CHRIS ARVIDSON
www.chrisarvidson.com
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Here are shots of our new place in Traverse City, MI.  The condo is in The Village at Grand Traverse Commons - a fancy title for the old state mental hospital, built in the late 19th century, and now the largest adaptive reuse project in the country.  The project is massive and includes restaurants, retail, galleries, a deli, and best of all: our buddy Gerard's bakery right out the window. When his "open" sign is on, we can see it. Yum.  One bedroom, super cool, great folks building and living there.    The series of small oil paintings running up this post is from Gallery Fifty, a purchase with my gift certificate from my friends at Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy when I left there in 2007.  WHAT FOLLOWS HERE ARE PHOTOS FROM THE FEBRUARY ICE STORM AT OUR MOUNTAIN NC HOUSE.        BELOW ARE SHOTS FROM OUR JANUARY SNOW EVENT.    Below are many of the same views, only from the fall of 2007.  A rainstorm came up over Mt. Jefferson in the late afternoon.      Up the driveway.      Patty Cordero (left) was our "babysitter" on the trip. She works for Habitat Para la Humanidad El Salvador and is one terrific minder. Patty ALWAYS reminded us to stay in groups, shaking her finger and saying, "One is not a group...two is not a group...three now, is a small group..." I'm in the middle and Mary Nell McPherson, is at right; we worked together at Habitat Charlotte in the early 1990s.  Don't we all look clean here?  Beth VanGorp (left) of Habitat Charlotte led the El Salvador trip superbly. She's pictured here with Tammy Sanders, also known as "Monkee" for her stellar climbing ability.  By the end of the week, Beth was carrying stuff on her head - just like the Salvadoran women.  From left, Anna Carter, Mary Nell McPherson and Susan Sewell.  San Lorenzo's church, along with many homes, was damaged in last December's earthquake.  The Flash House crew: from left, Beth VanGorp, Mary Nell McPherson, Chris Arvidson, Susan Sewell, and horizontal is Tammy Sanders.  Douglas was our head mason on the Flash House. We worked on concrete block homes, reinforced with rebar, with tile floors.  Some might title this picture "TROUBLE." They'd be right! Susan Sewell at left and me at right. Susan was my boss at Habitat Charlotte in the early 1990s. We worked on the house next to us in this picture throughout the week.  Tying rebar to construct "ladders" was one of my specialities during the build.  Next door to one of the Habitat homes under construction.  A rural bridge across the Rio Paz; Guatemala is on the far side.  From the rooftop of our Santa Ana hotel during our building in San Lorenzo.  Time to take a breath.  Sunset Saturday night: on the beach near San Salvador, our last evening in El Salvador. |
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