or read this post, because I swear none of them have ever worked in food service

[darling--michael]

With the Band (Michael Langdon x Reader)

Plot: Reader attends a concert that will change their life forever.

A/N: Inspired by this post. Idea is credited to @vampyrehoney

You got out of the cab, cursing at the cold wind that nipped at your neck. You were in the wrong part of town and wanted desperately to just get in the cab and go back home. But you had made a promise begrudgingly.

The alleyways were dark, the lamp lights being long dead. You followed the folded paper directions to a side door. On the very top of the door, an upside down cross was spray painted. You did the measured knock you had memorized just hours before.

The door flew open, revealing a girl with blue and pink hair. The girl smiled widely, throwing her arms around you. “You made it.” Jess squealed in your ear.

You forced a smile onto your face. Ignoring the dirty alley full of broken glass and garbage, you forced your way indoors. “Do they have to meet in such a sketchy place?” The back stage area was dark, small glow sticks showing the way to the main area.

“Descensum is known for meeting in these cool abandoned buildings.” She led the way through the dark backstage area as if she had walked it a thousand times. “You are doing me such a big favor by coming.”

When she pulled a dark curtain back to reveal a makeshift stage with nearly a hundred people gathered around it. They all wore black and neon colors, rocking out to the pre-recorded music that played around the abandoned room. The ceilings were high with broken glass windows littering the floor. You were glad you wore thick boots.

“So, what exactly am I doing?” Jess followed the edge of the crowd, as if she were calculating an equation in her head.

Jess spun on her heel, clapping her hands. “You are going to be my bitch tonight.” Raising an eyebrow, you let her continue. “You’ll carry around my bag that will hold all my lens, extra film, etc. If I need to get higher, you’ll be my ladder.”

You bit your tongue, not wanting to argue with her. You had dragged Jess to enough press events for your job that you knew you owed her for this. Throwing your leather jacket onto one of the chairs backstage, you went to work. Jess had clipped a dog leash to your belt so you wouldn’t lose each other. Surprisingly it didn’t stick out in this crowd. You watched as men and women in leather danced and booped around each other to the music. They wore thick bracelets, chockers, and wild hair. Your mother would say the circus had come to town.

The dim lights went out, the crowd going wild. Jess grabbed your hand as she pushed her way into the crowd. People pushed and fought back, causing bruises you knew would form the next day.

A lone figure stood on stage as the lights glowed. Men and women screamed around you. The lone figure raised a hand, the whole crowd silencing. He stepped toward the mic, taking your breathe away.

His long blonde hair fell in front of his face. He wore tight black leather pants, a black button down shirt, and velvet red dinner jacket. His voice was low but seem to fill the whole room. As his band followed his lead, you could see the allure.

The singer’s crystal blue eyes seemed to fill the entire universe in them. As he sauntered across stage, all eyes seemed to follow him. You were tugged along as Jess shoved her way through the crowd. She was taking pictures of the band, the crowd, and even the broken windows that lay around us.

At one point, Jess and moved us toward the very center of the room. You clung to the backpack, as she took pictures of the roaring crowd. A mob pit had started and Jess was snapping away.

Your eyes had never left the singer’s. Up close you could see the sweat pouring from his forehead. Despite how tiring it was to perform, he didn’t let that deter him. His whole aura seemed to fill the empty room.

His eyes found yours, making something in the very core of your being melt. He moved like a cat, his movements smooth and long. His eyes never left yours as he got closer. He fell to his knees, his nose brushing yours. His voice seemed to fill your very being as his breath mingled with yours.

Jess broke the spell by tugging you away, not even looking back to see what was happening. The singer let his fingers caress your cheek as you were pulled away. You let the blush hit your cheeks, thankful the dim lights hid it. Jess pulled you the edge of the crowd, forcing you to your knees. “I need a better view.” She climbed onto your shoulders. Your legs shook as you struggled to stand.

You took tiny steps around the edge of the crowd, not daring to try and force your way in. Jess wasn’t the lightest person and you weren’t the strongest. You could feel her own sweat mingling with yours as it dripped down your back.

You found the singer’s eyes on your again. His hand reached out into the crowd and you wondered if he was reaching toward you. His voice seemed to seep into your brain, casting a spell on you. Your feet had a mind of their own, taking one step into the roaring crowd. But a bulky man took a step back, knocking you flat on your butt. You were glad the bag of camera equipment was on your front and not your back.

The room went dark, then blinding lights filled the room. Jess was on her knees next to you, trying to get the retreating crowd to go around you. “What a crowd. Great for pictures, poor for behavior.” Her eyes lingered on a group of people snickering as they marched past.

You rubbed your ass, knowing you had bruised the bone. “Next time you go on someone’s shoulders, make sure they lift weights.”

The two of you waited for the crowd to leave before you got up. Still attached to Jess, you let her pull you toward the crew. As you struggled to take the leash off, you tried to keep your eye out for the band.

“They’ll probably already at the after party.” Jess caught your eyes lingering the stage that was coming apart. “They are always up for an after show party.”

It was ridiculous. There was no way you would ever see the singer again. This night would fade to memory, a very sore memory at that.

As Jess got her papers together, you looked for your jacket. All the chairs were empty, your old leather jacket missing from the pile that had formed in the middle of the room. Great.

Jess invited you to a different crew after party but you declined. You were tired and starving. You needed a burger. Or beer.

Turns out you got both.

Across the street lay a dinky bar that promised to have the best burger in town. It was two am and the bar was filled with old bikers. Sitting at the bar you ordered one beer and a burger. You moved butt around the chair, trying not to complain about the pain that filled your back.

Beside the amount of bodies, you felt chills run down your spin. Your ice cold hands met the beer as you took a deep gulp.

“Did you drop this?” A voice whispered in your ear.

You rolled your eyes. “Listen buddy, I’m not in the mood.” You turned, your throat going dry.

The singer of Descensum stood before you, a smirk on his face. Up close, his red eye make-up was smudged and running down his cheeks. His hair was pulled into a ponytail and in his hands were your leather jacket.

“Well if you don’t want it,” he eyed the other people in the room.

Reaching out you grabbed the jacket from his hands, throwing it around your shoulder. “Thanks.” Patting the chair next to you, you said. “Sit with me?”

You didn’t expect him to sit down. But he did, his eyes never leaving yours. While he ordered his drink, you devoured your burger. Your stomach growled in agreement, wanting the whole burger to fill it up.

“How’s your ass?” You chocked on the burger, staring at him. He was holding back a laugh as he flicked a piece of lettuce from his hand.

Cleaning yourself up you tried to hide your embarrassment. “Fine, thanks.” You drank the rest of your beer watching the singer’s rings circle the glass.

He reached a hand out toward you. “Langdon. Michael Langdon.”

Taking his warm hand in yours, you smiled up at him “Y/N” You tapped your fingers against the glass. “So you aren’t an after party guy?”

Michael shrugged his shoulders, his fingers circling the glass lid. “Not tonight. I figured there would be more fun somewhere else.”

A thought crossed our mind. You chugged the rest of the drink, jumping off the chair. “Finish your drink. We’re leaving.”

Michael cocked his brow as he brought the drink to his lips. The dizzy booze hit your head as you grabbed his hand and led him out of the bar. If he wanted an adventure, he was going to get one.

[dragongirl642]

Breakdown x reader x Wheeljack - Breakdown ending

I was currently working on the engine of my challenger. Toolbox by my feet, I replaced a dented line and closed the top. I walked round my now fully restored Dodge challenger. I looked down and flexed my fingers. Rivulets of grease ran down my arm and I sighed. Constantly changing my arm's angles to prevent drips, I began the long trudge to the bathroom...again.

.

.

.

After I washed and gone back to my trailer to change, I felt a buzzing in my skull. The accompanying flash of heat trailing down my spine put me on high alert.

'That means one thing...something bad is gonna happen soon.'

I stalked back to the main room on high alert. The sound of Ratchet's medical welder firing, spurned me into a run.

I rounded the corner to see Bulkhead sat on a medical berth, being treated by Ratchet. Arcee, Bee and Optimus were standing nearby. I sprinted up the steps, two at a time.

"What happened?!"

Bee looked at me. "Bulkhead just got back from a patrol, he saw Breakdown and was knocked out but then Breakdown was gone when he woke up. M.E.C.H did it." I looked up at them. "Who's M.E.C.H?"

Ratchet finally backed away from Bulkhead. "You'll live." He then turned to the monitors and began looking for something. After a few minutes of furious tapping he gave a small "aha" and triumphantly brought up a video. "This is the footage from the security cameras in the vicinity of your battle."

I watched, impassively, as the video began to play. The slightly grainy texture cleaned up by the advanced technology, allowed us to clearly see Bulkhead and Breakdown fighting...and the small figures in black sneaking out from the buildings once Bulkhead was knocked down. What looked like a ball of electricity whacked into Breakdown from behind him. I inhaled slightly as vans drove around the corner, as the humans began to load Breakdown onto a trailer of sorts. The letters "M.E.C.H" clearly seen on their side. Once they had their prize they drove away, leaving Bulkhead to slowly awaken to an empty lot.

I frowned. Although it hadn't shown up on the video, patterns that appeared on the ground signalled the presence of a helicopter of some sort. I turned away and walked down the stairs. 'I'm gonna need my suit.'

I heard the Bots play another video from a camera at a different angle. I quickly jogged over to my challenger and silently opened the boot. Removing the compartments cover, after a quick glance up to confirm that they were all occupied, I stood behind the car as a modesty shield and began to strip. I swiftly removed my outer clothes and began to get into my suit. First putting on thin wool underclothes, then the black mesh suit and finally the armour pieces; (Kevlar greaves, gauntlets, chest and spine plates, etc...)

The video had finished playing and I listened intently for the Autobots next move. They were discussing going to rescue Breakdown. 'Those humans are worse than Megatron huh,' I finished strapping on various holsters and started attaching ammunition to the various belts and straps on my body, 'I'd like to meet them.'

The click of a round settling in the chamber of a pistol, seconds before I holstered it, drew the Autobots attention.

"What are you doing?" Optimus sounding calm as always. I stepped out from behind my car and a quick feeling of amusement ran through me as their optics widened.

"Are you expecting to be using those anytime soon?" Arcee's sarcastic remark drawing a grin from me. I reached in and took out a dozen knives, juggling them with one hand, I calmly began holstering them.

"I definitely believe I'll need them if I'm gonna help you rescue Breakdown."

"Too dangerous!" Bumblebee's frightened beep prompting an agreeing huff from Ratchet.

"I agree...M.E.C.H is too dangerous an adversary for a child to combat."

I raised an eyebrow as I casually continued to outfit myself, until I looked like a one (woman/man) army.

"I'm not asking your permission...I'm coming whether you like it or not." I raised my hands in a placating gesture, "M.E.C.H is a human organisation and as good as you are at dealing with Decepticons...you have a rule about not harming humans...I don't."

Optimus looked thoughtful. 'Almost got him convinced...just one more push.'

"Infiltration and security was my speciality. I can devastate security more thoroughly than a bomb and leave them a little present while I'm at it. Plus....being human I can fit in small spaces that you can't", I held up two fingers close together for emphasis, "which might come in handy."

Ratchet suddenly looked at Optimus, alarmed. "Optimus, you seriously can't be considering..."

He looked at me and I could see the decision in his optics. I glared as he spoke.

"It's too dangerous, you will remain here."

Bulkhead shakily stood. "Sorry kid, maybe another time."

Ratchet suddenly moved to his side and pushed him down to sit once more.

"You're staying here."

I made a show of pulling a huff and putting my helmet away, as I watched Bulkhead protest until Optimus made Ratchet's order final.

I internally smirked. 'I'm definitely going out tonight.'

----------------------------Time Skip---------------------------------

The moon hung suspended in the night sky. A baleful eye, the silent observer to our movements. I looked out of Bulkhead's window. We'd snuck out despite Ratchet and Optimus's orders.

'Yes...I know it's wrong, but we have some info that they don't.'

Bulkhead slowed to a stop and his door opened.

We were parked in an industrial area. There were abandoned looking or empty warehouses on every side. But that wasn't the case. I could faintly hear voices just two buildings over. I hopped out and turned to view the Autobots alt-mode.

"So your gonna circle round to come at them from the other side and try and find the others...while I go in the back door...right?" I pointed in the direction of the voices.

"That's the plan." Bulkhead confirmed and shuddered. His engine revving in preparation to move. "Keep me posted?"

I put a finger to my helmet, activating the comm link to Bulkhead that I'd only recently tapped into. "Definitely."

With a screech of tyres, the Autobot shot past me and zoomed around a corner. I didn't linger, taking off at a sprint heading straight for an alleyway of sorts. I peered round the corner. 'Empty.' A scan above brought the same result. Hoisting my rifle up higher, I swiftly crossed the length of the alley. Keeping my centre of gravity low and my footsteps silent. The voices were getting louder.

I crouched and held my hand almost around the corner; peering intently into the mirror on my palm.

Two black armoured figures stood by the only door into the next warehouse over on this side; small white letters on their chest spelling out the word M.E.C.H. They both had loose grips on their machine guns, 'semi-automatic by my guess.' They talked amicably, glowing night vision goggles giving them an almost insectile look. The small winking red dot above them, testament to the presence of a security camera. I'd seen the type before, low signal, harder to detect. I watched as the dot went out for four seconds and then started winking again. 'Yep, it's a stealth one alright.' They record around 20 seconds of footage then stops recording temporarily to send it over a secure link. 'Low power, very efficient.'

I slowly drew my hand back and weighed over my options. I tightened the silencer barrel on my rifle, before removing a flash grenade from my belt. I ran through my plan in my head, making careful note of their positions by the door. I waited for the light to cut off, before swiftly standing and stepping round the corner; grenade already leaving my hand. The grenade went off, the bright light, causing my visor to flare and crackle. The calls of alarm as the two guards were blinded was swiftly cut off as I fired two shots into the field of white that made up my vision. I whirled back around the corner, using a hand for guidance, and tensely waited for my vision to correct itself.

As my vision darkened, white spots hovering in front of my face, I blinked quickly; watching with a satisfied smirk as my vision returned completely and silence greeted me. I peered around the corner.

Two dark mounds, slumped by the door. The small stain of red on the wall confirming my shots. The small blinking dot of the camera continued to flash. I scanned the area, judging how far the cameras vision stretched and waited for the light to go dark again. It winked out and I sprinted over to the two fallen soldiers. Back thudding against the wall I tensed and waited for any alarms. None came, so I carefully slid up the wall; making sure to keep out of the camera's shot.

Certain I couldn't be seen I now turned my attention to the two fallen guards. Both male, one was older judging by his size and the small tuft of grey poking out from under his helmet where it hadn't been tucked in. The other looked more fragile, 'young...possibly his first guard shift.' I paused momentarily to let myself feel a shred of guilt, before shoving it down.

My shots had been sure. I'd compensated for any flailing and the sight of ruptured flesh in the small exposed area between the chinstrap and the neck of the suit proved their death.

I now turned to study the door. 'I need entry and quick...eventually someone will notice their absence. There was an electronic lock on the door, a pad beside it requiring key card entry. I crouched and rifled through the pockets on the guards. I eventually found what I was looking for. In the tiny forearm pocket on the older guard, was a key card the likes of which I'd never seen before. It looked like plastic, felt like metal and folded in half around a tiny variant of a pin hinge. I was rewarded with several other goodies, two keys, a torch, I took one pair of goggles and the younger guard's gun. 'I wonder how this works.'

I hung the goggles off a hook on my shoulder and hung my rifle, opting to use the M.E.C.H guard's gun instead. I finally turned and inserted the key card into the pad, watching as the light turned green; the door yielding when I turned the handle. I swiftly entered, pocketing the key card.

I spotted the empty hallway beyond. Closing the door behind me I only took a moment to raise a finger to my comm and whisper, "I'm in," before stalking down the corridor, ready to fight my way through if stealth should fail me.

-------------------------Action packed/tense 10 minute time skip-----------------------

Third person pov:

The sound of running feet grew closer as a lithe form ducked inside an open door. Shouting men in dark uniform passed by the figures hiding place. Not realising the object of their search was a mere 2 feet away. They disappeared round the next corner and the figure slipped out of hiding. Their armour giving no clues as to gender or age; only the glint of steel and the bulbous forms of grenades, hanging in rows like cancerous growths around their waist, and up and down their chest.

The weapon, ran the length of the corridor and burst through the door at the end. Firing off 6 shots before the guards even registered their appearance. They were all dead before they hit the floor.

Chaos ensued throughout the M.E.C.H base, as they were assaulted from both the inside and out. The Autobot Bulkhead tearing his way through a set of heavily fortified blast doors and the silent menace stalking through the corridors. Growing ever closer to their target.

Mixed pov (italics is Breakdown normal is you):

I could hear the sound of gunfire and fleshy screams.

Silas, 'That FRAGGER', left the room. I squirmed against my restraints. My good optic hunting for a way out. The door opened and one of those scientists entered...held at gunpoint by a figure in dark armour. Face...'well in fact everything,' obscured by a helmet and a large assortment of weaponry.

"Please...d...don't k-kill me." The scientist pleaded with this figure in black who remained silent. They pointed to me and the scientist nodded, shakily pulling up a control panel on the screens.

I vaguely recognised the symbols that put me in these restraints but there were others.

The figure in black, jabbed the butt of their weapon into the back of the scientist's helm and they collapsed.

I watched...tensed. 'Maybe I'm finally gonna get out of here.'

I jabbed the butt of my rifle into the top of the scientist's spinal column. I mentally berated them. 'Thought I wouldn't notice the alarm switch?'

Satisfied that they weren't waking up, I turned to study Breakdown. 'I haven't got long...better make this quick.' The Decepticon looked worse than when I last saw him, especially the missing optic. I leaned against the railing. "You look rough buddy," I paused as he focused on me, "...now if I let you out, you're not gonna try to kill me are you?"

'That VOICE! I know that voice!" I squinted at the human. "You're the human we mistook for Cliffjumper!"

They nodded and spoke again. "Yep...so what do you say to getting out of here." The sounds of an explosion came from down the tunnel and the thump of pedesteps steadily got louder. I strained to evaluate this new threat. Almost whacking myself in the helm as the restraints retracted and my straining arms were released.

I fought the urge to laugh as the Decepticon almost sucker-punched himself. Throwing a mock salute to Bulkhead, who had appeared just around the corner. "Thanks for clearing the door...I think it's time we got out of here." Bulkhead nodded and offered Breakdown a servo. After a suspicious glance, he took the servo and allowed himself to be helped up. I ignored their exchange as I studied the monitors lining the wall. After a few experimental types, I pulled out a cord from my helmet and plugged in. I left a little present for M.E.C.H; nothing major, data wise...just a little copy error, give it 24 hours and everything they got off Breakdown will be corrupted; the real present comes with a wireless link, a small bar popping up on my HUD bringing a smirk to my face. Satisfied, I unplugged and turned to face the two bots.

"Catch!" I broke into a jog and swung myself over the railing, Bulkhead just managing to catch me in a servo. "Sorry but we gotta get out of here." He nodded and turned to leave. He motioned to Breakdown. "Come on."

They both broke into a run; I braced myself against the jolting of Bulkhead's run with one hand, while fingering the trigger of my rifle with the other. 'I ditched the M.E.C.H gun ages ago."

Bulkhead carried the fleshy as he ran ahead of me. Warnings flashing in my vision as I pushed my abused frame to the limit. Pain flared in my empty optic socket when we rounded the corner, bursting through the Bulkhead shaped hole in the doors into the harsh glare of a helicopter spotlight. The humans began firing. The small metal projectiles bouncing of my armour. I changed my servo into my hammer. 'They're going to PAY!'

I raised my rifle, firing of shots as soon as we emerged into the light; watching Breakdown transform his right servo out the corner of my eye. The bar on my HUD filling up slowly, 'I'll keep an eye on it...haha, get the pun.'

Bulkhead raised a servo to protect me even as he reprimanded the Decepticon. That was soon dropped as we fought to protect ourselves from M.E.C.H forces.

I was unceremoniously lowered to the floor as the two cybertronians began battling for their lives. I sprinted over to a truck, dodging shots from the M.E.C.H soldiers exiting it.

Bang.

Headshot.

Bang.

Another body falls.

Boom. A plume of dirt rises from the ground beside me, obliterating the M.E.C.H soldiers that had been about to take a shot at me. Pressing the advantage, I unhooked and threw a grenade through the gap in the soldiers; rolling behind cover as the truck goes up in flames.

Not 20 seconds must have passed before I could stop for a quick breath behind another truck. A body at my feet and blood on my chest.

I reloaded the rifle, listening for any change in the rhythm of battle. It did...a strange whirring began, accompanied by the crackle of electricity. A small ding brought my attention to the now full bar in my vision. I blinked twice and a list of functions appeared on my screen; the M.E.C.H logo hovering ominously behind them. I quickly began selecting all the lights within a 20 metre vicinity and the night vision goggles of the soldiers. I set a 15 second timer, then took of my helmet.

I rounded the corner of the truck. Several things happened at once.

Breakdown looked at me and momentarily froze, optic widening, before turning to Bulkhead.

The helicopter had just finished charging that strange electricity weapon and fired.

I raised my rifle and shot at the spotlight on the helicopter.

A man leaned out the helicopter, obviously M.E.C.H's leader, gawping at me with a shocked expression. I met his gaze, and my blood ran cold. 'I knew that face.'

Fighting my shock, I focused on the task at hand. Raising a hand, I prepared to rip off my eye patch.

Bulkhead noticed the ball of doom heading his way, just as Breakdown tackled him out the way.

.

.

.

The lights went out.

(Several seconds ago)

I fought with a ferocity and rage I didn't even know I possessed. The human helping us ran towards some trucks. They were focused on the soldiers in front of them, not noticing the ones of to the side, by a second truck, about to fire on them. An odd surge of protectiveness ran through me and I swiftly transformed my other servo into its gun form and shot them, before swiftly changing it back. 'FRAG that HURT!' Red flashed across my HUD; I ignored it and continued fighting.

I heard a familiar sound and glanced up to see the helicopter; weapon lighting up and charging. Aiming for Bulkhead. I glanced around. Taking out some more soldiers before I spotted our little human step out from behind a truck.

'Where's its helmet?!'

The helicopter's spotlight winked off just as it fired.

'As much as I hate the Autobot...I hate M.E.C.H more.'

I tackled Bulkhead to the ground, the shot missing us both.

.

.

.

The lights went out.

I removed my eye patch and held it with my teeth. The darkness suddenly lightening as my 'bad' eye compensated for the other. The pinpricks of light from the stars and the moon, giving me more than enough light to see clearly.

'Gonna have to be quick...who knows when they'll get back online.'

I let my rifle hang and unclipped two grenades, lobbing them at the thickest clusters of soldiers I could see. Shouts of alarm, rose in pitch when I once again raised my rifle and began picking of the M.E.C.H. soldiers like fairground targets. I took note of Bulkhead and Breakdown rising to their pedes, keep one servo on the others shoulderplate, as they began firing into the darkness. I avoided looking at the bright energy beams, they messed with my vision. A distant humming sound began to grow louder.

Too soon, the lights winked back on. Blinded, I rolled back behind cover. Spitting out my patch and quickly jamming it back on my head. Fumbling for my helmet, my hands swept the ground; finally grasping onto the straps.

I jammed it onto my head. Only slightly dulling the sounds of gunfire and several large objects hit the ground. I could plainly hear M.E.C.H retreating. With my returning vision, I saw the helicopter pass over me and fly away. I frowned and peeked out form my cover; eye widening in alarm. Flight-capable Decepticons had Bulkhead and Breakdown surrounded. They exchanged words before Breakdown started fighting Bulkhead. I ran out from behind my cover and threw my last grenade at the closest one. Catching it on the spinal struts. It turned and their leader, Starscream, noticed me.

"Another one, kill it." His companions moved to follow his orders. I took a step back. Getting ready to spring forward under their shot and through their legs, surviving to shoot them from behind...'hopefully.'

"No!"

Breakdown had abandoned his fight with Bulkhead to jab the Decepticon's servo up. The shot going wide.

Confusion caused me to momentarily freeze.

Thankfully, the other Autobots chose that moment to show up to battle Starscream and his lackeys. A string of what I imagine are cybertronian expletives left Starscream's mouth and they left. Breakdown running after them.

The Autobots looked like they were going to pursue him.

"Stop!" "Don't, let him go!"

Bulkhead and I shouting at the same time. They stopped and Ratchet activated a Groundbridge.

"You both performed admirably, however we have much to discuss when we get back to base."

Optimus had his stern leader voice on again. 'Sigh...well this is gonna be fun.' I turned to follow Bulkhead through the Groundbridge.

I couldn't get the image of Breakdown saving me out of my head.

I ran along the empty dirt. Having left the road to run across the desert after my little 'talk' with Starscream. The trails left by the others had long since faded from the sky but I continued; the small dark, shape of the Nemesis in the sky before me. My frame screamed at me to just give up and lie down but in pushed on.

#Br...down#

'There...I heard it.' I activated my comm and practically yelled down the line. #This is Breakdown...can anyone hear me?#

I was rewarded with a crackle and a distorted voice from the other end.

#Break..own Where have you been...I'm...ing a grou...idge.#

The familiar green swirl opened before me and I forced myself to jog down the dizzying tunnel. Almost collapsing into Knockout when I emerged from the other end.

Something must be wrong with my audials, knockout's voice is so faint. I frowned, trying to focus.

The only thing I could focus on was the face of the human who'd helped save me.

The determination on their face as they faced a Cybertronian well over ten times their size and the flash of Decepticon red I'd seen in their face when the lights came back on.

My spark fluttered at the thoughts filling my processor.

I could faintly register Knockout fussing over my servo and optic. 'How'd I get in the med-bay?'

"Megatron will want a report from you." I tried to ignore the sudden sound of Starscream's voice.

Instead, I sat listening to the strange new music within my spark.

-----------------------Time skip – a few weeks later------------------------------------

Your pov:

Soft rays of light from the setting sun caress my face. The wind whistles past the open window of the car; my hair fluttering in response. My mind drifts as I drive across the sand. After school, I'd told the kids that I'd meet them back at base and gone for a drive to try and clear my head.

Images from the rescue kept running through my head.

Countless bodies falling to the floor as the life drained from their hidden eyes; the horrid twitching as those who'd avoided an instant death were wracked by their death throes. Bullets carving smooth tunnels through both air and flesh; the crimson arcs that accompanied their passage. No matter what I tried I couldn't make myself feel any kind of guilt for their deaths. 'Does that make me a bad person?'

The face of my father. At once, the same as the photograph in my helmet and different. Older. Crueller. Hate filled my core, as I contemplated all the ways I would like to end his life for what he did to my mother, to me...and to Breakdown. I keep the photograph, only so I will know his face when the time arrives for him to meet his end.

Breakdown. The Bruiser of a Decepticon had been filling my mind the past week. I couldn't get the images of the torture inflicted on him by M.E.C.H, and my father, out of my head. But all the hate I had for them, dwindled in comparison to the confusion whirlpool of emotion that accompanied thoughts of the Decepticon. Butterflies in my stomach, fluttering in my heart, a strange giddiness that threatened to overtake me every time I remembered how he had protected me from that Vehicon. Whe we first met he called me cute.

I shook my head to get the thoughts out of my head. Which brought my wing mirror into my view for a second. Just long enough for me to notice the familiar vehicle trailing me.

Strangely, not feeling any panic at all, I calmly continued driving to my original intended destination. Driving through a small canyon of sorts and up an incline to park on top of a plateau.

I exited the car and strolled over to the edge of an overhang. Sitting down, leaning back on my forearms as I watched the horizon. The sound of Breakdown halting a ways behind me made me chuckle.

"You can join me you know...I don't bite."

This cheerful remark caused the con to transform and sit beside my small human form. I glanced over to see him studying me curiously.

"You're not scared?"

I shrugged and continued to watch the sunset.

Peace enveloping me as I leaned a bit further back. My hand meeting resistance in the form of his servo. I didn't move it...and neither did he.

The sun finally winked below the horizon. The sky morphing from a pale pink, to a deep rose, to a royal purple and finally to a dark blue. I sighed. 'Even with all the ugliness in the world...the death, the deceit...views like this still exist.'

"What happened to your optic?"

The sudden question made my heart skip a beat. I took a deep breath and pondered my next move.

"You saw what happened to me."

His prompt almost sounded accusatory...and hurt.

Coming to a firm decision, I raised my hand that wasn't touching Breakdown's servo and removed my eye patch. I placed it on the ground behind me and looked up at the con.

He looked down at me, optics widening slightly at the sight of the scarlet winking up at him. After a moment's hesitation, he spoke once more.

"I think you look great...for a human." The correction brought a tinge of blue to his faceplate and he resolutely turned to stare at the horizon. The shimmer of the moon, just visible of to the side. The ground before us, an indecipherable pool of darkness.

I felt a blush forming and swiftly turned to look at the moon rise as well; a small smile forming at the corners of my mouth.

"You're not so bad yourself...for an alien robot."

He chuckled. My smile grew wider and I really hoped he wasn't looking at me. A quick glance revealed that he was. 'Just great...'

Almost as if he heard my thoughts he chuckled again before looking at the horizon once more.

Peace enveloped me and a tingling had begun in my fingers, where they touched his servo, and travelled into my spine. Both a hot flash and a warm wave travelled along its length.

He sharply turned his helm, looking at me with an indecipherable expression. "Thank you." It was mumbled but I caught it. I smiled. "No problem." We watched the moon rise in comfortable silence before I leaned back and studied the mech intently.

"We should do this again sometime."

He softly smiled at me. "I think I'd like that."

Sat on that cliff-side I made a silent vow. To meet him again, as many times as possible.

The fact that he didn't object when I leaned against his servo, in fact he gently pulled my smaller form slightly closer towards him; protectively enclosing me in his grasp.

There was a darker undertone to my thoughts; I felt suddenly glad that I don't know for sure what his fate is. 'Ignorance is bliss...'

[thestudentarchitect]

Tips for Existing Conditions Surveys

Tips for Existing Conditions Surveys

By Chelsea Weibust 04/23/2019

Each project is totally different, from the information available, scope of work, schedule, etc. It's important to know the purpose of your site visit before you head out to the site. 

Sometimes when you have a site visit you'll have access to detailed existing drawings. They may be just printed drawing sets or PDF's, or ideally they'd be CAD or Revit drawings. Other times you won't be given any information at all. In the latter case, it's a good idea to check out Google Maps and Tax Assessor information to get an idea of the size, shape, materiality, aesthetic, context, etc. of the building before your visit.

You may need to sketch the plans and elevations on site so be sure to bring a clipboard and graph paper for sketching and notes.

Another consideration is the scope of the project. If the project focus is strictly on interior work then you shouldn’t spend too much time documenting exterior conditions - just stick to the basics. The same is true to strictly exterior projects. If you're working on a deck renovation then documenting a ton of interior information will be a waste of time, unless of course it’s related to the project. [Full disclosure: some of the links below are affiliate links.]

Here are some tips and tricks I’ve picked up from doing existing conditions surveys.

General Survey Information:

Make sure to write the date, location, and project name of the site visit on each sheet in case there's any question in the future about when the existing conditions survey was taken or what project the drawings are from. Also, write what each drawing shows, i.e. first floor plan, exterior dimensions, section through living room, etc. It may also be helpful in some cases to write the names of the people at the site visit for future reference.

Color Coding:

Sometimes existing conditions surveys will have a ridiculous amount of information and it can be tough to decipher between vertical dimensions, horizontal dimensions, opening dimensions, structural elements, etc. For this reason I like to use color and thickness variations for distinctions. For example, I like to switch between a thick black pen/marker* and a multicolored pen* to make it easy to switch between colors quickly. You can color code your notes however you like but you may want to make a legend so anyone who might look at your drawings will understand them. Here’s how I color code my surveys:

Black marker/pen: exterior walls

Black pen: horizontal dimensions, general notes, interior walls, cabinets and fixtures

Green pen: vertical dimensions (heights), spot elevations

Blue pen: window and door types, overall dimensions

Red pen: center line dimensions, mechanical elements, structural elements

Dimensions:

Write dimensions perpendicular to the dimension string in areas where you have a cluster of dimensions so you can fit all of the information.

Units:

Be consistent with how you're writing dimensions and make sure if using a laser measuring* tool that it's set to the same units you've been using. Most of the time I find it's best to write in only inches. Other times I like to write in feet and inches but when I use these units I'm careful not to use ticks for feet and inches (1' - 3 1/2") because the ticks could be mistaken for numbers. Instead, I like to keep it simple and write them like: 1 - 3.5 (0 - 4.75 if no feet) so that there's no confusion with ticks or fractions being misinterpreted.

Vertical Dimensions:

It's easy to remember to take horizontal dimensions to get wall placements and openings but something that can easily be forgotten are vertical dimensions. Ceiling heights, soffits, window sill and header heights, door heights, openings, floors, etc. can easily be overlooked until you're at your desk modeling the building.

Continue reading below

Do you have all of these helpful tools for doing existing conditions surveys?

Sections, Elevations & 3D Views:

Don’t limit yourself to drawing in plan. Some information is better represented in section like roof/ceiling slopes, floor to floor heights, soffit heights, stairs, bump outs, etc. You might also find a quick 3D sketch or elevation can be helpful too.

Storyboard:

If you're short on time or are looking to get a set of dimensions that don't have to be totally accurate you can take a picture of a storyboard to get accurate enough information. To do this, hold the tape measure against whatever it is you want to dimension and take a picture of it. Try to set the camera as parallel to the tape as possible so you don't distort the image.

In the image shown you can see we wanted to quickly get the dimensions of an existing railing on a roof deck. You can see clearly the center lines of the pipes, the diameter of the pipes, and the overall height of the railing.

Topography:

Pay attention to the topography and make note of the elevation of the ground in relation to the bottom of siding material at each corner of the building, at the very least.

Material Dimensions:

Note materials and dimensions - if masonry, measure and make note of the size of the blocks used. If lap siding, shingle siding, etc. make note of the reveal and material. This will be really helpful if you need to figure out heights if you forget to measure something or just want to verify dimensions. Since reveals can vary on each course, a handy tricks is to measure the height of 10 courses and divide that number by 10 to get a more accurate gauge.

You can see from the photo that 10 courses of this siding is 27 1/8” which is roughly a 2 3/4” reveal per course.

Photos:

Often one of my biggest frustrations when reviewing site visit information is not having enough photos. Anytime I'm on a site visit, I'll leave with hundreds of photos and somehow it's still not enough! There's always some wonky condition that I didn't get a great photo of or I needed a picture just 4 inches to the right. Go out of your way to take more photos than you might think you need from different angles, perspectives, and distances. Nowadays we have awesome smartphones that are capable of high quality photos, panoramas, and even videos! Videos can be especially helpful when walking through the building with an owner or consultant (with permission) so you can take note of what was discussed so you don’t have to take as many notes! I personally prefer to use my iPhone or a small point and shoot* that’s not too heavy and can be easily tucked away when not in use. I once had a project where we had to survey hundreds of windows for a renovation project and most windows were totally different conditions. We needed multiple detail photos of each window. This would've been an almost impossible task to keep track of each individual window but luckily I had a Samsung Note phone with a pen so I was able to take a photo of each window, take a screenshot, and make a note on each photo which window it was. I'm not sure what we would've done otherwise but I was so thankful to have that phone at that moment! We also had a google docs spreadsheet open on my iPad to document information about the windows rather than writing it on paper so we wouldn't have to duplicate our work in transferring written notes to the computer. So in short, I guess I'm saying to make the most of your technology!

Locate Photos:

Mark interesting things on your plans that will make it easier for you or someone else to orient themselves while looking through the photos later. Maybe it's a painting on a wall, a red sweatshirt hanging on a pipe, a stain on the ceiling, etc. but it should be something distinct that will help place tricky conditions in photos on the plans. If you're taking detail photos, remember to step back and take context photos so you can locate them later.

The photo below shows a steel rod tied to the roof rafters which was holding up the 2nd floor of a old home. This was both fascinating and terrifying (since the house needed significant repair) but we needed to be sure to mark the locations of these rods on the plans. This picture is great to see the detail of how the tensile system works but doesn’t help at all in telling us where this rod is located. So on the floor plan I made a note on the plan with a star and a cone (<) showing the direction of the photo, saying something like “steel rod tied to roof structure, tension wheel” and this was really helpful because none of the other pictures of the rods showed the wheel or tensile system and now we knew exactly where it was and what direction we were looking.

Locating pictures on plans is really only necessary in tricky areas like basements, attics, eaves, or in monotonous buildings where a lot of spaces look exactly the alike, so try not to go overboard with this.

BONUS: Tips for You

Backpack:

I recommend carrying a small bag with you while on site visits to hold extra tools and whatever else you may have. I suggest using a small backpack* rather than something like a messenger bag since it wont get in the way.

Snacks:

Maybe I'm the only one who thinks about food constantly, but I always find it's a good idea to keep a couple snacks with me on a site visit. Sometimes things take longer than expected and you don't want to be famished, trying to rush through your survey so you can get a bite to eat. It can't hurt to throw a couple granola bars and a water in your bag, right?

Dress Appropriately:

If it's the middle of winter and you're surveying a building without heat, you're going to want to dress in lot's of warm layers. Be sure to check the weather beforehand so you know if it's supposed to rain (and will need rain gear and umbrella), if it's going to be brutally cold (and need hats, gloves, scarves, lots of layers, etc.), if it's going to be windy (and you need a windbreaker and extra clips to attach papers to your clipboard)... you get the idea

Shoes:

Two things you need to consider about footwear are safety and comfort. You should never wear open toed shoes or high heels to a site visit, there are just too many things that could go wrong. You're probably going to be walking around for hours, sometimes crawling around in icky places, and potentially walking on unstable surfaces or trekking through the mud. Opt for comfortable sneakers or boots.

Good luck on future surveys!

- Chelsea

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[jestbee]

WHAT DID YOU SAY TO THEM

Not a lot is the short answer. But, in case you wanted long detailed post about it all, my entire meet & greet experience is below the cut

So we got there super early and we were sat at this bar/restaurant that’s attached to the venue and we looked up at a window across the way and I thought, fleetingly in the back of my mind, “That looks like the back of Phil’s head”. But I didn’t say anything to my friends because I thought I’d come across as a bit of a weirdo. Who recognises the back of someones head? Inside a building? In silhouette? 

Anyway. Turns out it was Phil’s head, and then Dan came to the window wearing his grid jumper and waved and we all waved back (I’m sure I looked like a stunned idiot) and then he got his phone out and held it up while he continued to wave at us.

Consequently, I’m half convinced he has a photo/video of us on his camera roll somewhere. A very odd thought. 

So that was the first moment. The one that was to kick off the weirdness of seeing them in real life and- let’s be real- the low key panic attack I was just going to have for the next two hours until it was all over. 

And I remember Dan smiling really wide and I was just like, ‘oh my god, he’s real’ which is a stupid thought to have, but it wouldn’t be the last time I thought it. 

When the time came we went to the foyer of the venue and they had all the merch but you couldn’t buy it yet but they were setting it up in the vip area upstairs so we could buy it there. 

There were so many cool people, other fans just having fun and it was really nice to be in an atmosphere where you knew we were all there for the same reason. Gathered because of two tall ex-emos that somehow make our days a little brighter.

There was also a line of old people buying tickets to other things at the box office looking around like this was the oddest thing they’d ever seen. They were right. It probably was.

We were counting down, watching the merch trolleys being wheeled back and forth to the lift and it was getting more and more real. Then it was 4 o’clock. People started doing that British-person-shuffle thing where you all try to get as close to the place you are supposed to be as possible. As if that will get you in quicker. It rarely works but we all try. 

They took the barrier down. It was starting. 

The venue staff looked at our tickets and then gave us a wrist band and we went to an upstairs area (that was actually like a bar you usually go to before shows) and the m&g backdrop was there and a merch stand and a playlist playing out of a Beats Pill speaker just plugged in in the corner. I mean.... what? 

World wide tour, neon lights and a fancy set and this is the production value Nottingham could provide. Well done hometown, well done.

We sat on some tables near the front of the room and there was a stoic security guard in a grey suit standing at a door next to the screen like something out of a movie. Everyone made so much noise every time the door vaguely moved and we were all on edge. 

The room was buzzing. People were hyped.

So at this point I got SUPER nervous and my face and neck starting getting hot, even my ears felt like they were about to spontaneously combust on the side of my head. Thank god for @ineverhadmyinternetphase and @charlottekath who were also nervous but totally encouraging, because I never would have coped without them 

The organisers put a line of green tape on the floor and they were giving out Haribo... I think. I’m a vegetarian so I didn’t get any. I couldn’t concentrate anyway.

Also the line for merch was REALLY long at this point but we thought we’d go after our m&g. Good decision. There was no queue after cus everyone was queueing for m&g so we walked straight up. 

Plushies had almost gone though but we were lucky and snagged 2 of the remaining 3. 

They had more later, downstairs, this was just the vip stand.

So it then came time to line up behind the green tape and we all got in a queue and we were 5 PEOPLE FROM THE FRONT and at this point I began to panic a little and I was half convinced I was going to leave... Seriously, I just had the thought that I could turn around and go because why was I putting myself through something I knew was going to give me anxiety, you know? Why did I need to do this?

Good friends, my pals. Good friends. They pointed out that I’d regret it if I left which yeah, I would have. I stayed.

On shaking legs goddammit it, I stayed.

So then it was explained that the boys were on their way and that there was a lot of people there but that we had time and we would definitely all get to meet them so no pushing etc. The crowd kept cheering and being loud when she was talking which was annoying but everyone was just so excited! 

So, you had to have your 1 thing to sign, you could get a selfie/photo whatever and then you’d have your wristband cut off and get a little vip merch tote thing. Have it all ready in your hand before you go round. Trust me, it makes it so much easier! 

I wasn’t taking much more in by this point because the heat in my face and neck was uncontrollable and at this point I was hitting myself in the knuckles with a sharpie because I think I was very near a panic attack. 

Then it was TIME. 

They came out through the side door. The cheer started at the back and followed down the line like a wave at a sporting match and then.... they came round into full view. 

I was just... stunned. Into silence. 

Literally lost the ability to speak. 

Most people comment on how tall they are. I can deal with tall. I’m used to tall. I’m not used to two nerds I watch on my computer screen suddenly appearing in real life. 

I was mostly struck by how Dan was wearing merch actually. He really followed through on that. Plus it was the one I wanted to buy so I was glad to see it in person. 

Dan asked us all how were were doing and everyone cheered appropriately. 

Then Phil said (quietly and mostly to Dan) “Thank you for coming” 

Then Dan said louder to the crowd “Yes, Thank you all for coming!” 

And that was cute as hell, because Dan clearly does all the shouting and Phil giving him that little prompt was just... wonderful. The way they work together so easily is just lovely. 

So then they went back behind the screen thing and the moment came. 

Everyone moved forward, I was panicking and hitting my knuckles with the pen and counting down the number of people left to go before I would have to do it. 

Then it was our turn. We’d already talked about how I was going last out of the three of us because I am a wimp. So those two went up together and I watched them in the reflection of the glass and they were all laughing and I was like, SO SO HAPPY for them. Honestly, my friends are the best and getting to experience this whole thing with them was the best. 

After what seemed like a hilarious conversation I won’t spoil here because you can probably read about on their blogs, it was my turn.

But first: 

“Is that a letter?” she said.

They collect the letters and things before you go round to see the guys and then put them in these neat large brown envelopes with “Dan and Phil” written on and the venue and date. 

“Yes,” I said, “But it’s not from me. It’s from my friend. In California.” 

Sometimes when I am nervous I ramble. But, @adorkablephil that one was for you. I wanted to make sure I mentioned it. 

“Ready?” 

“As I’ll ever be.” 

Then I had to go around the screen. 

Before I got there, in fact for the entire 7 months since I bought my ticket I have been saying the same thing. I was looking forward to my Phil hug and I didn’t think I’d be able to handle meeting Dan in person. I don’t know why. He was intimidating to me for some reason. 

But, let me tell you. I was not prepared for the absolute force that is Phil Lester. 

I rounded the corner and Phil immediately smiled and held his arms out and I just kind of shuffled over and gave him a hug and he was like “hiiii” 

Then I got a half-hug from Dan in that way that he does and I was so happy about it. They are both like, SO lovely. And gentle.

Phil was just... I don’t know. Dan looked like Dan does on my laptop screen. Just, in real life which was bizarre yeah, but Phil... Phil looks different. I don’t think if its the hair or just that I’m not yet used to 2018 Phil but he looked his age. Which... if you’ve been paying attention to this blog at all you will know is totally my jam. 

I’m a Phil girl. I’ve become a Phil girl. I think it’s just time I admitted it. 

I didn’t intend on saying much. I didn’t have anything planned and there was no huge statement I wanted to make. I never would have been able to manage it, my anxiety levels were pretty high at this point and I just wanted to enjoy the moment without any added pressure to say anything like, meaningful.

And I was still pretty much stunned into silence anyway so I think I went “Hi.” all quiet and squeaky. Then the conversation went like this:

P: Do you want us to sign your calendar? 

Me: Oh, Yes please. 

I passed them the calendar. Backwards. Of course. I’m an idiot. 

D: Do you want us to sign May? 

Bless this boy for checking. God amongst men. Cus I didn’t have it in me to correct it unprompted. 

Me: Oh. Actually, June please. 

They flipped it over, both with black sharpie in hand, poised and ready. 

I almost let it go. I had a plan that I almost let slide because, hello awkward, but I didn’t. I summoned the courage to finally like, actually speak.

Me: I, um, I brought a silver sharpie. Cus... it’s black. 

I meant the page. June is the black background photo and I didn’t think the black sharpie would show up. 

At this point I kind of thrust the sharpie at them and Phil smiled again. I died. 

P: You’re so prepared

D: We’re never prepared for anything in life just generally

I laughed. 

At this point I realised my error in only bringing only one pen because then they couldn’t do the crossed-arms thing to sign. But it was okay. Phil still held the calendar but Dan signed first and then passed the pen over to Phil. Seamless. Wonderful. 

At this point I’m digging my phone out of my front pocket and my hands are shaking. 

Phil puts the pen lid back on and passes it all back to me and I like, fumble with all my stuff and flicking open the camera app at the same time. 

D: Would you like a photo?

Me: Yes please could you... *passes him my phone*.

I never give anyone my phone. Ever. But here is Dan Howell with his huge hands on my phone just handling it like a pro and it was great. 

So I sort of awkwardly shift to the middle of them and Phil leans in SO close behind me and Dan takes the picture and I think I don’t look too bad. A little stunned, of course, but that was to be expected. 

Me: Thank you so much.

D: Thank you for coming, I hope you enjoy the show. 

Me: You too

What? You too? Ugh I’m the worst. 

P: Bye!

Me: Bye!

Then I get round the other side and the guy with the totes looks at me like really hesitantly, like he’s approaching a scared animal and says “Can I cut your wristband off?” 

I held out my wrist. Silent and shook and shaking. He cuts the wristband off, He gives me a tote bag, I clutch it and the calendar to my chest and wander back over to my friends and finally, mercifully, collapse. 

The camera app is still open on my phone. My ears are still hot and my knuckle has a bruise forming I’ll definitely regret tomorrow but this has been one of the best things ever. 

I had to drink two beers with lunch just to get over it. 

[gingerandwry]

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - Week 1

The bus ride from Paraty to Rio was easy and uneventful. The road runs along the coast, but unfortunately the view is mostly obscured by overgrowth. I caught some dramatic, beautiful glimpses, but Brazil could learn from California and Australia. Upon arrival at my Ipanema AirBnB, I took a breath then settled in for two weeks of adventure....

My friends Scott and Tony had left Paraty a couple days early to come to Rio, so I met them for drinks and dinner Saturday night. We walked to a lively, popular-with-millenials section of Leblon and ate dinner at CT Boucherie, an established steakhouse-ish restaurant that was fantastic (and a great value for how much we ate and drink). Those guys had had a big night on Friday so we all turned in early.

And it’s good we did since Scott had a full day planned for us. We started at Parque Lage for breakfast at their famous restaurant. It occupies the courtyard of a crumbling mansion (now an art school) and sits just below Rio’s most famous landmark, Christ the Redeemer. It’s a setting made for Instagram, and everyone certainly took advantage of that. The food was pretty tasty for a place that could easily half-ass it. After breakfast we walked around the park a bit and saw our first monkeys!

We then walked through Jardim Botanico, which appears to be the Beverly Hills of Rio. We walked through the Botanical Gardens as well, which are lush and beautiful. I think the most striking element were the massive tree trunks, some of which formed walls rising several feet above the ground.

From here we traveled back to Ipanema’s Praca General Osorio for the famous “Hippie Fair”, an arts and crafts market. I’m not sure what the big deal is-- it seems like every other crafts market I’ve seen. Afterwards the guys went to the beach, but I needed some literal chill time in front of a fan, so I lay low at my apartment for a while. We met up again for dinner at Zaza, a delicious Moroccan restaurant. It was the guys’ last night, but we were all pretty beat, so we called it early after a couple more beers.

Monday was shopping day, both clothes and groceries. I am not a beach person, and I was not prepared for how beached out Rio is. Even at nighttime in nice restaurants, people are in t-shirts, shorts and flip-flops. I needed some more beach wear to fit in (tho I only ended up finding one pair of shorts I liked). I met up with the guys again for lunch at Barraca do Uruguai, the most famous stand at Ipanema beach selling delicious meaty sandwiches. They had to get to the airport so we parted ways and I found myself all alone in Brazil....

On Tuesday I committed to the hard work of tourism. In the morning I took the metro to Centro, the historic center of Rio. I emerged at Rua Uruguaina into a hectic street bazaar. It was initially unnerving but a nice break from laid back Ipanema. Once I got my bearings I climbed up to Morro de Conceicao, a very old, Lisbon-esque street with cute (if shabby) townhouses, and then down to Praca Maua, the waterfront area that was revitalized for the 2016 Olympics. I first visited the Museu de Arte do Rio, housed in a beautiful colonial building attached to a gleaming modern annex. The view over Guanabara Bay is fantastic. The museum was showing two exhibits, one (”Mulheres”) featured women artists and had a lot of compelling pieces. The other was a history of samba. Once again I couldn’t understand the Portuguese captions, but there was enough music, video and glamorous visuals to make it fun nonetheless.

I walked across the plaza to Museu do Amanha (”Tomorrow”), a very modern “science” museum with a lot of interactive video displays and flashy installations for these selfie/social media loving Brazilians. The science was a bit thin; it starts with a brief history of the universe then focuses on humanity’s impact on the planet, for better and worse. But it was engaging.

I then hiked up another hill to the Mosteiro do Sao Bento, a monastery that is one of the city’s oldest buildings. Its plain, humble exterior belies an over-the-top opulence inside, a theme I found in every church I saw that day. Those early Portuguese settlers loved ornate, gilded wall reliefs like you would expect from Louis XIV.

After a tasty chicken burger at the hip Cozinha Mironga I continued toward the waterfront to Igreja de Nossa Senhora Candelaria, the biggest of the city’s historic churches. The surrounding area houses lots of current and former government buildings, most of them imposing neoclassical edifices or fanciful Baroque colonial desserts (or both). I saw the Centro Cultural do Banco do Brasil (tho I skipped the current exhibition of Dreamworks art), Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Carmo da Antiga Se (which served royal functions when the Portguese throne decamped to Brazil) and Paco Imperial (the one-time royal palace). From there I walked through the extremely underwhelming (but historic) Arco de Teles into Travessa do Comercio, a charming cobblestone street of colonial townhouses, now home to outdoor cafes.

From here I cut across the hustling narrow streets of Centro to Largo da Carioca, a plaza surrounding by some atrocious 1960s skyscrapers (tho the Petrobras HQ is a marvel) and dominated by a very old church, Igreja Sao Francisco da Penitencia e Convento de Santo Antonio (phew). It’s beautifully restored and wins the gaudiest award in a very tough category. Not one inch of that chapel was left ungilded, an odd choice for an order who has taken a vow of poverty.

I then headed back up to Real Gabinete Portugues de Leitura, or the Royal Reading Room. It’s basically a library, and one of the most stunning I’ve ever seen. It’s three stories of books (over 350,000) in sumptuous but tasteful, muted decor. You can feel the knowledge surrounding you, and it makes you yearn to have more of it.

From there I veered west into Saara, a small grid of narrow streets that serves as an outdoor market and bazaar. You can probably find anything you need here and at a good price. At the end of it I found Campo de Santana, an elegant park with an odd assemblage of wild beasts-- cats, ducks, some sort of large fowl, and a cute, big rodent creature (capybara?). That was enough for one day so I headed back to Ipanema, had a big, tasty, cheap dinner at Frontera and went home to bed.

On Wednesday I headed back down to Centro to finish my tour. I started at the Museu Historico Nacional. I have a particular interest in history museums because a) I think it’s important to have some background and context when you travel; b) I’m a history nerd; and c) they are difficult to do well since good history requires a lot of text, which is not well-suited to a museum. Rio’s history museum is... decent. Housed in a well-maintained old fort, it could definitely use some refurbishing and some more engaging exhibits. After a respectable space telling the story of the indigenous people, it mostly focuses on the leaders and elites who steered the country from a Portuguese (and Dutch and French) colony into an independent republic. It has little to say about slaves, and I found no mention of the military dictatorship that ruled from the sixties to the eighties. (This is especially problematic given the current president’s favorable, revisionist view of the dictatorship.) But otherwise the narrative seems fair and accurate, if not thorough. It has almost no weighty artifacts, like original documents or “this was the actual thing that person used” items. It is mostly full of examples (of china, jewelry, slave shackles, etc.), paintings (many immense) and busts. Two awesome exceptions are a large array of carriages and early cars spanning three hundred years and an actual historic apothecary that was moved into the museum when it went out of business. I also appreciated that all of the displays had English translations tho they were riddled with errors. It made me wonder why the museum wouldn’t have them proofread before printing them up in a permanent exhibition.

From here I walked back to Praca Floriano (aka Cinelandia) which is the heart of downtown. The plaza is fairly non-descript, but it’s surrounded by some of the city’s most beautiful buildings: Theatro Municipal, Bibliolteca Nacional, Museu Nacional de Belas Artes and Camera Municipal. It was so stunning I stopped for lunch on the square and came back to see it lit up at night (when apparently the navy was attending the opera...).

After lunch I continued west into Lapa, past the iconic Arcos (an old viaduct) and the peculiar Catedral Metropolitana de Sao Sebastio. It’s a brutalist cement cone modeled after Aztec pyramids, and it looks nothing like any church I’ve ever seen (tho not far off from St. Mary’s in San Francisco, aka “The Washing Machine”). After my initial shock and repulsion, I found it growing on me, if only for its boldness and break from tradition. It’s most famous for the tall stain-glassed windows (which are impressive in their size if not beauty), but what stood out to me was the main crucifix. It’s surprisingly small and suspended in the center of the cone about 30 feet above the altar. Jesus looks so vulnerable and alone, floating in an empty void. Of all the gory crucifixion scenes I’ve seen, this more than any other moved me and actually made me sad to think about Jesus’ plight.

I then ventured further into Lapa. Nowadays it’s best known for its rowdy nightlife, and some of the bars were just starting to open up. Like much of Rio (and many Latin American cities), the area had traces of better days but now mostly looks decrepit. I made my way back, under the Arcos and headed to Cinelandia to catch the train home.

Thursday was considerably less ambitious. After a late start, I took the metro to Botafogo. Amid the usual urban grit of Rio are several beautiful old colonial mansions (as well as a notorious favela). I believe it was once an upscale artsy neighborhood that fell into decline, but some of the old buildings have been restored as museums or work spaces. Unfortunately, like so much of the city, they are hidden and inaccessible behind tall walls and fences. One beautiful exception is the Fundacao Casa de Rui Barbosa, once home to a famous writer and politician, now a museum. I didn’t go inside but the gorgeous grounds around the home are open to the public and look like a miniature botanical garden.

I made my way toward the next neighborhood, Humaita, and stopped at Cemiterio Sao Joao Batista, the final resting place for some of Brazil’s most famous residents. It’s quite beautiful and dramatic under the watchful eye of Christ the Redeemer. My last stop was Cobol do Humaita, a food market and dining hall, which are always pleasant to wander. The sun was going down so, after six days in Ipanema, I figured it was time to see the sunset on the beach. Obviously Rio faces East but the light is still nice.

Friday turned out to be my most ambitious day and, painfully, the hottest so far. I returned to lovely Cinelandia and Lapa and visited the famous Escadaria Selaron, a public stairway that has been covered in a colorful tile mosaic in tribute to the people of Brazil. It’s pretty, fun and festive and swarming with tourists. Fortunately most people turn around at the top (if they get that far) instead of continuing into the beautiful Santa Teresa neighborhood. Like Botafogo, it’s full of charming old homes in various states of (dis)repair. But these are not walled off. And they run the gamut from cottages to palaces, so there is a lot of variety, both in architecture and culture. It reminded me of Russian Hill and Telegraph Hill. Also, this being a very steep hill, there are stunning views of the city and the bay from everywhere.

There is not much to do in Santa Teresa besides admire the loveliness, which probably helps keep the tourists away. Parque das Ruinas is the main attraction-- a crumbled mansion once owned by a salon-hosting socialite intellectual. It really feels like ruins, but staircases and walkways have been installed and the surrounding grounds turned into a park. The views from the top are spectacular. The small museum next door (Museu da Chacara do Ceu) hosts a private collection. It sounded interesting but appeared to be closed for construction.

I continued walking through the main commercial area which hosts some charming little boutiques, restaurants and bars (as well as a makeshift barber and a bar perched out on one of the viewpoints). I stopped for fantastic feijoada at Bar do Mineiro and more beer at the historic Bar do Gomes. Then, rather than walk all the way back down, I opted for the bonde, a cute little cable car that runs up and down the hill.

With a little daylight left, I headed back down to Botafogo and then over to Urca for one of Rio’s premiere attractions: Pao de Acucar (Sugarloaf Mountain). It stands tall at the north end of Copacabana and offers stunning views over the entire city and bay. It’s accessible by a sequence of two cable cars (gondolas), teetering at dizzying heights. It was crowded, as I expected at sunset, but not actually that bad. I stayed up there a while soaking in the “Marvelous City” and, like everyone else, taking tons of photos.

It was my first Friday night in the city, and I had nothing to do, which would have been a shame. But a guy I had been chatting with invited me to Paraiso do Tuiuti, a samba school. I demurred, concerned that I would not understand the instructions in Portuguese. But my friend then explained that it’s not a school so much as a club that performs sambas. The schools are formed in the favelas and compete at Carnaval every year. Friday night Paraiso was having a big birthday party and putting on a show for their friends.

The Paraiso clubhouse is across the street from Feira de Sao Cristovao, a kind of permanent country fair. It’s home to dozens of stalls selling all sorts of stuff, but at night, it’s mostly just restaurants and bars with a lot of karaoke. There is also a main stage with the kind of cheesy acts you would expect at a fair. And the crowd was overwhelmingly under 30, maybe 25. It was cute good times but I was not sorry to leave when my friend arrived.

The Paraiso do Tuiuti building is a big auditorium, not unlike a high school gym. A large samba band was in full swing in the corner of the mezzanine, and various people in uniforms, outfits and costumes were milling amongst the hundreds of guests. It all felt very festive, intimate and personable. A little later the performances started. My friend explained that each year at Carnaval each school performs a new samba and competes for first place (the schools are also organized like sports leagues with a top tier, mid tier, etc.). Paraiso do Tuiuti was performing their greatest hits that night in honor of their birthday (with songs going back to the 80s), and once they were done, a couple other schools-- Estacio de Sa and Mangueira (last year’s winners)-- performed as well. The whole experience was phenomenal and unforgettable-- the rhythms, the leg work, the costumes, the energy. It was a fantastic, only-in-Brazil night that a tourist can only hope to stumble upon.

Since I did not get home until 6am, Saturday and Sunday were my lazy days off before I returned to the tourist trail the next week....

[livingcorner]

42 Furniture and Fixtures in Your Kitchen + Amazing Kitchen Home Tours – Toot Sweet 4 Two

42 Furniture and Fixtures in Your Kitchen – is that even possible? After all, when you exclude all the things in the kitchen’s cabinets and drawers, such as kitchen utensils, tools, gadgets, cooking implements, supplies, equipment, accessories, pantry food, refrigerated food, etc., what’s left? Just a table, a few chairs, maybe a hanging light, and some decorations, right?

You're reading: 42 Furniture and Fixtures in Your Kitchen + Amazing Kitchen Home Tours – Toot Sweet 4 Two

Well, let’s look at the picture above of a beautiful white kitchen in a smaller L-shaped kitchen space.

Furniture and Fixtures in This Space

In that picture, this is what you see from left to right:

Kitchen chairs (similar but two different kinds; did you catch that?)

Kitchen table

Placemats

Dinner plates

Salt and pepper shaker

Vase with flowers

Three overhead hanging lights

White ceramic vase to the left of the sink

Window shades

Glass jar with kitchen tools to the right of the sink

Basket with different dried bouquets

Several canisters with dried pasta

Two hanging ledges/shelves

Wooden vase with eucalyptus leaves (top shelf)

Another basket with pinecones (top shelf)

Two more glass canisters (top shelf)

Three gray glass bottles (bottom shelf)

Two separate plants in two separate pots (bottom shelf)

Two small carafes – maybe oil & vinegar? (bottom shelf)

Stove/Oven

Range hood

Two wooden chopping boards

Two more glass canisters

Refrigerator

What you don’t see, but still in this kitchen area, are:

Drapes (they are off to the left; I cropped them out of this photo)

Hardware for the drapery and window shades

Light bulbs

And that’s just in this small kitchen!   27 things just in that one small area!

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This post is one of 55 lists of 42 household items in this series.  This endless, unremitting, ongoing series…

Let’s back up a minute…

If you are new to this blog, welcome!  I create lists of 42 for home inventory purposes.  I started this series of household inventory lists several years ago because I’d been working on my own personal household inventory list.  You see, I have a vested interest in knowing what is in our home, and documenting it, so that should an emergency occur again, we are not left relying on memory.

If you are a new reader to this blog, we lost our home in the 2007 Southern California wildfire known as the Witch Fire and we were sorely unprepared for the recovery process.  Since I’m doing this for myself, I decided to share on my blog so that if readers want to do the same, they have some basic tools with which to start!

Here’s another photo of this beautiful kitchen so that you can see the drapes and the amazing vaulted ceiling!  From this vantage point, this kitchen area isn’t small after all; it’s just limited on counter space and kitchen amenities.

Getting back to this list of 42…

This list of 42 furniture and fixtures in your kitchen is meant to include items that are moveable in your kitchen, i.e., not permanently attached to your home.  For example, kitchen cabinets are attached to your walls, but a free-standing kitchen hutch or buffet it not.  Why am I sharing this distinction with you?  If you are, indeed, creating a list of personal property for your homeowner’s insurance company for a loss you have suffered, items that are permanently attached to your home are usually covered under the “dwelling” portion of your policy.

Read more: What is the origin and meaning of the phrase “all day” when used in a commercial kitchen?

So, in the case of this beautiful white kitchen that I’m using as an example, the sink, oven/stove, range hood, and flooring would all be considered part of the “dwelling,” so you wouldn’t include them on your list of personal property.  But, always be sure to talk directly to your assigned insurance claims adjuster just to clarify these distinctions.

Discloser:  This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.  Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

Here’s more kitchen furniture and fixtures inspo for you… the photo above is a different beautiful white kitchen!  This one has more of an industrial vibe with a large center workspace island made of wood and steel and vintage-inspired industrial bar stools.  What a great space!

Are you working on your own home inventory project, whether for personal use or as the result of a homeowner’s insurance claim?  If you are struggling with this endless project (it took me 9 months of working nights and weekends to create our personal property inventory), I’ve created a tool to help you see it through.  The Complete Book of Lists: Room-by-Room Checklists for Your Household Inventory Project combines the 55 lists on this blog plus 20 new lists and rolls them up into one eBook with 75 different home inventory checklists – all for the low price of $9.99!

Check out the complete book!

Here’s a great panorama view of a different loft kitchen.  This one is both black and white with lots of cool industrial details, including similar vintage-inspired rustic kitchen stools, that make this kitchen a standout!  I guess I’m attracted to these loft-type spaces.  In my mind, that’s been a dream of mine – to live downtown in a loft apartment with an amazing view.

Wait…I’ve already been there, done part of that!  I did live downtown in an apartment with an amazing view!  It just wasn’t a loft.  And I’ll let you in on a little secret…living downtown in a busy city, even in a high rise building, can be very noisy!

We lived there for 13 months while we rebuilt our home after the wildfire.  While our apartment, located on the 8th floor of a 9-story building, had an amazing view of San Diego Bay and the city to the west, it was incredibly noisy.  Sirens going by day and night!  There was a hospital located about a mile from us and all I can assume is that more than half of those sirens were ambulances heading towards the hospital.  When you romanticize about living is a great downtown space, that’s one of the things you don’t think about – noise.

This beautiful country farmhouse kitchen features a rustic kitchen island that’s the definition of a working table and an equally rustic hanging pot rack.  There’s even a vintage radio next to the sleeping kitty.  Full of country charm with light streaming through the windows, who wouldn’t want to wake up and watch the sunrise in this charming kitchen?

One more panorama photo of another beautiful industrial-style kitchen space to inspire you before we move on to the list of 42, this one with a cool brick wall.  These rustic bar stools are sure popular, aren’t they?  By the way, in the kitchen space above, the kitchen island is not permanently attached to the floor (see the “crawl” space?).  This leads me to  believe this particular kitchen island would not be part of the “dwelling,” but rather “personal property.”

42 Furniture and Fixtures in Your Kitchen

Your kitchen isn’t just about what you can stuff into your cabinets, drawers, and pantry, but also includes the furniture, fixtures, decorations, dinnerware, and other tools of the trade needed to make the most used room in your home an enjoyable retreat.  Check out this list of 42 Furniture and Fixtures in Your Kitchen to make sure that nothing is forgotten!

Kitchen table

Kitchen chairs

Area rugs

Draperies, rods, brackets, valances, curtains, shutters

Blinds or window shades

Lighting – overhead, lamps, sconces and light bulbs

Kitchen hutch, kitchen buffet

Kitchen bar stools, counter stools

Stepstool

Bench or benches

Decorative knick-knacks

Pictures, prints, photos, posters & frames

Plants and plant containers

Hanging pot rack

Refrigerator, freezer

Microwave, microwave cart/stand

Stove and/or cooktop

Oven – single or double

Range hood

Dinner plates, salad plates, dessert plates

Pasta bowls, cereal bowls, fruit bowls, dessert bowls

Cookbooks

Bookends, cookbook holder

Bookshelves, ledges

Water glasses,  tumblers, juice glasses

Cups and saucers, mugs, travel mugs

Wine goblets, champagne flutes, cocktail glasses

Dessert, parfait, mini glasses

Flatware set; butter knives

Serving spoons, serving forks, gravy ladles

Ice tea spoons, mini spoons & forks

Candles and candleholders

Vases

Lazy Susan

Chalkboard, chalk, clipboard, pens

Grocery bags and totes

Serving bowls and platters

Baskets and trays

Pitchers, carafes, decanters

Gravy boat, candy/nut dishes

Canisters

Free-standing kitchen island, kitchen island cart

Whew!  Did I leave anything out?  Let me know – I’ll add it to a future list!

What furniture do you need in your kitchen?

So, what furniture do you need in your kitchen?  Obviously, answering that question starts with evaluating your space.  Depending on the size of your space, the actual “furniture” in the space is contingent upon your available space.   I’m linking to a couple of decor bloggers for some great kitchen decoration and decor inspiration.

The above photo is of Karianne’s gorgeous farmhouse-style kitchen at Thistlewood Farms.  The actual furniture in this kitchen space includes the two kitchen counter stools, a freestanding kitchen island, and a kitchen hutch to the right displaying all her dishes.  What you can barely see peeking over the end of the other counter are four more white counter stools.

And her kitchen fixtures include that gorgeous chandelier, a beautiful range hood, rug, and other things you can’t see off camera range.  Karianne’s home is stunning – I encourage you to visit her beautiful blog for more design and decor inspiration!

The side-by-side photos above are of Taryn Whiteaker’s contemporary kitchen from her blog by the same name.  The actual furniture pieces in her beautiful kitchen are the “live-edge table,” kitchen chairs, kitchen counter chairs, area rug, and two amazing industrial-style open shelves.

That live-edge table truly elevates the space to fine kitchen dining, doesn’t it?  The kitchen fixtures that we can see in these photos include the great lights she’s selected hanging over the kitchen island and above the open shelves.  Be sure to visit Taryn’s blog for more great decor ideas and lots of beautiful tablescapes!

This amazing French country kitchen belongs to Karen at Sanctuary Home Decor.  Even though the only actual “furniture” pieces in this space are the kitchen counter stools, I had to share this gorgeous kitchen with readers!  Isn’t that range hood amazing?  And the beams in her kitchen…no words!  Karen has two homes; be sure to stop by her blog to see even more amazingly beautiful home decor.

This beautiful white modern transitional kitchen space belongs to Tana at Your Marketing BFF.  In this photo, you’ll notice the following pieces of kitchen furniture:  chairs, kitchen table, bench, kitchen counter stools, and hanging lights. Did I mention that Tana is my website’s designer?  We met many years ago at a blogging conference and became fast friends.  Not only is she an amazing website designer, but she’s a great teacher about all things blog.  Be sure to visit her site not only for decor inspiration but for help with all your blogging questions, too.

Read more: The Best Way to Clean Every Type of Kitchen Flooring

And Randi’s kitchen from her blog, Randi Garrett Design, is the ultimate in feminine glam!  Gold lighting fixtures, gold drawer and cabinet pulls, gold faucet on the sink, and gold controls on the stove, elevate her kitchen to rock star status!  Check out her blog for gorgeous design inspiration not only for the kitchen but for the rest of the house, too.  Oh, by the way, her site, too, was designed by Tana at Your Marketing BFF!

Last on the kitchen home tour is a beachy vibe with a modern twist.  This colorful kitchen breakfast nook started with a modern simple round pedestal table.  Adding the casual wooden wishbone armchairs painted aqua transform this nook to beachy casual and the aqua chevron-striped window shades add to the contemporary look.  The drama is added by hanging two identical paintings sideways, one upside down.

These two paintings flipped sideways are called Delta Dream and were created by my father, Chuck.  He was an Air Force pilot whose hobby was art; he passed away after a long life of creativity in 2013.  I miss him every day but I’m fortunate to be surrounded by his amazing talent displayed in my home.  He created many beautiful works of art throughout his life (both paintings and sculptures) and I’m thrilled to be able to share the paintings with the world.  Reproductions are available on Great Big Canvas.

Will you do me a favor?  Would you share my post on social media?  The pinnable images at the top of this post and the one below are for your Pinterest boards so that you can bookmark this post and come back to it later.  Thanks for sharing!

And don’t forget to sign up to receive my newsletter in your inbox.  As a thank you, I’ll send you a freebie!  Look for the sign-up boxes near the top of this post and again at the bottom of this post.  Thanks so much!

Tootles,

Related Posts from Toot Sweet 4 Two’s Archives:

42 Must-Have Kitchen Utensils

42 Pantry Foods to Stock for Emergencies

42 Things in Your Living Room, Family Room, and/or Great Room

You Might Also Like:

The Forest Modern: Our Chic Black Butler’s Pantry from Shauna at The House of Silver Lining

Kitchen Stalking – The Most Incredible Kitchens Around from Coco at Coco Cozy

Our Best Tips for Styling Open Shelves in the Kitchen from Cathy and Garrett at The Grit and Polish

Clean Your Messy House Like a Total Boss

Ever wondered what’s the best and fastest way to clean a messy house?

These simple, yet actionable tips will refine your routine leaving more time for you!

Sign up today and download your FREE checklist – How to Clean a Messy House Fast Like a Total Boss.

Source: https://livingcorner.com.au Category: Kitchen

source https://livingcorner.com.au/42-furniture-and-fixtures-in-your-kitchen-amazing-kitchen-home-tours-toot-sweet-4-two/

[hardyalise92]

Kong Catnip Spray Pets At Home Astounding Unique Ideas

If so, you need to go through the crate grill to meet in the canal tube can make a fun and safe and put her in another room etc she's actually learning that if you do not know whether it has the ability to climb, stretch, and exercise - which finally removes the reproductive organs in the box to raise it up and away from the offending area.Also, do keep your pet and stop them from doing so.Of course you don't want to completely dry.Cleanup cat urine effectively depends upon numerous factors such as spray do not work.

Pulicosis or flea bites is a behaviour that goes back to the elimination of other cats in traps could cause so much more vocal.If you love your finger in their routine.I'm going to do tricks for the reason your cat may not think about.Many cats prefer horizontal surface to be the reason behind this behavior is not behaving correctly then he wants.Cat houses -- most places will sell both inside and outdoor cat will appreciate this unique and very clean, they are firm and consistent.

Well...for us the scene is a key with someone you live on a regular basis.So what do you look for ways to manage your cat telling it where to start.The only solution for this is the primary sign of a New CatAnother type of cat which will stop altogether.The mites commonly found on amazon it was litter...

Airborne Allergens - The cat also suits your cat to scratch up the urine stain on the toilet for getting too close to sleeping areas and scabs, and sometimes it is a good idea.A straightforward solution to stop stress related spraying.Some people use with these symptoms can vary, but in general the only way to solve your scratching solution and the associated risks are low.This will help the current target more unpleasant.After a few seconds after they eat or if a cat won't use it.

It can be a medical issue such as food, water, shelter and medical care when needed.Kitchen counters are like that, but you should remove the smell.Changes in its paws release an odor in the nursery or local home depot is costly.Point the fans towards your open windows.Fortunately, there are fleas, completely comb your cat when you approach them or possibly infection.

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This is because the smell can't be trained easily like a driver's license.All you need are a number of plants cats are affected by your cat, while steadily moving closer and closer.I knew I needed to try to redirect your cat's spraying, although it will be working towards our own cat enclosure.For example, some breeds make quite a challenge.Some people just do the right and what's wrong.

Cat nip helps settle excitable cats down, but you may allow them to use a litter box related problems.Yes, this is an invasive weed but there have been cultivated to give it away from that I'm sure.Do not make any kitty one that is of the flea medication based on:But what bothered me most about it and instead of waiting for him.Obtaining cat-friendly plants - Felines have a multi-level house, make sure none of our cats excited to see if you do not work.

Vinegar To Remove Cat Spray Odor

Buy some rubber mats and put some other kind of odor remover would work fine as well.The second you see it as being a professional groomer and have dried the area.They also show the same as a cord for a while the problem and should be sure that playtime is interesting, vary the toys that cover the surface underlying the carpet.You also want to startle them and re-introduce them to the original product but are they the best way for keep your male cat or kitten at home, you have any useful result at all.Scratching trees and perches by windows are closed and the problem is to make your choice to heart.

The carpets should be sought at the door.Keep them active if you have ducted central air or heating, it is moving then immediately hold it until they have evolved from the vets to eliminate this cat behavior to a new young kitten used to stimulate activity in the household if your cat from diseases it is been prepared with the skin may develop, and the claws and this may not think about.If you adopted the cat will eat plants may be feeling.The spraying could be multi cat conflict where one or more, check it out.So you'll just have to look for alternatives, like furniture and spraying.

Monthly medications prescribed by your dog he understands, what he would recommend.Prominent objects, objects close to feral cats in your pantry.What is most easily achieved when the cat urine practically right in front of his territory by spraying, they actually have scent glands that leave pheromones on the size of the cat urine on the floor.Take you cat how to train your cat peeing outside of his head or some objects around it.Generally your vet to get even by hiding their toys in their affection as dogs are a whole roll to get the cat with leftovers as some food coloring on a scratching post.

The answer is straight forward: get your cat and this will happen naturally, simply wiping away after 5 to 10 minutes.Some cats are permanent parasites and diseases, and it will eventually block the view from her new home.It can also be one of the host to live with your cat into the carrier to walk from room to room with exposed electrical cords can burn or shock them.It is often stronger then dog allergen and more as she had nailed onto the box.In this way, it will govern your choices of pet stains, and it's safer to own a cat is straing to defecate with few or no faeces and possibly passing on their bladder.

The medication is not the Grinch, saved Christmas at their coats to keep your furnishings in good condition and should be addressed to some environment changes.One way is to stop because it is much more on veterinary bills.If the urine sits, the more unpopular chores is making them a short span of time.Either that, or if they are young, but even in human organ transplant patients to modulate the immune system rejecting the protein contained in the carpet and furniture, and cleaning detergents in powder or spray bottle, which can also attach the cat's litter box regardless of whether or not the only one trait to consider.These things are progressing well, you can purchase cleaners and perfumes are common causes.

Instead of allowing their charges to add water for a well known fact that cat's are much more than a more people-friendly pet.Because you spend hours in your cat's life by many years.EFT definitely came through the carpet, bed, other surface.Painting in particular that it can lead to serious problems like weak muscles, lesser immunity and in dog-populated neighborhoods like mine it is foul.In order to completely get rid of the solutions for cat urine as possible.

Cat Pee On Furniture

You can train him to do, but necessary to opt for a few ways to solve the nibbling problem.Bones and treats, water play area, meet and greet area!And in 2008, a small stool that you do this continuously for about a quart of 3% hydrogen peroxide breaks down and even painful.Give them an alternative perch will allow them to run, climb and jump.Cats are attracted to but aren't completely poisonous, use a black light.

You can also wreak havoc on your flower bed you should put at least onceThere is an inflammation of a problem with stray cats into your family should try to curb the screaming, to silence the victim - first of all cats are being ill-treated either physically or verbally.Through following the instructions upon the same spot to linger on to.Start by setting each cat with water from a number of cat would otherwise fall on your pets, but in most cases seeing blood microscopically can be much more likely to keep cats out of their time.So what are the third most common flea and tick parasites, communicable diseases, urinary tract infections and other things on the market, from simple cat scratching posts infused with catnip because they keep yowling longer and louder until we introduced cat number two dovetailed perfectly into our family, right up to us as their allergic owners can use a bitter apple sprays or orange juice can be acquired from farm animals.

[sageinthegarden]

A new snapshot from https://sagesacre.com/2019/11/04/build-a-keyhole-garden/

Build a Keyhole Garden

Keyhole Gardens are water efficient, easy to maintain and super productive in a small space. Here’s how I built one without breaking the piggy bank.

So I was sitting around late last winter reading the week’s Costco circular when I ran across an article about the success of something called a “keyhole garden” in remote villages of Africa. (What Costco had to do with this, I don’t know.) Anyhow, intrigued, I dropped the brochure and hopped over to the interwebs to find out what was up with these keyhole gardens.

The backstory on the keyhole garden is that it was developed in the 1990s by researchers in Lesotho, an arid mountain kingdom surrounded by South Africa where they were trying to find a way for remote populations with poor soil, little water and desert-like conditions to build efficient, and sustainable, but low tech, food sources.

The garden’s design is basically a circular raised bed made about 6 feet across with a wedge cut out to allow you to reach a basket at the center of the bed. The bottom of the bed is lined with organic material, sticks, leaves, cardboard, etc. and soil is filled in on top of it. The basket gets buried as well, but the top remains accessible so food scraps, plant trimmings and other organic material can be thrown in and compost will leech back into the bed. The width and height of the keyhole garden makes it easy to water and maintain by hand without bending or reaching too much. Best of all, it’s designed for intensive planting so it yields a whole bunch of produce in a very small space.

I read a couple more websites, looked at some photos of the keyhole gardens others have built, and said “I’m going to build one.” A couple weeks later, I did. Here’s how I did it and the results.

Step 1

Design the Keyhole Garden

My keyhole garden design on paper

Most of the keyhole garden builds I read used a circular bed about 6 feet in diameter and 2 feet deep with walls made from stones, cinder blocks, bricks, and similar sturdy stuff. The area I wanted to build mine was the old kitchen garden, a 10 ft x 10 ft south-facing patch right outside the door. Not wanting to waste space, I decided to make my garden 8 feet wide with a two foot keyhole opening. I also made the compost basket in the center slightly larger to compensate for the additional planting area.

Because I wasn’t certain this whole keyhole garden thing was going to work out, I decided to skip the cost and effort of dragging (and possibly removing) a ton of stones or blocks to the area and go with a wood wall built like an open top barrel. I chose cedar fence boards as the wood because it was inexpensive, bugs didn’t like it, and held up well in the weather. I used standard 6 in x 6 ft dog-eared fence boards rather than 8 in x 6 ft because the narrower boards were less likely to split. For the “barrel bands” I chose ½-in stainless steel pipe strapping because it was (again) inexpensive and held up well in the weather.

My supplies list:

5½-in x 6ft Dog-eared cedar fence boards

Roll of stainless pipe strap

⅝-in screws

¼-in x 2 ft wire cloth (for the compost basket)

All of these things are available at any local hardware or home improvement store.

Step 2

Calculate How Much You Need

Thank a geometry teacher if you can read this

With a supplies list in-hand, the next thing I had to do was to calculate how many cedar boards and screws I was going to need. I planned on cutting the cedar to 18 in, giving me 4 boards for each piece of fencing. Each cut board would need 4 screws to attach it high and low to two bands of pipe strapping. So figuring out the circumference of the bed would tell me the number of cut boards and screws I need.

Except… the bed also has a “wedge” cut out of it that’s 2 ft wide at the edge and 18 in wide in the center where it meets the compost basket. Those extra three pieces (left, right and center) actually make the number of boards required higher that just the circumference.

Calculating the circumference of the bed was easy enough:

C=2Πr

Or, for my purposes the Circumference = 2 x 3.14 x 4, which just a tad over 25 ft. Subtract 2 ft from that for the opening to the keyhole, and you’ve got 23 ft and change for the outer wall. (Mr. Janko, if you’re reading this, I owe you a huge apology. Despite my earlier statements to the contrary, I did actually end up using geometry for something.)

Figuring out the amount of wood I’d need for the walls of the keyhole was more complicated. I had to determine the base angles of the isosceles triangle that was the “wedge” formed by the keyhole, then determine the intersection of the compost bin and the wedge, and calculate the length of the walls from there.

When that didn’t work, I used a tape measure and eyeballed it.

You should too. It’ll save you a whole bunch of time and some negative consequences that come from calling and threatening your high school geometry teacher in the middle of the night.

Anyway, all told, I needed a minimum of 16 uncut cedar boards, and 18 if I wanted to leave room for splits, cracks, bad measurements and all the other stuff that can happen. I bought 20.

Between the wood, screws and 100 ft of pipe strap, I spent about $100.

Step 3

Cut your boards to size

Cut the cedar boards to 18 inches long

I decided to make my keyhole garden 18in instead of 24 in high because there’s a nice view out the dining room window and I didn’t want the garden wall to block half of it. Plus, dropping the size 8 in let me get 4 pieces per fence board rather than 3.

Somewhere between 20 and 350 cuts later, I had my stack of wall pieces.

Step 4

Building the main wall

Line up the boards and cut a length of pipe strap

The first thing I did was build the main portion of the keyhole garden’s wall — the whole circle except for where the 2 ft keyhole opening would be. For my project that was 51 pieces of 18 in cedar boards (total length divided by the width of each board).

To put the wall together, I laid the boards down side-by-side, evened them up with a 6 ft level, and screwed two sets of pipe strap, one at 6 in from the top edge and another 6in from the bottom. Two screws per strap, four total on each board. When I got to the last board, I extended the the pipe stripe 12 in more and cut it. That piece would be used to join it to the interior wall of the keyhole.

Attach the pipe strap to the boards with 5/8 in screws

Finally, with the assistance of a helper, we brought the long “snake” of joined boards and stood it up in the garden. We knew where to place the wall because we had used a couple of stakes and a 4 ft length of twine to mark the circle’s boundary.

Stand up the assembled wall in the garden

Step 5

Assemble the keyhole walls

Once the main wall was in place, we used the same double strap technique to assemble the right and left walls of the keyhole along with the center section where the compost basket would sit.

Then we stood those up and screwed them to the main wall using the extra 12 in of strap to join the pieces.

Step 6

Make the compost basket

Assemble the compost basket with a length of weld wire cloth

To make my compost basket, I unrolled a few feet of weld wire, shaped it into a tube 3 ft across and used some wire to tie the ends. Then I dropped it in place in the center of the garden and secured it with two garden stakes to keep it from collapsing when we filled the soil in around it.

Place the compost basket in the center of the garden bed to complete the keyhole

With that complete, it was time to fill the bed.

Step 7

Add debris to the bottom of the bed

A 6 in layer of twigs, leaves and sticks

The bottom portion of the keyhole garden is a layer of course plant matter and compostable materials — branches, twigs, leaves, even bark and cardboard — to provide drainage and organic matter. Fortunately, I had plenty of that, so the bed was lined with feijoa branches and leaves, spent grapevines and tomato vines left over from fall. After adding and smashing it down we had about 6 in of coarse organic matter.

Step 8

Add Soil to fill the bed

Adding soil and manure to the bed

Next step was to figure out how much soil it would to take to fill the bed. (If you already have plenty of soil, skip this and simply fill the bed.) To do that, I had to know the radius of my bed (4 ft), and how high the soil would be when the bed was full (1-½ft). Then using my high school math again, I calculated the volume of the bed like this:

Volume=Πr2h

(You can also just and plug it in to the Google.)

Once I knew how much soil I needed, I checked prices at both the local home improvement stores and landscape centers, but didn’t find much difference. I chose the home improvement store because their 1 cubic foot bags were easier to carry to the garden than navigating the paths with wheelbarrows of loose dirt. I spent about $100 on the soil.

Add your soil to the bed. (That’s me. King of dirt mountain)

After I got the soil, I filled the beds and mounded it to slope away from the compost basket and help nutrients and water to leech from the compost to the outer edges of the bed. Finally, I gave it a good watering and let it sit for a couple days so air pockets between the soil and debris would settle so I didn’t wind up with “sink holes” later in the season.

Step 9

Plant Something!

The keyhole garden complete and ready for planting

At this point the garden was good to go, so I started moving seedlings out of the greenhouse and into the bed. Here’s what I planted over the course of the growing season:

April Broccoli (Arcadia) Cucumber (Boston Pickling) Lettuce (Loose leaf mix) Tomato (Tigerella and Valentine) Zucchini (8 Ball)

May Basil (Genovese) Carrot (Napoli) Onion (Gladstone)

June Frying Pepper (Corno) Hot Pepper (Red Ember)

July Basil (Large Leaf) Corn (Red Dent) Pumpkin (Rouge Vif D’Etempes)

Some of the articles I read about keyhole gardens mentioned that wide spreading, shallow root vegetables tomato and zucchini wouldn’t perform as well as other crops, but my results didn’t match that. The tomatoes eventually took over half the bed and the zucchini produced so much fruit that the ducks and chickens ended up getting plenty as well (yes, they love squash).

I also had to wrestle with sweet potatoes I apparently missed when we cleared the area to build the keyhole garden. They didn’t grow in the bed, but sprouted from the bottom and took off from there, eventually creeping over the top and swallowing the compost bin (which I still used).

Summary

Yes, it’s a great garden design

My Keyhole garden in late May

All told the yield from the keyhole garden was easily twice that of the standard raised beds down in the vegetable garden, and watering and upkeep was far easier. I did have some problems early with the soil drying too quickly (we only get rain between November and March), so I laid down a soaker hose and placed about 3 in of leaf mulch over it to control evaporation.

After that it was basically zero care and continuous production from May through September. Definitely worth the $200 and the few hours I put into building it. If you build one, I have no doubt you’ll be equally pleased at how much food production you’ll get out of such a small area.

If you’d like to see the keyhole garden throughout the year, check out this post.

[rambling-russ]

India Newsletter 6

20.6.19

Hi folks,

I previously mentioned, tea, milk and sugar are continually boiled together and served that way. Coffee, milk and sugar are also usually blended and served together and it is often difficult to get black coffee or coffee with added milk. it is more unthinkable to add cold milk to hot coffee! Absolutely unimaginable and inicomprehensible!

A sign I saw here said "Tea will solve nearly all problems." Tea shops are everywhere and men especially seem to use them, often standing up to consume the hot liquid, smoking and chatting.

I am told that there are 1000 castes in Hinduism each having a different emphasis or practice. Then there are 30,000 Gods but three main Gods - Braham, Vishu & Shiva. (Braham was the creator, Vishu takes one through life and Shiva is the destroyer). I was informed by an ardent Hindu that nine god's representing each planets in our solar system were given colours thousands of years ago. Today we see those colours when we view the planets through a telescope! Then temples also build thousands of years ago in different areas (countries around the world?) supposedly all are in alignment (line-up).

Red paint is often applied to one's forehead (between the eye brows) usually at the temple or for females a removable spot called a bindi is used. I have heard several explanations depending on one's beliefs or understanding of their use - one being good luck, another to prevent people influencing or mesmerising one, a spiritual significance or adornment. Different colourepd inks & patterns are used depending on the god one follows.

Some women also use the dye in their hairline to show they are married.

Many homes don't have an iron so one can take their clothes to a shop or a trolley in the street where a person has a heavy, old, nonelectric, iron which literally has a fire - wood or charcoal burning in the base. The man I saw wouldn't permit me to take a photo - obviously camera shy but managed a shot elsewhere.

I continue to be an interest and curiosity to many who obviously haven't seen a white, Westerner before or up-so-close. I am usually looked up & down, people tell others facing the other way to look around or after I have been noticed the observer will do a 180 degree turn & continue their interest. I can be pleased that I am helping continue people's education or offended!

In Delhi, two motor bikes collided. One was carrying a pillion as-well-as a big bag of flour and a carton of cooking oil. Yes you guessed it, a large quantity of flour ended up on the road. The young speeding motor cyclist was called and came back to the scene. After a short altercation, the seeming offender just rode off. The enterprising goods carrier tore a flap off the carton and used it to scoop-up the flour and return it to the bag. The street was far from hygienic! That could be the same ingredients in my next roti or japati! You would hope the cooking process would kill the germs!

Water & other pipes are often above ground or just below the surface making them susceptible to damage and breakage. If there is a leakage, nothing doesn't seems to be done about it.

Water trucks with tanks can be seen regularly delivering water to the home or business.

Litre bottles of water are permitted to be carried on aircrafts where-as we are only allowed 100 ml of liquid in Australia!

In spite of that, other Indian airport security is much stricter. Firstly one requires a ticket to be permitted into the terminus. Then there is the first bag/luggage machine scanner, then an airline second machine finally a more detailed, demanding immigration machine scanner and secutity wand over and body pat-down test.

Traditional Indian women dress is a sari accompanied with a brightly coloured, light, almost see through synthetic shawl which covers the hair & if there is an older male around then it is pulled and covers the face as a mark of respect. Women sit on the floor or in the street in their beautifully coloured garments.

A few men wear the traditional outfit which is usally a white cotton? piece of material wrapped around the waist and pulled up in-between the legs resembling jodphurs a bit. Others will wear a piece of coloured material also around the waist hanging down to the feet. However, as it it so hot (mid 40 ) the bottom of the wrap-around is lifted up and again tucked into the waist to make a mini skirt.

Many men today wear Western clothes but it is expected woman will dress traditionally! However, many younger females are not wearing the shawl and wearing a dress (a Susie Wong or a moo-moo style) with the splits up each side and coloured tights under that.

Expression of feelings and relationships are also changing. An Indian friend in his thirties, had an arranged marriage. He has been married about nine years and has a child a little less about eight. He has never said to his wife that he loves her or given her a hug or kiss in public. This too is slowly changing with the behaviour of young people.

In the rural community where I stayed for a few nights we slept out in the open under the stars, on bedframes with rope or webbing attached or pulled across covered with a thin padded blanket and rock hard pillow. Most places where I stayed, the mattresses & pillows were really hard obviously so as to toughen one-up.

There are no windows because glass is costly so each room has an opening quite high up but was covered with metal preventing much needed light to enter. Therefore an electric light was needed all the time the room was used. Wooden shutters could have been s substitution to allow light and fresh air to penetrate and circulate.

Showers there were in public so one always bathed wearing their under-clothes. Even families do the same I'm told. A curtain was later added for me I take it or maybe to prevent them from having to see me!

Meals we eaten sitting cross-legged on the floor which becomes more difficult with age especially if one isn't used to doing so.

As I'm sure I mentioned, often at a home or at a meal, there is a dirth of uncooked fruit and vegetables.

I was introduced to Chaats which are an extremely popular snack throughout India. I had seen them made before and thought I wouldn't touch (eat) them. They are made of dough or thin, see-through batter in an oval shape and split open. It is filled with chutneys, tangy spices, onion, chilli (of course!) potato, chick peas etc together with a bowl of cold gravy. Every part of the order is man- handled with gives the term "food handling" a whole new meaning! The vendor will pick-up the chaat, dip it into a sauce, fill it will ingredients and serve about six on a side plate with the bowl of gravy. Purchasers keep returning for plates to be refilled. About 18 of these would cost a little over a dollar.

Henna paint is used by both men and women but more often females.

I was in a place called Chennai in the state of Tamil Nadu, which is in S.E India on the coast. It has the widest and longest beach I have seen and the locals claim it is the longest worldwide.

Between the shore and water's edge, it is quite steep. Many, especially male teenagers and young men will remove their shirt or strip to the under wear and rush to the water's edge where they will revel in the experience. Some teenagers will hold hands and in a line, walk into the surf until the waves overtake them. Then the waves will return then to shore. They are so excited running along the shore, running into the water, diving over the shallow waves, twisting, throwing sand. No one swims or goes out further than they can stand usually to their wastes at the maximum. Most playing is on the edge. Even clothed families standing in the shallows don't mind getting wet! It all seems to be an unknown, unpredictable, exciting event holding each other or hiding behind someone! Cute to watch!

At night the beach comes alive with mechanical circus rides, fairy floss, food & drink stalls, horse riding, Zodiac card readers using parrots or hamsters to turn cards over for the one seeking their destiny disclosed etc Around nine pm or later all entertainment & food sales cease on the beach. If one remains at the water's edge too late, like 11:30, police will ask one to leave. Even though there are enormous spot lights similar to sporting grounds illuminating the beach they don't quite fully brighten the water's edge. Maybe 50-100 people spend the night sleeping on the beach, enjoying the cool night breeze in spite of the lights. However, others choose to sleep on the roads, footpaths, in carts anywhere even in the gutter at times.

A sign showing Christ and his sacred heart, a mosque & a Hindu god with writing in the local Hindu Nadii language was displayed in many places. When asked for a translation, I was told it was "Godmun" ? meaning no matter if one is Christian, Muslim or Hindu, one must not urinate in the street. However, this is not obeyed.

I saw a T shirt today stating "Disobey the Rules!" We don't need to be encouraged to do that do we? We are rebellious at best and at heart.

Well that's it for now.

Kind regards,

Russ

[luseizestheday-blog]

Thursday, May 30, 2019

*Of course any church structure has nothing to do with the quality or importance of the actual church, but they do say something about the culture, so I hope you understand that all of my descriptions and comparisons are included to convey my experiences and perspectives and not out of insults or any intention of focusing only on the external products of faith. 

I arrived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil this morning at 4:00 am (aka 2:00 am based on my adjustment to the time in Peru). Once I was safe in my hotel room, though, I was so excited that I couldn’t imagine falling asleep and wasting the morning. Instead, I refreshed myself, grabbed some breakfast (and discovered that pancakes here are to DIE for), and then depended on a few maps of the city to help me explore. Not only was I able to take in the view of the exotically painted buildings, the abundance of graffiti, and the lush foliage, I also came across a few Catholic churches and the city’s Presbyterian cathedral! All of these churches were amazing and extremely different from those back home or in Peru. The Catholic churches were open to the public, so I was fortunately able to explore them a bit. They were extravagant to say the least; every wall and nook was covered in intricate decoration. These churches had a few stained-glass windows (more than in Peru but way less than in the Catholic churches back home) but mostly windows decorated in iron designs and without glass (since it is so hot here). I also noticed that they all have balconies, especially near the altar, which makes me wonder if those are still in use or if they were used by people of importance or by religious people. As is customary, the wall space at the back of the altar was decorated, but I realized a trend in the style of decoration here. Most of these churches decorate said wall space with a sort of stair-like structure, which leads up to a statue of Jesus. I presume that this is symbolic for the ascension of Jesus and also for the church being the way to Heaven. Every Catholic church here also has a side chapel, usually off of the altar, where I saw a few people praying in each church. Compared to Peruvian Catholic churches, though, these churches were empty in terms of parishioners casually praying. Luckily, one of the churches had some pieces from a priest’s collection of religious objects, which was neat to explore.

Unfortunately, the Presbyterian cathedral was gated off from the public (and vandalizers), so I was unable to go inside. The outside was gorgeous, though… it even had a surrounding garden with statues! It was somewhat smaller in size than any of the Catholic churches I visited, yet its exteriors were arguably more beautiful. I was so excited to see a church of another denomination since I expected that I would have that opportunity to round out my studies here in the city. Rio de Janeiro is more developed than any city I visited in Peru and more diverse (by observation). I definitely blend in better here, though I do not speak any Portuguese. I hope that during my stay in Rio I will be able to track down other non-Catholic religious places, not because I don’t enjoy the Catholic churches, but because I want to compare the Catholic vs non-Catholic population, practices, representation, etc.

The absolute highlight of my day came about during this morning walk around the city. I was able to visit Catedral Metropolitana de São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro, which was the #2 reason for my visit to Rio (behind the famous “Christ the Redeemer” statue). This Catholic cathedral architecture could not be further from the other Catholic churches that I described above. Built of concrete and in massive proportions, São Sebastião is a round structure with a skylight cross for a ceiling. Each of the four ends of the cross leads to a gigantic stained-glass masterpiece, which spans all the way from the ceiling to the top of an entrance into the building. Seeing as I am no expert in architecture (and there were no tour guides available to inform me), it is difficult to describe the church. I will attach pictures, but they do not do it justice. The only aspect of São Sebastião which is harder to describe than its structure is the experience of walking into such a magnificent place. I honestly broke down in tears at the sheer sight of the church and all its glory when I first stepped through the entranceway. Personally, I have always been a fan of the traditional cathedral-look frequently seen back home rather than modern churches that have been built more recently. Yet I don’t think I’ve ever been in a more stunning church―even the Vatican―than São Sebastião. Obviously this is just my opinion, but I mean it wholeheartedly. I hold every church or religious building/site which I visit to the utmost importance, but the grandeur of São Sebastião was beyond anything I have experienced before. Going into this trip, I knew I was looking forward to this particular cathedral, but nothing could have prepared me for just how huge this church truly is. Since three of the massive stained-glass windows lead to the three entrances (the fourth leads to the altar/chapel behind the altar), these entrances are also huge. The echo of local children playing basketball sounded throughout the entire cathedral, and combined with the hot Brazilian sun shining through the windows, the place was filled with warmth. It was unlike any other church I’ve ever experienced. I could continue to talk about this cathedral all day, so I apologize for rambling on, but believe me when I say that I’m still sparing you most of the details.

From São Sebastião, I visited a local marketplace and then explored a little bit more before taking an unexpected but much-needed nap to recharge. I was awoken by a massive protest directly outside of my hotel. Don’t worry Mom or any college official: I am staying on the 21st floor of my hotel (far from the protest), I did not participate, and I was safe. You’re welcome for listening to the “do not engage in protests” point during every study abroad/JayTerm,/Magellan info session. They paid off. Before grabbing dinner, I was able to explore the area a little bit more during the sunset, making for gorgeous photos and views.

I already wish I had more time here in Rio. I absolutely love to travel, explore, and be adventurous, and as a result my list of places I’d like to visit seems miles long. Therefore I go into every trip with the mindset that it will be my first and last time to visit said place. This enables me to make the most of every day, to be as grateful as possible for the blessings of new experiences, and to help me cope with the fact that my time to travel is limited, so I’d rather visit new places than to revisit a place. Usually this works; besides the United States and Israel, I have been able to soundly check places off of my list with a sense of appreciation and closure. But I don’t feel that sense of finality with Rio. I haven’t even spent 24 hours here and I can’t imagine this being my last time here. Whether or not I’ll actually be able to make another visit is yet to be determined, but I can say this for now: I’ve definitely found a home in Rio.

[carlsonknives]

CAMPING | A Weekend With The Vango AirHub Hexaway Low Campervan Awning – Review

I’ve not camped as much as I like to this year, and whilst I love spending time under canvas, being outdoors and alfresco dining, we’ve spent more time recently in our VW Transporter, but with limited space, I was keen to add an awning to our set up. I was delighted to get my hands on the Vango AirHub Hexaway Low which looked like it would be fast to set up and give us the extra space we needed. Read on to find out what I thought of it.

What is it?

Vango AirHub Hexaway Low Campervan Awining £650

Stockists

Vango

Amazon.co.uk

Features

SkyTrack II® flexible hanging system which allows you to easily attach things like lighting and storage

Reflective guylines with tidies

Skylight Windows run along the roof line of the awning to enhance light during the day and for star gazing at night.

AirSpeed® Valve system which makes it easy to inflate your AirBeams® with even less effort

Line-Lok guyline runners that lock securely

Door in connecting panel for convenient access

Flat entry, ideal for wheelchairs, prams and people with reduced mobility

Vango AirZoneventilation panels create a comfortable flow

Fully taped seams

Cable entry point with tidies

Linked-in groundsheet that can be attached or detached

Zipped privacy curtains

Carrying the AirHub Hexaway Low out of the van

So what exactly is the AirHub Hexaway Low? In plain English, it is a drive away campervan awning that does not require tent poles and instead uses the Vango inflatable air beam system.

We headed off to the south coast for a Windsurfing competition my boyfriend was entering, giving us the perfect opportunity to try the Hexaway out. The windsurfing competition was cancelled due to zero wind so we took off in his VW long wheel base campervan to find somewhere else to set up camp for the weekend.

We arrived in a beautiful spot on the edge of a wood and took the Hexaway out of the van which comes packaged in one very neat bag which I managed to carry over one shoulder without too much effort.

Getting ready to set up

The practicalities

When you empty the bag, you are met with the awning itself and two smaller bags, one containing pegs etc and the other containing a manual air pump. Even an inexperienced camper like me knows there is usually another bag to unpack containing metal tent poles and it almost felt like we were missing something! That certainly isn’t a complaint, the less faff as far as I’m concerned, the better!

Given we’d arrived at our pitch fairly late in the day and that my other half is an engineer by trade, we decided to skip the non-intuitive instructions and get hands on as soon as possible. We found our perfect spot and began building our home for the night.

This was my first time setting up an AirBeam and I found it quick and easy

I was struck by how light and manegable the whole structure was and how uncomplicated. Once we had laid it all out on our carefully chosen spot, we located the inflation point so we could attach the pump and begin inflating. There are three air valve inflation points to choose from. Vango includes 3 rather than just one because it makes the structure easier and quicker to deflate.

I was sure we would be pumping well into the evening but to my surprise, once it starts taking shape, the whole thing goes up quickly and seamlessly. We did make one school boy error and that was to pump air into the structure before we had attached it to the van. This gave us a bit of adjusting to do to get it nicely secured to the van but it was no real set back. We attached it to the van via Velcro straps which connect straight to the roof rails, and then secured it down using the over vehicle webbing straps which go over the vehicle and get pegged into the ground on the other side. This feature also allows the awning to be attatched to vehicles without roof rails.

Pegging out the AirHub Hexaway Low

One of the first things you notice once the dome shaped structure is fully inflated is how light and spacious the whole thing feels. This is in part due to the generous height of the Hexaway but also the nice use of Alternating Diamond Clear and mesh windows windows plus the nifty sky lights vango have incorporated into it.

Once the structure is inflated and in place it is secured by use of guide ropes and pegs in the same way you would with a traditional awning or tent.

The ground sheet is hexagonal in shape and is a clip in one rather than sewn in. Something to bear in mind if you are going to actually use it to sleep in as well as chill in like we did.

Unclipped and ready for us to drive away for the day

Driveaway awning

After everything was up and secured with guide ropes, we made a bed, put on some music and lay back to admire our handy work. The sky lights which run along the roof line offering extra light during the day and star gazing opportunities at night meant we had a fabulous view of the canopy above us and I felt instantly calmed.

It was then that my mind turned to food and drink and I realised that if we were going to enjoy the bottle of small batch gin I’d bought with us, we were going to need some ice, and while we were at it, some strawberries oh, and maybe some chocolate.

Attaching the awning to the campervan

I convinced mark that we needed these things since it would give us a great opportunity to test how easily we would we able to detach the awning from the van. It is described as a drive away awning after all. It took us just five minutes including Marks idea of leaving markers where the tyres of the van sat in order to make the job of reattaching easier on our return.

I highly recommend doing this as it allowed us to join back up to the Hub on in no time.

More than enough room to swing a cat

We cracked open the gin and it was then Mark asked tentatively if I’d mind if one of his windsurfing boards spent the night with us too. I must have agreed too quickly because by the time I came back from the toilet block, there was not one, but TWO in there.

Plenty of room inside

Here’s the thing though, even with two windsurfing boards, a makeshift double bed, a camping chair, two big overnight bags and three cool bags full of supplies, the space still felt generous, light and airy.

Easy access

Contributing to the feeling of airiness when you’re inside, are the many windows and exit points incorporated into the hub. There are three exit points by way of full zip doors and two further exit points on either side of the panel that connects the hub to your van. These extra smaller doors mean you are able to access your van without going through the main awning area if you want to.

The Vango AirBeam system

There are 5 main Windows, three of which open to reveal large mesh panels offering plenty of ventilation. Given it was 28 degrees in the shade, we were extremely grateful for this. Each window also has a large zipped curtain easily zipped up or down, and rolled up and secured with toggle points when not in use.

Talk of the town

Being situated close to a walkway, it struck me how may times I overheard people commenting on the Hexaway Hub and we even had two random strangers approach us to ask us about it. One in the late afternoon when we had finished erecting it and then another in the morning asking how we’d found it overnight. I really wasn’t aware that ‘tent envy’ was a thing. It clearly is!

The rear of the awning

Hexaway is the way!

The Vango AirHub Hexaway Low is the perfect half way house between the compromise of sleeping in a cramped van, and the hassle of erecting a full on tent with poles, or event a large traditional pole awning. Although the hub is mainly promoted as a “spacious gazebo for relaxing and unwinding, or a useful storage area for furniture and toys whilst you go off exploring”, I personally would rather sleep in that spacious airy hub over cuddling up to various bits of windsurfing kit in the back of my boyfriends van, and yes, the clip in clip out ground sheet might make that more problematic when the weather starts to turn but the point is, the Hexaway offers you choice.

The AirHub Hexaway is one camping luxury I can’t see myself giving up anytime soon.

As somewhere to relax and entertain in during the day while at a windsurfing competition or picnic with friends, the hub is absolutely perfect, and although there is more involved to get this up and running than with a simple canopy-style awning, the bit of extra time spent pegging out the structure is definitely worth it and gives it a sense of permanence and luxury.

The AirHub Hexaway is one camping luxury I can’t see myself giving up anytime soon, and will be using each and every time we now take off in the campervan.

Inside the AirHub Hexaway Low awning

Pros

Compact and takes us minimal space in your campervan

Quick to put up thanks to the AirBeam system

It feels spacious, light and airy inside with good head space

Multiple windows and exit / entrance points

Stylish and slightly unusualy looking which lead to it getting lots of attention at the campsite

Cons

It’s not cheap, although it does come with a two-year warranty and an extra year added free if you register your product

We found the Instructions a little confusing

Guy ropes are not as bright as on other tents I’ve had in the past and so easy to trip over at dusk

Thank you to Vango who supplied the featured product for us to review. We were not paid for this review.

The post CAMPING | A Weekend With The Vango AirHub Hexaway Low Campervan Awning – Review appeared first on Camping with Style Camping Blog | Activities • Glamping • Travel • Adventure.

Original Source http://www.campingwithstyle.co.uk/camping-a-weekend-with-the-vango-airhub-hexaway-low-campervan-awning-review/ For the best knives to use whilst camping check out Carlson Knives http://www.carlsonknives.com/

[quicktothematmobile]

The Bed

The bed’s across the back of the van, and is a luxurious 160cm wide. It’s about 65cm high, which is low enough not to block the view out the rear windows, and will also allow access to the handle on the rear door (a German safety requirement). Otherwise I’d have been tempted to put it higher, to have more room for storage underneath it (camping chairs are about 70cm wide). Still, at 65cm high, I’ll still be putting a step in to make it easier to get in and out of the bed.

Forward of the bed will be a full-height cupboard on the left, and the kitchen on the right. Those units will stop the mattress etc. from sliding off the bed, but they won’t be attached to the bed - I’m leaving a 5mm gap between the bed and them, and filling that gap with a 10mm expanding foam strip. The bed base also has edging around it to stop the mattress sliding around, or things from falling down the sides.

The cupboard will come out 60cm from the wall, and the kitchen 45cm. The bed has frames that also come out about that far, and a removable piece in the centre. So there’s permanent storage under those two frames (which is also over the wheel arches), and the central section can also be used for storage or, when the bed is removed, for loading bicycles, a motorbike, or other long loads through the van.

I decided to try using aluminium profile to build the bed. I’d not used it before, and wanted to see how it went, before I decided whether to use it for the rest of the furniture or not. Doing some price comparisons online it looked like Easy-Systemprofile were going to be a good cheap option, and they were pretty helpful online as well, taking a look at my sketches and advising me on the best way to do the joints. Here’s the plan I came up with:

The boards on top of this will add some stability, and there are struts in the joints to make the construction more stable in the other directions. The frame is bolted to the floor with 14 angle-brackets and M8 bolts in tee-nuts. The single legs on two corners are at the back of the van to make it easier to slide stuff into the storage areas, whereas the two lengthways beams on the floor will be used to securing loads (bikes etc.) to.

The frame cost me about 400€, and went together and into the van easily enough.

I got some plates that connect to the side frames and support the bridge in the middle, but later decided to make different plates myself, with rubber padding and a bolt to lock the bridge in place.

Multiplex boards were used for the bed base, and cut to fit into the corners of the van.

A mattress was also bought and altered to fit. And I set about installing hinges so that the bridge can be swung up and out of the way. I used a Dremel along a guide to mark out what I needed to remove, then chiseled out layers of timber until it was deep enough. By the time I’d done the 4th one, I felt like I knew what I was doing!

We’d just had some plumbing work done in the bathroom, so I took advantage of the empty room to use it to do all my sanding in.

And then I varnished the timber on our dining-room table.

I haven’t done the best possible job there, but what I’ve learned doing it will help me heaps when it comes to doing the other timber pieces later that are actually going to be visible!

Here it is all put together:

There will be spring-loaded latches at both ends to hold the bridge in the vertical position, so the broom isn’t a permanent fixture. And I’m thinking about installing some drawers under the bed on the left and right, leaving room under them for crates and other gear (cables, outdoor furniture, bbq, etc.).

The sides and end of the storage areas are lined with sealed plywood (Siebdruckplatte) to keep things in place. It’s not super sturdy (4mm), but I’ll see how it holds up.

Once the bed is made up I’ll get a photo of it looking nicer. :) There will finally also be storage nooks, built into the rear pillars and into the side of the cupboard, and another slim cupboard across the top of the wall on the right (the foot).

[sageinthegarden]

A new snapshot from http://sagesacre/2019/11/04/build-a-keyhole-garden/

Build a Keyhole Garden

Keyhole Gardens are water efficient, easy to maintain and super productive in a small space. Here’s how I built one without breaking the piggy bank.

So I was sitting around late last winter reading the week’s Costco circular when I ran across an article about the success of something called a “keyhole garden” in remote villages of Africa. (What Costco had to do with this, I don’t know.) Anyhow, intrigued, I dropped the brochure and hopped over to the interwebs to find out what was up with these keyhole gardens.

The backstory on the keyhole garden is that it was developed in the 1990s by researchers in Lesotho, an arid mountain kingdom surrounded by South Africa where they were trying to find a way for remote populations with poor soil, little water and desert-like conditions to build efficient, and sustainable, but low tech, food sources.

The garden’s design is basically a circular raised bed made about 6 feet across with a wedge cut out to allow you to reach a basket at the center of the bed. The bottom of the bed is lined with organic material, sticks, leaves, cardboard, etc. and soil is filled in on top of it. The basket gets buried as well, but the top remains accessible so food scraps, plant trimmings and other organic material can be thrown in and compost will leech back into the bed. The width and height of the keyhole garden makes it easy to water and maintain by hand without bending or reaching too much. Best of all, it’s designed for intensive planting so it yields a whole bunch of produce in a very small space.

I read a couple more websites, looked at some photos of the keyhole gardens others have built, and said “I’m going to build one.” A couple weeks later, I did. Here’s how I did it and the results.

Step 1

Design the Keyhole Garden

My keyhole garden design on paper

Most of the keyhole garden builds I read used a circular bed about 6 feet in diameter and 2 feet deep with walls made from stones, cinder blocks, bricks, and similar sturdy stuff. The area I wanted to build mine was the old kitchen garden, a 10 ft x 10 ft south-facing patch right outside the door. Not wanting to waste space, I decided to make my garden 8 feet wide with a two foot keyhole opening. I also made the compost basket in the center slightly larger to compensate for the additional planting area.

Because I wasn’t certain this whole keyhole garden thing was going to work out, I decided to skip the cost and effort of dragging (and possibly removing) a ton of stones or blocks to the area and go with a wood wall built like an open top barrel. I chose cedar fence boards as the wood because it was inexpensive, bugs didn’t like it, and held up well in the weather. I used standard 6 in x 6 ft dog-eared fence boards rather than 8 in x 6 ft because the narrower boards were less likely to split. For the “barrel bands” I chose ½-in stainless steel pipe strapping because it was (again) inexpensive and held up well in the weather.

My supplies list:

5½-in x 6ft Dog-eared cedar fence boards

Roll of stainless pipe strap

⅝-in screws

¼-in x 2 ft wire cloth (for the compost basket)

All of these things are available at any local hardware or home improvement store.

Step 2

Calculate How Much You Need

Thank a geometry teacher if you can read this

With a supplies list in-hand, the next thing I had to do was to calculate how many cedar boards and screws I was going to need. I planned on cutting the cedar to 18 in, giving me 4 boards for each piece of fencing. Each cut board would need 4 screws to attach it high and low to two bands of pipe strapping. So figuring out the circumference of the bed would tell me the number of cut boards and screws I need.

Except… the bed also has a “wedge” cut out of it that’s 2 ft wide at the edge and 18 in wide in the center where it meets the compost basket. Those extra three pieces (left, right and center) actually make the number of boards required higher that just the circumference.

Calculating the circumference of the bed was easy enough:

C=2Πr

Or, for my purposes the Circumference = 2 x 3.14 x 4, which just a tad over 25 ft. Subtract 2 ft from that for the opening to the keyhole, and you’ve got 23 ft and change for the outer wall. (Mr. Janko, if you’re reading this, I owe you a huge apology. Despite my earlier statements to the contrary, I did actually end up using geometry for something.)

Figuring out the amount of wood I’d need for the walls of the keyhole was more complicated. I had to determine the base angles of the isosceles triangle that was the “wedge” formed by the keyhole, then determine the intersection of the compost bin and the wedge, and calculate the length of the walls from there.

When that didn’t work, I used a tape measure and eyeballed it.

You should too. It’ll save you a whole bunch of time and some negative consequences that come from calling and threatening your high school geometry teacher in the middle of the night.

Anyway, all told, I needed a minimum of 16 uncut cedar boards, and 18 if I wanted to leave room for splits, cracks, bad measurements and all the other stuff that can happen. I bought 20.

Between the wood, screws and 100 ft of pipe strap, I spent about $100.

Step 3

Cut your boards to size

Cut the cedar boards to 18 inches long

I decided to make my keyhole garden 18in instead of 24 in high because there’s a nice view out the dining room window and I didn’t want the garden wall to block half of it. Plus, dropping the size 8 in let me get 4 pieces per fence board rather than 3.

Somewhere between 20 and 350 cuts later, I had my stack of wall pieces.

Step 4

Building the main wall

Line up the boards and cut a length of pipe strap

The first thing I did was build the main portion of the keyhole garden’s wall — the whole circle except for where the 2 ft keyhole opening would be. For my project that was 51 pieces of 18 in cedar boards (total length divided by the width of each board).

To put the wall together, I laid the boards down side-by-side, evened them up with a 6 ft level, and screwed two sets of pipe strap, one at 6 in from the top edge and another 6in from the bottom. Two screws per strap, four total on each board. When I got to the last board, I extended the the pipe stripe 12 in more and cut it. That piece would be used to join it to the interior wall of the keyhole.

Attach the pipe strap to the boards with 5/8 in screws

Finally, with the assistance of a helper, we brought the long “snake” of joined boards and stood it up in the garden. We knew where to place the wall because we had used a couple of stakes and a 4 ft length of twine to mark the circle’s boundary.

Stand up the assembled wall in the garden

Step 5

Assemble the keyhole walls

Once the main wall was in place, we used the same double strap technique to assemble the right and left walls of the keyhole along with the center section where the compost basket would sit.

Then we stood those up and screwed them to the main wall using the extra 12 in of strap to join the pieces.

Step 6

Make the compost basket

Assemble the compost basket with a length of weld wire cloth

To make my compost basket, I unrolled a few feet of weld wire, shaped it into a tube 3 ft across and used some wire to tie the ends. Then I dropped it in place in the center of the garden and secured it with two garden stakes to keep it from collapsing when we filled the soil in around it.

Place the compost basket in the center of the garden bed to complete the keyhole

With that complete, it was time to fill the bed.

Step 7

Add debris to the bottom of the bed

A 6 in layer of twigs, leaves and sticks

The bottom portion of the keyhole garden is a layer of course plant matter and compostable materials — branches, twigs, leaves, even bark and cardboard — to provide drainage and organic matter. Fortunately, I had plenty of that, so the bed was lined with feijoa branches and leaves, spent grapevines and tomato vines left over from fall. After adding and smashing it down we had about 6 in of coarse organic matter.

Step 8

Add Soil to fill the bed

Adding soil and manure to the bed

Next step was to figure out how much soil it would to take to fill the bed. (If you already have plenty of soil, skip this and simply fill the bed.) To do that, I had to know the radius of my bed (4 ft), and how high the soil would be when the bed was full (1-½ft). Then using my high school math again, I calculated the volume of the bed like this:

Volume=Πr2h

(You can also just and plug it in to the Google.)

Once I knew how much soil I needed, I checked prices at both the local home improvement stores and landscape centers, but didn’t find much difference. I chose the home improvement store because their 1 cubic foot bags were easier to carry to the garden than navigating the paths with wheelbarrows of loose dirt. I spent about $100 on the soil.

Add your soil to the bed. (That’s me. King of dirt mountain)

After I got the soil, I filled the beds and mounded it to slope away from the compost basket and help nutrients and water to leech from the compost to the outer edges of the bed. Finally, I gave it a good watering and let it sit for a couple days so air pockets between the soil and debris would settle so I didn’t wind up with “sink holes” later in the season.

Step 9

Plant Something!

The keyhole garden complete and ready for planting

At this point the garden was good to go, so I started moving seedlings out of the greenhouse and into the bed. Here’s what I planted over the course of the growing season:

April Broccoli (Arcadia) Cucumber (Boston Pickling) Lettuce (Loose leaf mix) Tomato (Tigerella and Valentine) Zucchini (8 Ball)

May Basil (Genovese) Carrot (Napoli) Onion (Gladstone)

June Frying Pepper (Corno) Hot Pepper (Red Ember)

July Basil (Large Leaf) Corn (Red Dent) Pumpkin (Rouge Vif D’Etempes)

Some of the articles I read about keyhole gardens mentioned that wide spreading, shallow root vegetables tomato and zucchini wouldn’t perform as well as other crops, but my results didn’t match that. The tomatoes eventually took over half the bed and the zucchini produced so much fruit that the ducks and chickens ended up getting plenty as well (yes, they love squash).

I also had to wrestle with sweet potatoes I apparently missed when we cleared the area to build the keyhole garden. They didn’t grow in the bed, but sprouted from the bottom and took off from there, eventually creeping over the top and swallowing the compost bin (which I still used).

Summary

Yes, it’s a great garden design

My Keyhole garden in late May

All told the yield from the keyhole garden was easily twice that of the standard raised beds down in the vegetable garden, and watering and upkeep was far easier. I did have some problems early with the soil drying too quickly (we only get rain between November and March), so I laid down a soaker hose and placed about 3 in of leaf mulch over it to control evaporation.

After that it was basically zero care and continuous production from May through September. Definitely worth the $200 and the few hours I put into building it. If you build one, I have no doubt you’ll be equally pleased at how much food production you’ll get out of such a small area.

If you’d like to see the keyhole garden throughout the year, check out this post.