Island Getaway

Today we decided that we deserved a day of relaxation after working hard all day on Saturday. So we took a 1-hour ferry ride out to a barrier island, Ship Island, which so small that you can see the entire thing from the dock. We spent the whole day basking in the sun, swimming in the surf, and exploring the abandoned island fortress. The air and the ocean were both in the upper 70s. Anyone in Minnesota, if they weren't already, should be sufficiently jealous by now.

Lazy Saturday

A couple videos from our Saturday of hanging out on the pier watching pelicans fish. Notice the two fishing styles: one from the air, one from the water. And the things you learn from the local children who spend time on the water!

Busy Friday

On Friday, we took an afternoon field trip to Unabridged Architecture, a firm that does many projects in the region similar to one we're working on. First, they gave us a critique, then showed us around their house/office (which seemed straight out of Dwell magazine). Finally, we gave them a critique of one of their designs, then toured a building nearby designed by SHoP Architects. All of this after building a house in the morning and before eating more crawfish for dinner, then going to a bar for pool, darts, and karaoke. Quite a long day...no wonder we didn't do anything on Saturday!

The House moves closer to becoming a Home

Despite the often painfully slow pace of construction, the house we're working on is coming along. Electrical is going in, and roof is being installed, and any day now there will be gypsum on the walls. Plus, the view from the freshly-laid tongue and groove second floor is pretty amazing. The Gulf, a beached shrimp boat, a sunken sailboat, two millionaire's trailers, and a canopy of oak trees...it's like a magical Bob Ross painting.

Salvation Army revisited

Now, after gaining a better sense of the town of Biloxi, our beautiful (and colorful) accommodations seem to align perfectly with a pattern of nonsensical yet very practical spaces.

Miscellaneous Biloxi Photos

Miscellaneous Biloxi Photos

Miscellaneous Biloxi Photos

These photosets are an attempt to visually describe the bizarro world that is Biloxi, Mississippi. Though the subject matter may seem unrelated or difficult to comprehend, the hope is that you can get a sense of what we feel as outsiders (total confusion). Plus, showing photos is easier than trying to put words to something we are consistently perplexed and amazed by. Enjoy...and share your thoughts if the moment strikes you.

Our Presentation Boards

Our Presentation Boards

Our Presentation Boards

New Orleans drive-by

introducing.....DEMON SWORDS

we've heard from many of you that our safety and well being is an area of concern, worry, and anxiety across the northern studios. fear not we are under constant protection. a strange hybrid of guardian angel and mercenary roams the boundaries of sweet salvo. up until last week the identity of our protectors remained a mystery, while signing in for breakfast i noticed the person in front of me had signed in as demon swords, after a blink blink and eye rub i ruled out hallucination and dreaming, the man, upper left, goes by that name. he rests in brick and mortar fortifications, has eyes ears everywhere, and like ourselves feeds on swine and grits. i have never questioned reality so frequently.

take care
the disappeared (aka the gold coasters)

The part of New Orleans that got fixed up

Hopefully the drastic shift, both visually and emotionally, from the Central City to the French Quarter is apparent through these photos. After only a few hours in New Orleans, we were left speechless, mainly due to this enormous rift between a beautiful, functioning urban area and what appeared to be streets of hopeless buildings left to rot.

The context

This neighborhood, Central City, sits west of the French Quarter (the next post), and the structures, as you can see, are still in pretty bad shape. Between these buildings are the Tulane-built homes which appear like alien 'gifts' to the residents. We even saw a dumpster of Katrina trash still in the street after 3.5 years. It was definitely difficult for us to take in, not to mention make any assumptions about how architecture might help in rebuilding the area. Something about the current efforts didn't sit well, though.

Tulane houses

While in New Orleans we toured some of the recent and current projects built and/or designed by Tulane students. Out of their context, they might just be interesting projects. But given the context of the next post, you'll hopefully see why we were a bit disheartened by these projects, to say the least. By the way, the ones for sale have been on the market for over two years. Any takers?