molly irwin

talk ... witty talk

Over the summer while visiting friends in Cleveland, Ohio, we spent some time at Lake Effect Radio studios recording a demo for a conceptual segment on building and architecture, currently called "living structures".  I love the name and I think it evokes the right sense of our interests on the subject.

The demo arrived this week and during a quiet evening we sat down together to listen.  What we heard had us laughing, smiling and nodding in agreement.  The producer, Joan Andrews, made us sound ... not bad ... in fact, pretty darn good.  I expect "good" from Paul, he has a natural, clear voice that reveals his humor and good nature.  But I think the demo alleviated concerns as to my own contribution.

Details aren't firm, but what is absolutely certain is that we trust Joan -- completely -- with the refinement of our thoughts and ideas.  She brought together our questions and remarks, which were often tangential in the studio, into a seamless, smooth (dare I say) interesting dialog.  She's a talented producer who knows what she wants, how to get what she needs, and how to bring it all together in editing to achieve her desired result.  This doesn't surprise me, but it does reassure me of my ability (with her support) in this new public presentation of self.  Thank you Joan, for that.

Of course this is still conceptual and will take time to arrange schedules, topics and specifics. I share this here mostly as a way to capture and share my excitement at the possibilities right now. I'm really looking forward to the prospect of making a radio segment part of our new reality for 2008.

There are a couple of links to current Lake Effect Radio programs in my left sidebar: Novel Conversations (a very fun program about classic literature) and Greenlight Reviews, covering film.   You might listen to the podcasts, which I heartily recommend, when you have some time.

shadow on the steps

These brick steps are inside the National Building Museum. Marty joined his Papa for a quick photo shoot there this morning for an upcoming magazine article. I just love this shadow shot.  There are some really nice images of the museum itself in his flickr set.

a visit to Loblolly House

Can you have a crush on a place?  If so, I've got one.

We are fortunate to have as friends the Toronto-raised, New Hampshire-based Boa family: Paul and Katherine and their friendly daughters, Marian and Emma.  They are big-time fun people to be around and Paul happens to be one of the highly skilled craftsmen/builders of the acclaimed Loblolly House, by Kieran Timberlake Associates on Taylors Island, MD.

The Boas vacationed there this past week and invited us to come over for a day.  My husband (also a Paul) had been there for the raising in October '06, and was excited not only to see his friend, but to see the finished result.  The house has been recognized by Architectural Record, Inhabitat, and I'm sure a bunch of other professional press, but you get the picture.  It is a remarkable piece of architecture on so many levels.

Much has been written about the green aspects of the house, its economic advantages and the impressive time and materials rewards of pre-fab construction.  That's not my area of expertise.  This story, from my perspective, is all about the feeling of the place.  It's about how our surroundings can influence our outlook, alter our thinking.  A physical environment can elevate or depress; it can inspire or deflate.  Loblolly house in so many small measures, and also on a grand scale, does the former.

I was raised by very visually creative parents: a father with a rare talent in three-dimensional thinking and a mother who is well-known for her sartorial craft.  In a time before Auto-Cad my Dad could interpret and detail some amazing residential solutions that drove continual demand for his work throughout his life.  Both his, and my oh-so-talented Mom, have had an impact on my standards of aesthetics and design.  So while I'm not an expert, my opinions are rooted in something inherant and substantive.

It's the marraige of site to design that makes the Loblolly House such a compelling second/vacation home.  There was an overwhelming and immediate sense of relaxation on arrival.  It is rare to say, but I actually enjoyed being in the second story living space to the outside.   The bay facing glass walls retract entirely leaving an open expanse, seperated from the bay by only a screen and a few cables.   The rooms are a part of the water and sky; there is no division.

The home, though modern, had a timeless quality.  There was a pair of traditional green Wellies by the door and I imagined the owners returning home after trodding through the sea grass to relax with a strong drink and a good book in their Eames lounger.  There was a spare quality to the finish materials -- birch plywood walls and ceiling, olive-stained bamboo floors -- basic and calming, but not entirely minimalist.  Being there made me want to shed unnecessary things.

We enjoyed the company of Emily and Hans (another of the uber-talented building team) and their tiny, very alert newborn, Karl.  We had the pleasure of meeting the project architect who was there for lunch and ongoing research, taking measurements of temperatures and the like.  There was quite a bunch of us and though the house is smallish, there was not a hint of feeling crowded.  It's a very sociable, usable, and practical space, with the outside becoming an additional social force; we did not turn our back to it.

As the sun began its slow decent over the Chesapeake Bay, the glow inside the house became warmer and softer, easing us so slowly into evening that we forgot it was getting late.   Our children had played outside all day and needed to get home to thier beds. 

We're back inside the beltway, fondly remembering of our brief visit on the Bay among the loblolly pines.