Blast From the Past – Robin Hood
Larry Berger (left) and P.T. McKinnis (right)
Our friends at SRKM Architecture shared a picture with us from the past. We think the project was Robin Hood Leisure Living at Grace Village in Winona Lake. That’s our best guess anyway (per John Singleton). Pictured are Larry Berger and P.T. McKinnis. (Check out that mullet!)
Robin Hood Homes are one and two bedroom duplexes in a condominium setting. They are part of the Grace Village Retirement Community. It is a staged community with several retirement living options.
This was the first project where we put radiant heating into the floor. It was a learning experience… particularly working with the residents to teach them the lag involved with this type of heat. Residents that were used to the instant gratification of forced air heat were often over-adjusting the thermostats. Until they got the hang of it, they struggled with temperature swings due to readjusting the thermostat before it had reached temperature and vice versa when they turned it down.
Thanks SRKM for the picture!
Sand Hill Farm Logo
I used the new Sand Hill Farm Logo today in a post to Town, Gown and Lake about the Habitat for Humanity site at Sand Hill Farm. (If you’re not on Town, Gown and Lake and and want to read that post, I’ve included it below.) I chose to work with Shelly Schrimsher of Unlocked Creativity since this is a local project. I’d seen her work through her assistance to the Town on the Stellar projects and the new Town Logo. She helped me work through some of the ideas I already had and I think the collaboration resulted in something versatile that I can use for years.
Sand Hill Farm Site Sign Concept
I wanted to include a graphic that brought the sand hill and associated woods into the logo. She did this in a creative way bringing the curve of the hill slope into the “s” in sand. I also asked for the graphic to be independent of the words to make it more versatile and she was able to to do that. And finally I had a vision of the entry sign made from rusted, cut, multi-layer metal on a gabion base/background to carry through the Culver Charrette field stone theme. From several examples I showed her, she was able to provide a mock-up capturing the concept. Now I can show the fabricators what the goal is – which makes it more likely they’ll achieve it for me. This is out for quotes now.
Overall this was a good experience and I am pleased with the results. You’ll be seeing the logo show up more and more as the project moves forward. Give Shelly a shot if you have similar needs.
Barn Owls
Picture from the Indiana DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife Wild Bulletin
As further evidence of my eclectic interests, here’s a picture of a Barn Owl and the story about it from the DNR Wild Bulletin.
The barn owl pair on a DNR nest cam in southern Indiana is raising a second brood of chicks unusually late into the nesting season.
The existence of a bonus round of chicks in 2017 is good news for barn owls because they are an endangered species in Indiana. In 2015, only 10 barn owl nests were reported statewide.
The mother owl laid this second clutch of eggs in late September, which is just within the standard barn owl breeding season from March to October. But this year was the first time this pair laid eggs that late while on the nest cam.
Habitat For Humanity at Sand Hill Farm
Image from Habitat for Humanity of Marshall County website
I have always had a plan to include a Habitat for Humanity site at Sand Hill Farm. I recently met with representatives of Habitat for Humanity of Marshall County and the Town of Culver to discuss this. They were excited about the opportunity and were happy to provide additional information.
If you’re interested in possibly participating in a Habitat Home at Sand Hill Farm, I encourage you to look at the information on their site and fill out an application. Copies of the application can be found on their website here and can be picked up at the Town Hall in Culver. The plan would be to offer a home in late 2018 or sometime in 2019. Once accepted, an applicant must put in 100 hours of service before the build starts, so the sooner you start the process, the better.
Habitat for Humanity is always looking for volunteers, so if you would like to volunteer you can check out those opportunities on their website here. If you would like to contribute, they accept donations directly at: 116 South Walnut Street, Plymouth, IN and for convenience, you can also contribute to them through Marshall County Community Foundation where they have an established fund. The Community Foundation site accepts credit card donations.
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas Everyone!
Thanks to Robert Dragani and LPL Financial for their gift of a fresh wreath to help us celebrate the season!
