Tag Archives: Architecture

2023

Guadalajara, the Cultural Capital of Mexico

12/20/2023 VickieVictoria 7 Comments

Despite my non-existent Spanish language training, I reveled in Guadalajara for a week earlier this month. Discovering works by Architect Luis Barragan and Muralist Jose Orozco were the highlights of this brief five-day trip.

Thanks to a personally curated set of guided tours, I was able to grasp the history and significance of Guadalajara. As the third largest metropolitan area of 5 million inhabitants in Mexico, Guadalajara has all the trappings of what city-seekers like me appreciate–a healthy dose of museums, historic buildings, music, and innovative food!

The York Times article I read a few weeks before my trip determined my destination. Unable to use a flight credit all year, I was down to the wire. My last gasp produced a Heimlich solution. I immediately choked out time, circumstance, and a course of action.

I first booked a central city walking tour to get oriented, combined with a visit to the artsy neighborhood of Tlaquepacque. I then planned a trip to the newly discovered pyramids outside the city near the tequila producing area. A final market and cooking class to learn how to make chicken mole added the finishing touch to my visit.

Large plazas linking different parts of the city helped me to get oriented. However, my total lack of Spanish language knowledge presented some challenges. Few people speak English in this interior city. This situation would be a blessing for those keen on speaking Spanish.

There were plenty of cathedrals and churches to visit in this Catholic dominated part of the world. I got into the flow and didn’t mind seeing the Church promoting itself with all its magnificent glories. The Mexican people continue to practice the Christian fait wholeheartedly.

Sculpture dedicated to a famous Woman Artist

I was surprised that Guadalajara, and not Mexico City, was the cultural capital of Mexico. Much of the style and practices of architecture and buildings were adopted from European culture, while integrating indigenous Native American culture together. Guides reminded me that most of the American Southwest was at one time owned by Mexico.

Barragan and Orozco

A world-renown architect, Barragan was a native son of Guadalajara. Prior to the 19th Century, traditional adobe houses were built with a central courtyard. European industrial expansionists converted their home to gardens facing the street to display their wealth.

Barragan, known for his modern houses in the early 20th Century returned to the original adobe house layout with rooms surrounding an open courtyard. Concrete masses formed sculptural elements around gardens. He added decorative patterns on the walls as they were being built and offset doorways from traditional or symmetrical axes.

I was delighted and surprised to find Barragan’s early work so evident and proudly identified in the middle of this bustling city. Bronze monuments are placed at the front of each house to indicate the work of Barragan.

A visit to the Governor’s Palace was another startling surprise. I had only heard the name Orozco but was not familiar with his work. The technique for murals, placed on both walls and ceilings, were inspired by a trip he took to Italy to see Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel. He mastered the art of fresco painting and used the best natural pigments available. Walls were painted quickly and skillfully before they dried. He painted in horizontal sections to control the amount of time he could apply the material.

The subject matter was philosophically arresting. Viewers of the murals are confronted with topics questioning the validity of politicians and religious leaders. He cautioned against capitalism, the possibility of industrial robotization , and deterioration of the human soul. He cautioned the role of the uneducated and the part they play in following orders unquestioningly.

Orozco wrote contracts that gave him complete artistic freedom from his clients. As a result, his messages to the public were uncompromised. The images are stirring and disturbing. Each viewer is confronted with the mess that competing forces have created.

He was critical of his contemporary, Diego Rivera. Orozco considered Rivera’s kowtowing to Rockefeller a disgrace, when he agreed to change the mural he painted in New York City.

Orozco was also a native son of Jalisco, the state in which Guadalajara is located.. You can read a brief summary of Orozco here:

https://www.ncpedia.org/media/painting/orozco-mural#:~:text=A%20multi%2Dcolored%20mural%20adorns,is%20Jos%C3%A9%20Clemente%20Orozco%20(1883%3F

Cabanas Hospice Museum

In a UNESCO world-heritage designated building displaying Orozco’s magnificent murals, the Cabanas Hospice was built in the early 19th Century by an ambitious Catholic priest as an orphanage. The Mexican Revolution wreaked havoc on the native population and resulted in many starving and homeless children.

At its time, the hospice building was the largest building second only in size to the Vatican. Modeled after the Vatican’s grand interior, the building represents the aspirations and influence of the Catholic Church in the New World. On completion, over 3,000 orphans filled the building’s rooms and corridors

When Orozco was commissioned to paint the interior of the building in 1930, it was in demise and accommodated only 200 orphans. The Neo-Classical building was converted to a museum with Orozco’s murals intended to be the highlight.

Tlaquepaque

The artist colony and pedestrian area of Tlaquepaque showcased whimsical outdoor sculptures reflecting their creators’ love of life. The spark of joy (and girth) is evident in the art.

The Delgollado Theater

The Neoclassical Delgollado Theatre, located a mile from my centrally-located historic hotel, inspired me to attend an evening performance. The local symphony did a pretty decent job of Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony. I was interested in experiencing a crowd who enjoys these cultural events.

The throngs of friends and families shopping and strolling sent a festive mood throughout the plazas, ablaze with Christmas displays. Walking was easier than taking a taxi to get around–the streets are narrow and congested with what seems like more cars per capita than people. The one mile distance to the theatre took 20 minutes by foot and 30 minutes by car….go figure!!!

Interior of the Delgollado Theater

Circular Pyramids

I took a side trip to Guachimonton, the circular pyramids about an hour and a half outside the city. It’s located on the other side of the mountain where Tequila is produced. Used as the main altar for burials, the mound is surrounded by a temple, patio, and a ball court. It is relatively unknown because it was only discovered in 1965 and excavations are still in process . The civilization thrived in the area from 300BC to 400AD.

Chicken Mole

A rainy Friday gave me a good excuse to take a cooking class. With only one other student, the session became a semi-private lesson. We first went to the huge market to shop for ingredients and received a detailed lesson on the myriad types of chiles. We made an entire chicken mole meal from scratch, with rice supplemented by a delicious fruit drink.

Al Fresco Tortilla Making

Despite a couple of days of dreary weather, I was very glad to have ventured to this unknown part of Mexico. It is developing slowly despite its cultural attractions. It’s a good place to come if you want to avoid noisy obnoxious tourists, and I could barely find one to complain about. I was particularly delighted to see and learn about the Barragan houses and the Orozco murals. Yes, I would highly recommend coming to Guadalajara just for those two reasons alone.

News Flash!

I will be traveling again in 2024, so stay tuned to this website! I plan to travel to New Zealand and Australia next month, and then back to Germany and Bulgaria for more operatic and classical music events in the summer. The travel fever in me hasn’t quite worn off so let’s see what the next year brings….and don’t forget to send your comments and encouragement!

2023

Luneburg, Lubeck and Hamburg

09/18/2023 VickieVictoria 11 Comments

Here are a few photos of a museum in Luneburg, crazy train travel on a 49Euro ticket throughout the country, and sights in Lubeck, famous for its marzipan (I bought 2 lbs!)

Sammlung Henning J. Claassen

This was a beautiful gallery on the outskirts of Luneburg with a modern art collection with some examples shown here.

Train Travel in Germany

I somehow managed to snatch an online ticket for the month of September for only 49 euros! Crowds were intense over the weekend, but much saner during the rest of the week.

Friend Annemarie with sendoff from Luneburg

Lubeck

Idyllic Boat Cruise

Climate Action Protest in downtown Lubeck

A Last Look at Hamburg

St. Pauli from the Elbphilharmonie Plaza

A Newly Found Friend

Lively. Vivacious. Warm and friendly. Crazy. These are words that describe my new best friend.

It all started with a lost wallet. That is another story to be told, but let’s take this moment to a better place.

The Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg is the blessing in disguise. I had just taken my place in 16S (as in 16^thfloor), Row 4, Seat 18 in the rafters at the sold-out concert. Soon thereafter, Annemarie arrived and greeted me as she sat down in Seat 19. We exchanged pleasantries and discovered that we had purchased tickets the hour before from the same person selling tickets outside the concert hall.

A third and fourth person appeared to claim their seats, and we all happily shared stories about how clever we were in snatching our tickets. Anne Sophie Mutter, the soloist, was a world-class violinist about to perform with a dozen other virtuosi string musicians.

After the exhilarating performance, I learned that Annemarie had worked in Chicago for 14 years. She was a marketing pro in the shipping business and was immersed in her life and work. Her warmth and charm reminded me of the inimitable friendliness of those from the Midwest. Growing up on a small farming village outside of Munich with four brothers, Annemarie had learned how to stand up for herself. She attributes her self-reliance and independent nature to her family relationships.

After the performance, Annemarie convinced me to visit her the next day in Luneburg, where she lived. I used my 49-euro, contactless monthly ticket to take the train there, a short hour-long trip outside of Hamburg. She met me and escorted me to her apartment, a mere five-minute walk from the train station. Her beautiful apartment was impeccably decorated with white carpeting and walls, soft modern furnishings, a few carefully chosen hand-crafted antiques and splashes of red here and there.

Picture windows framed a soothing garden outside, with greenery as far as the eye could see trailing down to a river beyond. A window cracked open allowed the breeze from the recent shower to waft inside. I felt so lucky to be invited into this luxurious German home! After Annemarie explained her work in the States, she described her humble upbringing. Her family grew hops for the breweries in Munich.

The two upper floors of her huge 20-room farmhouse were used to store and process grain. During harvest time, workers would load and hoist the hops that had been thrashed from the stalks to the top floor. The kernels would be poured into huge canvas sacks that were suspended by a hole on the bottom of the upper floor. They were then pressed into the sack while hanging down to the floor below. Using their feet, workers would then tamp and stamp the kernels inside the sacks to compress and leave them to dry.

Moarhofer, Putenhausen, Hallertau
(outside of Munich, Germany)

On our walk through the quaint town of Lueneburg, Annemarie stopped to show me one of the random wild hops’ vines. A plump kernel at the upper tips of the plant looks like a giant white raspberry. Annemarie broke it open to show me what it looks like inside. She then closed her eyes and took a deep whiff. Her face broke into a huge smile. It immediately brought her back to her childhood, and in a moment she took me there with her.

I too, had suddenly flown to this fairy-tale town to Southern Bavaria. I had often seen lush green fields and the tidy plots of German farmland. I instantly connected to the description of her humble beginnings. They reminded me of my mother’s childhood in rural China. I. too, closed my eyes and allowed the thought to take me there.There were many other stories that Annemarie told me about growing up in Germany and living in the States.

After sharing wine, glorious concerts, and even a special overnight at her lovely home, I treasured this story about her childhood. We connected in many ways. While names of the farm families change, Moarhofer continues. I would love to visit there one day. Annemarie’s vivid description brought the photo to life, and her friendship has given me the reason for investing in the German language.

2023

Elbphilharmonie and Lüneburg, Germany

09/15/2023 VickieVictoria 4 Comments

Approach to Elbpharmonie Concert Hall
over parking garage and hotel levels

My primary interest in visiting Hamburg was the Elbphilharmonie, designed by Swiss architects Herzog and DeMeuron. In my book, it’s easily among the greatest modern buildings in the past hundred years.

It’s not flawless. But the experience is thrilling. As a destination, visitors marvel over its design and are overwhelmed by its prominence. Like a giant supercruise ship lifted out of the water, it sits on a promontory to the western edge of the city.

It’s now a destination point with tons of tourists from Luneburg to Buenos Aires. The size and massing establish its presence and its whimsical openings and surface treatment are intriguing,

There are few buildings I consider worthy from both interior and exterior perspectives. but this one exceeds my expectations. From the first encounter with the curve escalator to the 360 degree views of the harbor from the top, there is no comparable building in the world that combines an exciting amusement park with a inspirational view at the top of the world. Unless fans of bungee jumping argue that the sport is better. The results are the same.

At the first performance there, I watched a rock star from the rafters. Anne Sophie Mutter and her Virtuosi concert took the sold-out audience over the top. Sightlines were so good you felt you were in a front seat and the sound quality, thanks to Japanese ingenuity, made you feel as if you had just cleaned the wax out of your ears.

Anne Sophie Mutter and
Virtuosi Performance to Sell Out Crowd

The second performance was in the Smaller Auditorium (Kleiner Saal). Quite a different but equally thrilling experience to that of the Larger Hall (Grosser Saal). The Mendelssohn Festival was being held simultaneously so the room and the chamber music fit perfectly.

Mendelssohn Festival in the Kleiner Saal (Small Room)

Like other European cities that have established star-architect branding to attract tourists to museums, Hamburg took a risk and turned its attention to a music venue. It cleverly lifted the concert hall to the pinnacle of a high rise building by putting 5 levels of parking at the base and sandwiching a hotel in the middriff.

Unfortunately it seemed like exiting the garage is a nightmare for attendees, both pedestrian and vehicular. And I questioned putting the high headcount at the top. I suppose its no different than occupants in a high rise building. There’s no doubt the building is spectacular and deserves its place among the top, if not the top, of ten best concert halls in the world. My opinion.

Fine and Applied Arts Museum, Hamburg

Wandering into the museum next to the train station was an oasis of German culture that I love. From the early beginnings of modern design and production of beautiful objects for the home, the roots of Ikea and Apple can ge found here. The tender, slender tendrils of Jugendstil (youthful style) represent the flowering of blending art and science, as it reflected the Art Nouveau movement and influenced the Moderne.

The fine tapestries demonstrate the traditions of fine hand craftsmanship. Art extended into the home and blended architectural elements like walls, doors and windows as well as furniture. It’s no winder you see influences of Frank Lloyd Wright everywhere in these museums!

You can learn more about the Jugendstil here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jugendstil

Sesame Street Setups

This special exhibition at the Fine Arts Museum captures the delight in educating and training children. The models, sketches, and planning required extreme care and dedication by talented professionals. Kids could draw their own creative versions!

Around the corner from the train station is where the other half of Hamburg lives. Real food is sold in markets here.

Luneburg

The Hanseatic city of Luneburg was a fine example of the wealth and commercial power of the Hanseatic league. Established to protect mutual trading interests of its members, the League was the most powerful from the 13th to the 15th centuries. Buildings in Luneburg have been preserved back to this period.

Locally controlled preservation of window details

Bremen controlled the North Sea and Hamburg controlled the Baltic. Athough Luneburg was not a coastal seaport, it derived its prominence from the salt in the area. I loved how roofscapes and windows made you “look up”, as Steve Jobs said in the opera (R)evolution about cell phones..

I was lucky enough to join my new German friend Annemarie to make a delivery to a client’s stately home on the outskirts of Luneburg. The thatched roof is a unique feature of homes in the area. Dedicated maintenance and care are required. The same roofing method was applied to the new pool house. The visit was a treat and a pleasure.

The underside of the new poolhouse roof,
fabricated in the same way as the original house roofing material

There’s only a couple more days to see a final performance at the Philharmonie, then back to Berlin to catch my flight back to San Francisco!

2023

Movin’ on up (and in!!)

04/01/2023 VickieVictoria 13 Comments

It’s been a month since we moved into the the new ADU (accessory dwelling unit). Despite the heavy rainfall and intermittent delays, our spirits were not dampened!

After waiting anxiously for 18 months, this big baby was delivered! The wedge-like irregular shape created by the rear yard setback integrates a kitchen, dining and living area on the ground floor. The main windows facing west provide generous natural light and ventilation. Combined with high 11′ ceilings, these public areas feel open and spacious. A double patio door leads to the exterior redwood deck expands public spaces for outdoor entertaining.

Naturally finished wood windows, shelving and details are used throughout the unit to complement sealed concrete flooring on the ground floor and wood flooring above. Walls are painted white throughout both levels.

The kitchen service area combines overhead matte gloss cabinets with wood base cabinets. A cozy picture window frames a 70-year old juniper tree outside. Painted wood shelving displays dinnerware and a large display space is reserved for a future surfboard!

Opposite the entry door are built-in cabinets that maximize unused space under the stairs. Coats, pantry, recycling bins and additional storage are tucked behind blind doors. Special attention was paid to proportions, materials, and craftsmanship.

Half a landing up, the basement room inside the original house was converted to a bedroom and bath suite. the bedroom ” inner sanctum ” may be used in the future as a mini- screening room. Both bathrooms in the ADU utilize radiant floor heating. Wood shelving adds a luxurious spa-like touch to each.

An open, double-height stair provides a view towards Parnassus Heights and Downtown San Francisco. The master bedroom/bath suite and large sitting area connects to an upper patio deck. In turn, it connects to the kitchen dining area of the original house. Large windows catch an abundance of natural light and spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean, Richmond District, and the Golden Gate Bridge. Like those from penthouses over New York City’s Central Park, this view captures Golden Gate Park and the greenery from above its tree canopies.

Window trimmed in natural wood finishes and natural oak flooring complement the 9′ high exposed wood joist ceiling. It’s a reminder of the extensive rough carpentry work on the building performed by J&J.

The exterior of the addition is clad in exposed wood vertical strips stained in black and walnut finish over cedar. Each window is framed with similar wood finishing. The redwood deck connects to the ground floor living space.

An example of the myriad details and instructions that make this project so remarkable is shown below. Jeff marked up plans and photos to explain the design intent. Here, he describes guard rail spacing to provide wind protection, natural ventilation and visual relief all in one solution.

This example is only a small indication of the dedication and care that was taken to create a beautiful and timeless design. Harking back to the three goals for the project–to develop a rental unit; to create multi-generational housing; and to enable future aging-in-place–all were met and our expectations were exceeded.

This post is dedicated to Julianne, the Daughter of Fong & Daughter, for her tenacity, commitment, and relentless desire to go above and beyond the call of duty. We love and cherish you Julianne, and partner Jeff, for your work that will last for many generations to come!! Dear Felix is one lucky and happy fella with you as his parents!! With Love and affection from the Fong of Fong & Daughter.

Late Bake

Here’s a quick video of both floors of the ADU and the bedroom suite at the half landing. Let me know if you have questions or comments!

ADU Overview April 2023

2023

Just Germany

04/01/2023 VickieVictoria 1 Comment

For those of you who miss my point about why I love traveling to Germany, I’ll give you a quick refresher. I can see and do much better opera more cost effectively there. The transportation system is a dream. It’s safe, clean and informative. The historical, cultural and social offerings are well presented and provide context for a fulfilling experience.

Most tourists prefer to travel to Italy, France, or England for a European holiday. Few people I know travel to Germany. But I discovered that many people from the German diaspora return to learn about Germany in ways that many Chinese Americans go to China to discover their roots. We struggle to learn and retain the language, just as many German-Americans do. I found that similar pattern strangely comforting.

So this trip was a make-up for the years lost during the pandemic and the house construction. I managed to travel at the beginning of 2020 to London and returned on March 12 just before the lockdown. At the other end of 2020 I went to New Zealand and spent nearly a half year there with family waiting for COVID-19 to subside in the U.S.

2022 was the dry spell until September when I made my way to Bayreuth to see the Ring. Only Wagnerian fans will understand the obsession with the composer. He is the only one who has successfully combined both music and poetry into a total, integrated work. My German language training helps me to appreciate and love this unique artistry.

While food is not one of the reasons for going to Germany, I do have to comment on a few items. I discovered an extensive Portuguese food haven in the neighborhood where I stayed in Hamburg. Getting whole fish and a hearty meal was inexpensive, hearty, and healthy.

Leberkase and Bratwurst are not exactly culinary orgasms but the desserts are still to die for– particularly anything Black Forest and in season. The layered dessert with cherry topping was bedded with chocolate and crunchy puffed nougat sprinkles. And you already saw the Schwarzwald Ice Cream bomb in Leipzig–some food porn I couldn’t resist repeating. German buddy and vet here in San Francisco immediately recognized it and was jealous she couldn’t join me in Leipzig.

Berlin

My well-behaved intentions were eroded by…

The Berlin Sketchfest, intended for German sketchers, was my initial impetus for traveling to Germany this year. However, attending the opening season concert at the KONZERTHAUS in Berlin the night before was an even more thrilling experience. It overshadowed the sketching event. The new conductor, Joana Mallwitz, was stunning in her debut and delivery of beautiful music. Her gestures and love of music were so expressive. You couldn’t help but feel her joy and delight in every note as she guided the orchestra.

Cameras following Joana Mallwitz
after debut performance conducting Konzerthaus Orchestra

After the performance, I had an opportunity to meet her. The lights and camera crew following her through the adoring crowds were spell-binding. I even reconnected with her operatic partner Simon and hotel owner Ralf from Nurnberg, both of whom I had met the year before!

Reception for Joana Mallwitze
at the Konzerthaus after performance

Staying in Prenzlauer Berg near Alexander Platz was a good bet. The local scene was filled with families, cafes, and trendy shops. I dropped some hefty euros at Boesner, the local art store filled with an extensive collection of paper, brushes, paints and artists’ supplies.

My Air BNB host recommended booking early for the visit to the Reichstag. The English tour at sunset was a double bonus while learning about how much the Russians were a part of the building’s history. An added bonus was seeing the Berlin skyline twinkling at dusk.

Reichstag at Dusk

Carefully picking only one museum in the Museum Island (Museum Insel) saved me from becoming overwhelmed by the wealth of artistic treasures in the city. An exhibition featuring Uzbekistan, with its fascinating history and UNESCO world heritage sites, was my irresistible choice.

Leipzig

The musical influence of Bach, Mendelssohn and Schumann drew me back to Leipzig for a third visit. This time, however, was even better. Meeting two friends, Hazel from Heidelberg and Vladimir from Meissen, made it all the more exciting. Hazel and I first joined a zoom sketching class and then made our pilgrimage to the homes of the city’s famed musicians.

When Vladimir joined us later in the week, we toured the new Modern Art Museum together and sauntered through the city in the warm, 85 degree weather. We ate Asian food outside the hotel and celebrated at Auerbach’s, where Goethe is purported to have written Faust.

Hamburg

The Elbphilharmonie was the most stunning building I have seen for a long time. There are few buildings that meet my approval from BOTH the interior as well as exterior perspective. Having studied interior design as an undergraduate and architecture as a graduate student, I look for the perfect balance of both.

It was hard not to compare recent visits to the iconic Berlin Philharmonie and the Leipzig Gewandhaus. The concert houses in Germany were just as compelling as their opera houses. Sound and the music were paramount.

So I lost my wallet. That was very distressing. It coincided with buying a ticket for the Elbphilharmonie without any money. After the transaction, I met Annemarie, whom I have described in the previous post. She was a godsend and made the lost wallet inconsequential.

Annemarie at dinner on the deck of restaurant across from the Philharmonie

I did, however, make an excursion to see whether I could recover my wallet. And in classic German efficiency, the lost items were all carefully categorized for lost owners at the Lost and Found Bureau. Mine hadn’t shown up yet, but I surreptitiously enjoyed seeing the disasters of others. I’ll have to wait until I get notified of a data breach to get my day of reckoning.

Sketchfest in Germany

From Berlin to Leipzig, Hamburg, and Lübeck, I captured another dimension of Germany through sketches that fold the edges of people, places and things.

Environmental Boomerang

A noon time protest in Lubeck reminded me of our climate crisis.A Demonstrators of all age groups marched peacefully through the middle of town. When I posted this video on instagram, I immediately got negative comments. It made me very sad that there are such outspoken reactions in denial of the need to focus on a concern that affects everyone on the planet.

Before arriving in Hamburg on this trip, I learned that the pollution index was over 100. I don’t normally check air quality in cities during trips. But the app on my phone exists because San Francisco provided real-time air quality monitoring during the fires a year ago in California.

When I inquired about it to my Air BnB host in Hamburg, he dismissed it as a non-event. So I went. Ironically, the day I returned to San Francisco, the pollution index was over 150. That was the worst in the world on that day. Fires in Oregon and Northern California had drifted down to the SF Bay Area and were trapped there.

Screenshot of the air quality index
in the Bay Area on 9/22/23

A Post-Mortem

Some of you may have read in my 2023 summary that I am closing down my website at the end of the year. After seven years of traveling around the world from 2014-2020, two years of pandemic insomnia, and two years of babbling home construction, it’s safe to say that I have exhausted my creative wanderlust!

Knowing me, I’ll no doubt still sneak in a few trips here and there. I miss my German friends terribly. For my local friends, I need you too! For now, I’m looking forward to zooming with my two precious grandsons and recording the stories that Felix tells me about his favorite camper van and his day at the farm.

Bis bald!

2022

Constructive Traveling (Weeks 64-71): It’s a Wrap!!!

12/16/2022 VickieVictoria 5 Comments

It’s hard to believe that our ADU project will be completed next month! The latest photos below are captioned and describe the finishing process for the third and final phase of construction for the interiors.

installation of picture window at stair hallway

With final inspection and a few finishing touches left to complete, we plan to move in by the end of January 2023! Thank you all for following our progress on this once-in-a-lifetime experience! We hope you have enjoyed the ride!

Together with J&J (Design/Build team) and Fong & Daughter (Planning and Design), we planned, designed, and physically built this entire 1000 sf addition to our existing house. Each member of the Fong & Chou Family are grateful for the opportunity, manageable weather, and our good health to finish the project.

Dear Felix deserves a special mention. He endured the trials and tribulations of mom’s intermittent absence from the homefront to the battlefront. Initially he could watch all the action from the dining room window, as many of you have witnessed in early posts. But as time progressed and the walls were enclosed, he lost his viewing stand and parental supervision. (that is, his supervision of his mommy and daddy!)

Nevertheless, he was a total professional and cooperated with us wherever he could. He observed the daily development and progress as his parents built a home for his family, his grandparents, and generations for years to come.

Spoiler Alert: Next month you may see a regular post of Travels with myself and Others in ….Paris!! Until then, Happy Holidays!

2022

CONSTRUCTIVE TRAVELING: Rockin’ and Rollin’ (Weeks 55-63)

10/23/2022 VickieVictoria Leave a comment

If you followed the last couple of posts, I took a hiatus from the construction of the ADU and went to Germany for a couple of weeks. The main event was the Bayreuth Festival, where I sat through 17 hours of The Ring Cycle amidst a primarily German crowd. Check out the posts if you are interested in Germany and opera.

But this week it was back to the grind. Progress on the ADU project continues slowly, but surely. With the challenging first two Foundations and Rough Framing phases behind us, we are now energized by the advent of the third and final phase for Infrastructure and Interior Work.

Major Living Area Patio Doors installed!

There is only one exterior opening outstanding before the project can be officially deemed “sealed and weather-tight”. The two-story hallway picture window was temporarily covered in plastic, then hoarding used to cover the large opening. All the rest of the windows have been installed, including the large French patio doors to the exterior deck and the sliding doors to the breakfast nook. Additional weather-proofing details, such as roof and window flashing, will be applied following the stucco patching on the original house.

The Building’s Respiratory, Digestive and Circulation Systems

Like the human body, a building is reliant upon its respiratory (heating, ventilating and air conditioning system), digestive (plumbing) and circulatory (electrical) systems to function properly. Once the skeletal system (structure) is formed, the other layers are added.

Infrastructure defines our modern-day living standards but is seldom seen or appreciated. Without the effort of HVAC mechanics, plumbers and electricians, we would still be living in caves. These contractors were now front and center stage.

They drilled and sawed through and between stud walls to place plumbing pipes, vents and electrical outlets. Their work is grueling as we watched them twist and screw sewer lines, vents and ductwork in between walls and in awkward crawl spaces. We depend on their ingenuity to fit conduits, connectors, and pipes within confined spaces to provide us with essential juice and means of discharge.

We seldom think about how crucial these elements are until they are missing or misplaced! And of course, the brains are stored in the controls, meters and sacred electric panel.

After the plumbing and electrical work, blanket insulation was installed. Upon successfully completed inspections, sheetrock was placed on both sides to form walls, with cutouts for electrical outlets and switches.

Rockin’ and Rollin’

Before we were able to pause and catch our breath, the drywall was quickly put throughout the unit. It left a marked visual change to all the spaces– we could no longer telescope through the rooms! The windows were suddenly framed by opaque walls and views popped out of each space. What a joyful sensation after such a long wait!

The drywall scope is quite an intricate process. After the drywall is installed over stud walls packed with blanket insulation, gaps between panels are taped, “mudded” or sealed with wet plaster, troweled, and allowed to dry for a couple of days. The mud is sanded to a smooth finish so there are no flaws on the surface of the sheetrock. Despite having seen this process over hundreds of commercial and residential projects over the course of my career, it’s not the same as watching it unfold in front of you real-time. The swiss cheese gouges in sheetrock are no longer visible to the naked eye. It can be gratifying but only after endless hours of what feels like watching the grass grow.

The Kitchen Renovation

Without a functional kitchen, the stress and anxiety built to fever pitch . Washing dishes in the bathroom vanity sinks and avoiding clogging food particles in the narrow 2″ pipes was a daily brain bender.

Following drywall wetting and drying processes, the primer and paint was then applied. Different paint finishes, such as flat, eggshell and high gloss, determine the amount of light reflectance and resilience. The higher the sheen, the higher the light reflectance. In the kitchen, we wanted to maximize the light reflectance due to the limited amount of natural light. If you remember from one of the earliest posts, we sacrificed the kitchen window to maximize the ADU.

The kitchen now has no natural light. Using higher light reflective paint helps to capture as much light from elsewhere as possible to mitigate limited daylighting. Most of the walls were going to be covered by high gloss overhead and base cabinets so the wall color was moot.

Laundry flooring led me into the world of engineered products. You can now buy vinyl floor tiles that do not require grout. They are “keyed”, or grooved to the next piece as you would expect Pergo or thicker simulated wood flooring. The profile of the vinyl tile is less than 1/4″ thick, but manufactured with a laminated surface, a composite sandwich in between, and then with a plastic backing. These new engineered products command a premium price, but it is worth it for ease of installation and a more durable material.

After considering products at Home Depot or Lowe’s, I decided to purchase the product at Floorcraft, an “old school” retailer down on Bayshore. A sales rep waxed poetic and shared his years of experience as a flooring installer with me. As a real-time responder to my endless questions, he sold me on his recommendations. There’s still something to be said for customer service where you can see the whites of their eyes.

In progress photo, still with film on the surface of high gloss white cabinets and no tile backsplash

Coming Soon….

Watch for the next post to see the finished kitchen and more steps to the finish line for the ADU! Don’t forget to comment or let me know if you have questions about the design and construction process!!

2022

Right by Bayreuth

09/01/2022 VickieVictoria 4 Comments

Wagner pompously stated “there’s Bayreuth…and everywhere else. Its hard to escape this dominant patron in the tiny city of 75,000.

This may sound incredibly arrogant, but the attitude is understandable when you are here. It’s an out of body experience to infuse the soul of one of the most enigmatic characters in modern history.

Germans adore their musicians, and support their favorite sons actively with state funding, reduced rate performances, and frequent indoctrination by researchers who uncover new tidbits of information about their musical gods and heroes. If only Americans would be so kind to their own artists and creative community!

But back to the Wagner drum roll. His family were prominent residents of the town and managed to nab a slot in an idyllic park in the middle of the city. Then he built the festival opera house on a hill overlooking the city to present his work. His Ring cycle, four operas over six days and 17 hours of entertainment, opened the opera house in 1876.

For those unfamiliar with Wagner, you might wonder what the whole fuss is about. It would not be a stretch to say, at least among his disciples, that he represents not only the pinnacle of German opera, but of Western opera.

In the Ring cycle, Wagner not only wrote his own libretti or poems (in this series to tell the saga of a dysfunctional extended family), but he also scored some of the best classical music ever. He was an intellectual snob but succeeded transformed music with emotional skill and content.

Fast approaching its 150th anniversary in 2026, the Bayreuth Festival has been tooting its horn for quite some time. No other musician has attempted to build a monument in which his own works could be performed. Doing so seems pure folly. Wagner went ahead and did it anyway.

There’s no doubt Wagner was anti-Semitic. The Wagner House museum displayed some of his writings, but claimed that it was his family who embraced his writings and promoted them during the Nazi regime.

“There’s Bayreuth…and the rest of the world…”

I don’t know if you know anyone who’s been to the Festival, but I can claim only one other person from the States I know crazy enough to have come here. My friend warned me that Wagnerians take their religion seriously. Members of the Wagnerian society meet regularly, then proselytize after being trained in intricate Wagnerian minutia.

I’m only a neophyte, but I confess to ordering three books on Wagner. I felt compelled to weaponize myself in case my knowledge was put to the test. Aside from a narrative version of the Ring, a German-English paired translation of it, and a scholarly analysis of its music and history, I felt I had earned proof of my devotion to Wagnerian principles and thereby gained access to Valhalla.

The Festival Hall

Nothing too remarkable, except that it perches on a heath overlooking the town of Bayreuth. My accommodation was a fast half-mile walk and perfect for the occasion. The opera house accommodates 1500 eager opera lovers, a cozy size for the acoustics of unamplified voices and the way opera should be heard. That’s nearly half of the 3800 seats in the cavernous Metropolitan Opera in New York City.

The orchestra sits under the stage and is hidden so the audience is not distracted by the musicians. They huddle like Nibelungen in the cave, chipping away and churning out musical notes. Wagner exercised musical chairs to reposition players according to the sound they projected to the audience.

Every seat is a good view. The wide cone of nearly 70% makes everyone feel equal to the best. The down side is that, with nearly 50 seats per row without aisles, you have to skip the cocktail champagne to get into your seat in the middle or incur the side seaters’ wrath. Everyone grits their teeth until the center sitters arrive, then are finally able in domino fashion to seat themselves. By the last half of performances, late arrivals lost their pole positions and got relegated to the edges as others were instructed by ushers to move into vacant seats. That suddenly upped our real estate 10%.

I made the mistake of forgetting that cushions are available from the garderobe. During my first performance of Das Rheingold, I squirmed between drifts of head bobbing. I had not prepared myself properly with an obligatory nap beforehand. Rushing to Bayreuth with three changes on the day of the performance and buzzing from the glamour of being there was a fatal combination.

Catering is well planned for a variety of tastes and affordability. I tried most of every type of station—from sushi to ice cream, bratwurst to cold steak platters. I did pass on the 70€ buffet only because I didn’t think I could gorge on all that was offered within an hour!

The controversy over Wagner’s anti-Semitism lingers. Displays of prominent Jewish composers and musicians who contributed to Wagner’s success were posted. You couldn’t help but wonder if was only a token effort.

The Performances

Having now seen all four operas of the Ring Cycle, I was intrigued by the visual changes to the traditional story. Performers wore contemporary fashion and gestured in current body language. Think Kardashians. Think Trump. Think downfall of society.

It took awhile to get whetted to the visual style. The director transformed iconic fairy tale characters into trash behavior. They strutting in stilettos, grabbed guns for attention, and constantly glued themselves to cell-phones. Did we really want to see a fantasy playing out the way we witness life every day?!? Where are my hero and heroic heroine figures that I came to wish upon a star with?

I tried my best to keep an open mind, but I struggled in the end to accept the director’s imagery. For me, an original story with timely relevance today expressed by Wagner in word and song over 150 years ago did not have to be a literal translation. This ironically backfired and left a very bad taste in my mouth not just for this stage direction, but also caused me to question Wagner.

Audience Reaction

Take my one interpretation and multiply it in a room by 1500. One of the most startling and entertaining parts of the evening was witnessing the audience reaction to each performance. The noise level steadily escalated to a crescendo in the fourth and final act of Gotterdammerung.

There were two competing aspects: superb singing and horrible visual effects. This is not the ho-hum nervous applause you expect from any American curtain call, embellished with an obligatory standing ovation.

German audiences are much more reserved and discriminating. They give standing ovations for performances that are genuinely exceptional. No grade inflation. But there was no standing here. The Germans were too busy in their seats stomping their feet while clapping furiously for minutes on end!

Simultaneously, wild jeers and boos were spat out while foot stomping. No one rushed off to catch taxis or buses, but remained in the theater far too entertained by the raucous scene to think about lost time. It was just too precious a moment to miss. This is one of the rare times I saw so many genuinely smiling faces in Germany, as if it were the community spirit suddenly unleashing itself. My, what a refreshing group therapy session that was!!

The Rest of the World

There’s still plenty to see in Bayreuth if you aren’t an opera fan. You can indulge in 1. another opera house recently made a world UNESCO site. Margravine Wilhelmine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth (1709-1758) was the Prussian king’s daughter and favourite sister of Frederick the Great.The baroque opera house was dedicated to the wedding of Wilhelmine’s daughter. An opera buff and some time theatre director, Willy chose high drama to showcase her daughter’s betrothal.

Opera House Margravian, a
UNESCO World Heritage site

2. Wagner’s house. OK now we get it. He was of the gentry and came from a prominent family. Nice grounds to prove that Wahnfried deserved its name—to be free and satisfied.

No, I wasn’t traveling to Bayreuth in the winter. This is a model of the opera house in Wagner’s house. Designed by Semper, it has strong resemblance to the shape and character of the Dresden Opera House that I love. Despite the uncomfortable seating in the Bayreuth operahouse, the acoustics are worth experiencing.

3. The Royal Palace (see header above): the royal court of Markgraf Friedrich von Brandenburg- Bayreuth landed here, and used the mid 1700 rococo facilities to impress and entertain the militia. No doubt a fun place to have a blowout. They even recreated an Italian grotto in a room where you went in full regalia to gawk at an imitation of the real world. Fortunately it was before Wagner’s time or he surely would have left an impression on Wilhelmina.

A sojourn in Nurnberg, about an hour and a half by slow train and bus to visit the medieval section of the walled city, where the Albrecht Durer House was located. I also visited the National Rally Grounds of the Nazi Party. It was a vast field of multiple football fields to promote the training and display of military might for the German people.

Author’s note: In 2018, I saw two Ring cycles: one in Munich, and one in San Francisco. You can read a comparison of Munich’s version here: https://travelswithmyselfandothers.com/2018/07/26/day-16-20a-ring-ring/

Apologies in advance for any errors or inconsistent information. I’m a bit rusty! Also trying to post this from my Iphone at the airport before takeoff!!

2021, 2022

Back to Real-Time Travel!

08/27/2022 VickieVictoria Leave a comment

After two years of self-imposed travel black-out to Europe, I finally decide to take the plunge for an opera trip to the Bayreuth Festival in Germany. After applying for two years in 2017 and 2018 unsuccessfully, I was offered a slot to purchase tickets for Wagner’s Ring cycle for 2022.

Normally all performances are sold out years in advance. You qualify after four years of application. I’m sure the COVID pandemic was a big detractor for many, so my chances of getting tickets were improved. I deliberated back and forth until I was advised by others to “live my life as I would have normally before the pandemic”.

I am taking a break from the past year’s construction project. If you have been following the story of the ADU (accessory dwelling unit) under the direction of Foreman Felix, we will resume after this two week diversion!

Munich–the Gateway to Bayreuth

After a direct flight from San Francisco to Munich, it felt odd to suddenly be plopped out of nowhere to a country that I had studied and admired so much. Being in Germany reminded me of all the reasons I became a Germanophile: Citizens take the environment and sustainability seriously; clean, predictable, comfortable public transportation; appreciation for and attention to architectural detail; and safe streets (except for bicyclists running over pedestrians).

Refreshing my German language studies before coming helped to prepare me, despite a huge reliance on fully capable English-speaking Germans. The immediate sensual experiences were the lush green countryside, church bells ringing, and the distinct lack of smell or taste.

This summer, scores of public transport agencies have joined together to offer a special incentive to use their services. For a flat price of 9 Euros, passengers can ride any of the local agencies throughout Germany for an entire month (June, July and August). You can get just about anywhere in Germany, as often as you want, for the price of a round-trip subway ticket!

Many residents were concerned that trains and buses would be overcrowded. Rush hours and popular tourist sites need to be avoided, but the summer months are normally the lowest ridership. I wondered if statistics were due to the high volume of Germans traveling outside the country during summer months pre-Pandemic. In any event, it appeared that my three changes to reach Bayreuth were completely manageable.

Dachau Memorial Site

Worry-free travel encouraged me to venture to Dachau to visit the grim Concentration Camp outside of Munich. Now known as a Memorial Site, it was a second visit for me. It was not as jarring as the first, when memories were raw and more startling.

Mature beech trees and religious institutions are now located on the site to reduce the impact to visitors. Audio-visual materials translated into English helped to describe what happened. Efforts to explain economic hardships after World War I and during the Thirties gave perspective on the past. When the Americans arrived in 1945, prisoners were freed. Unfortunately, the advent of the Cold War distracted the war trials. Few were held accountable for causing the Holocaust.

Alte and Neue Pinokoteks and the Modern Pinokotek

This extensive array of Western Art from the Greeks to Impressionists propelled me into full museum battlement. I covered many miles by foot and found the masters including DaVinci, Raphael, Durer, Van Gogh and Manet. I was delighted to find an Egon Schiele, one of my favorite artists. And the pastel collection was a great value lesson on how the medium achieves more luminosity over oil paintings. Pastel artists struggled with the chalky powder, so I felt vindicated by my shared frustration.

From the Alte Pinothek to the Modern, I searched specifically for any display of Thonet bentwood chairs. My early education as a design major gave me an appreciation for the best industrial design and chair production. The Modern Pinothek did not disappoint–in fact it showcased a chorus line of beautiful period Thonet chairs in chronological order!

In the trendy Schwabing neighborhood where I was staying, I stumbled into a woodworker’s shop specializing in Bentwood refurbishing. Like many Germans in August, the proprietor was on “urlaub”, or vacation. A peek through his shop window motivated me to follow up with him after my return to the U.S. I also learned from conversations with a retail supplier that, while “Thonet” is produced in Germany, “Brueders Thonet” is a separate company out of Vienna, Austria. Important to know the date and source of production when searching for vintage pieces.

Schwabing

Several spins around Schwabing, the equivalent to St. Germain de Pres and near the Ludwig Maximilian University, yielded a boutique selling exquisite hats and headpieces, an academy for ancient Greek Sculpture where you can sketch to your heart’s delight, cute babies, and a yummy French bistro next to the hotel where I stayed.

(Note: the copper pipe in the featured photo above would never survive in San Francisco! Ah…such trust…)

A Collection of Schwabing’s Window Shopping and Sightings

I’m off to Bayreuth, about three hours by train-bus-train to see Wagner’s Ring Cycle! Sixteen hours of sitting in a theatre seat could just about get me around the world! Yes, the gods must be crazy and I am about to find out.

Don’t forget to write from wherever you are! When was the last time you were in Germany?!?

2022

CONSTRUCTIVE TRAVELING: “the coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in…” (Weeks 40-54)

08/14/2022 VickieVictoria 2 Comments

Part I: The Shell (Weeks 40-47)

Completing interior spaces provides great satisfaction in experiencing each room after many months of planning, design, and construction.

“Fly’through” of Second Floor Master Bedroom and Deck

The new challenge is to work efficiently within confined spaces. Temporary storage of materials and equipment occupy space to be finished, so careful logistics and organization are needed to save time and effort. Lumber is very heavy and cumbersome to move!

Parapet Construction

Designing the roof parapet was part of the permit submittal and approval. It was important to make sure that the assumptions for the design were correct. The height of the roof parapet had to be confirmed before waterproofing could be applied to the roof.

In order to maintain minimal impact on the neighborhood and balance proportions viewed from all sides, we checked the height of the parapet from across the street. It didn’t hurt to get some friendly input from our neighbor.

Felix tries to figure out what Mommy and Daddy are doing outside!

One loop thrown at us was wet weather–not the kind of driving rain that predictably hampers a construction site in the winter–but “the coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco” kind of weather. The pebbly fog hung around for weeks in late July and early August–forcing us to delay finishing the waterproofing and window installation.

Finally, the skies parted and the grayness dissipated. The roofing insulation and waterproofing membrane were added after completion of the roof and parapet. Note the difference in the weather from the photos!

Material Delivery

Being located in the rear yard was ideal for the ADU, but it posed temporary challenges for providing delivery access. Fortunately, the side of the house was just level enough for large trucks to move supplies as close as possible to the back. Felix had a field day watching the speed and skill with which drivers were able to shunt and offload heavy loads.

how trucker offloads lumber at side of house

Part II The Core (Weeks 48-54)

With the end of Rough Framing and the start of the third and final phase for Interior Finishes, we happily shifted gears. Previously, it felt painfully slow as we hurried and then waited for action. With multiple possibilities and combinations of skilled labor and materials, we were often faced with making decisions that could impact the project later.

For the exterior walls, waterproofing was smeared over the nails and knotholes forming scabby polka dots to allow for the inspector’s scrutiny. Then, the rest of the waterproofing was applied to the exterior walls to form the underlayment for wood siding.

After the windows were installed, it no longer felt like a shell. We could really visualize being occupants in the space!

Passing rough inspection was a red-letter day. It officially determined the completion of the second of three construction phases. With rough framing behind us, we could proudly identify ourselves not only as owner and architects, but builders as well.

Coming Up: A diversion to…Munich and Bayreuth, Germany next!!!

	Anonymous on Lounging in Luneburg
	Anonymous on Lounging in Luneburg
	VickieVictoria on Neues Museum, Nürnberg
	VickieVictoria on Throbbing Verona
	VickieVictoria on Throbbing Verona

Barragan and Orozco

Cabanas Hospice Museum

Tlaquepaque

The Delgollado Theater

Circular Pyramids

Chicken Mole

News Flash!

Sammlung Henning J. Claassen

Train Travel in Germany

Lubeck

A Last Look at Hamburg

A Newly Found Friend

Fine and Applied Arts Museum, Hamburg

Sesame Street Setups

Luneburg

Late Bake

Berlin

Leipzig

Hamburg

Sketchfest in Germany

Environmental Boomerang

A Post-Mortem

The Building’s Respiratory, Digestive and Circulation Systems

Rockin’ and Rollin’

The Kitchen Renovation

Coming Soon….

“There’s Bayreuth…and the rest of the world…”

The Performances

Audience Reaction

The Rest of the World

Munich–the Gateway to Bayreuth

Dachau Memorial Site

Alte and Neue Pinokoteks and the Modern Pinokotek

Schwabing

Part I: The Shell (Weeks 40-47)

Parapet Construction

Material Delivery

Part II The Core (Weeks 48-54)

Real Time Creative and Independent World Travel