COME ROW THE BOAT!

The Emergy boat will be at the final Friday event this week at Art One Gallery - Tempe Marketplace. If you would like to try rowing for power join us on Friday, February 29, 5-8 pm and Saturday, March 1, 1-4 pm. Please pledge a block(s) of time to come row during the exhibition in March at the Harry Wood Gallery! You will be part of a worthwhile project, get great exercise, and receive some gifts from our sponsors.

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02.23.2008

For weeks I've been trying to find LEDs since sending back the test strips because they malfunctioned. The anxiety of the past week was partly my fault for not keeping on top of it. When I finally found some online that were on a roll and seemed they may be perfect for my application, the dealer handling it informed me that it would take 2-3 weeks to receive from China. It took everything I had not to panic. Late one night while revisiting a site I found the same surface mounted lights on a roll - and they had them in in stock IN the USA. I'm holding my breath - they are to arrive on Monday.

In the meantime I had taken apart the mechanism and replaced the shaft. I also had Tom Wykes fabricate a new intermediary shaft out of hardened steel. He's still trying to find me a new flywheel. I need one much bigger than the 12" in order to keep the shaft spinning so that the power is consistent.

Today Lisa von Koch and I started on the walls. It took the better part of a day to scrape and sand the remnants of spackle off the edges and prep the panels for painting. A tedious job. It will take many more hours of prepping and painting to return the walls to their original state.

02.09.2008

I started the photography aspect of the project this week. For three-half days I got the chance to immerse myself in the desert, albeit urban desert. South Mountain may have spectacular views of the city but it's the moments and spots where the city disappears from view that are truly magnificent and hard to believe where one finds oneself--in a city park essentially!

View of Phoenix from South Mountain

Fifteen minutes on the freeway going NE one also discovers a gem. Tonto National Forest and the Lower Salt River. Thursday and Friday I went up the Bush Highway numerous times scouting around for the location and higher ground view of the Salt River, it's flow seemingly less after just one day. Again, I marveled at how close this 'wilderness' is to the city.

Lower Salt River from Coon Bluff

After hiking up and down hill after hill, hungry for that perfect shot, I ended up back to where I had started late afternoon the day before. At the top of Coon Bluff. I got my shots, some short moments of introspective stillness sprinkled with dreaming, and carried down as many strewn bottles and beer cans as I could. I just can't fathom the need one would have for soiling such a place.