Objects of Desire

[xSilverPhinx]

When I'm not geek'n out on something I like to spend time in the outdoors, hiking, biking, kayaking, whatever.   Some of those trips have been thousands of miles long.   I'm a fairly well accomplished adventure trekker, I'm proud to say. 

Intimately mingling with mother nature is nothing new to me; I'm just looking at upgrading my gear.

I used to spend a lot more time outdoors. When I was growing up we would camp a lot, which was always a lot of fun. It ended when I moved to the city, though...

I was raised in Silicon Valley,  I started out much the same, with some family camping trips here and there, cub scouts...    As I approached adulthood, however, I ended up going deeper into wilderness and staying longer.   I have literally done the "John Muir" thing: go deep into the Sierra Nevadas for weeks at a time with little more than a backpack, some gear, and some food.   That led to long-distance hiking (like the Appalachian Trail), kayaking trips that spanned many US states at a time, biking the Pacific Coast, twice, and down the eastern seaboard once...    City people aren't necessarily bound to human civilization; they might just have to travel a bit further to get away from it. 

I wish I had your stamina! 

"Longest days":

Hiking: 30.1 miles (48.4 km), on The Appalachian Trail, in smoky mountain national park.

Kayaking: 70+ miles (113+km).  Paddled from Montana on the Missouri River, to St. Louis on the Mississippi...   got kinda ambitious on that last day, getting into St. Louis.  -going downstream, however, so I was kinda cheating.

Biking: 143 miles  (230km).   Biking UP the pacific cost is way harder than biking down it (against brutal headwind the whole way).  By the time I turned inland and headed south a bit I was kicking some serious butt.  -ate 5 full meals that day.

Just do it!   -the human body is good at adapting enroute.

I think I will admire that kind of life from a distance.

[xSilverPhinx]

That will look good next to a horse. I would too scared to get one though - aren't they difficult to maintain?

Yes they are, which is why I don't think I'll buy one. Not a very old one at least, it'll be such a pity if such a thing died under my care.

[xSilverPhinx]

I recently saw this car in the Friedrichshafen Zeppelin museum and fell in love with it

Oh...no. You would probably have to haul an entire gas station behind you in order to drive that. Just in case you get an empty tank after a few kms...

True, the car weighs approx. 3000 Kg and it was one of the most powerful production car in the world at the time (1930). It had an 8 liter V12 engine (a top speed of 171km/h). In 2012, a 1938 DS8 Roadster sold for €1.3 million at auction. If you have that amount of money then you can also afford to haul an entire gas station behind you  .

[Rift Zone]

I think I will admire that kind of life from a distance.

Fair amount of wisdom in that...   It can get rough out there.   

[xSilverPhinx]

I think I will admire that kind of life from a distance.

Fair amount of wisdom in that...   It can get rough out there.

Yeah, I don't mind the outdoors or bugs and all that...except for mosquitoes, I absolutely loathe mosquitoes! And anything that crawls out of a sewer like cockroaches...

I'm more of a city-dweller. I love city sights and sounds. A different kind of jungle.

[xSilverPhinx]

[Rift Zone]

except for mosquitoes, I absolutely loathe mosquitoes!

Heard that...    I usually don't approve of genocide, but i'd make an exception for them.   grrr!

[Bad Penny II]

I am very lucky in that I own some of the things I've posted, but what I still hope to own one day is a ceramic horse from the Tang dynasty. This is beautiful example. I also have a weakness for ones from the Han dynasty.


Hint: I have a birthday coming up, in case you HAF guys are wondering what to get me.

Geez Hermes, we can do better than that, we won't stinge out getting you a second hand horse.

Here ya go, happy birthday.

[hermes2015]

I am very lucky in that I own some of the things I've posted, but what I still hope to own one day is a ceramic horse from the Tang dynasty. This is beautiful example. I also have a weakness for ones from the Han dynasty.


Hint: I have a birthday coming up, in case you HAF guys are wondering what to get me.

Geez Hermes, we can do better than that, we won't stinge out getting you a second hand horse.

Here ya go, happy birthday.

Oh thank you, it's much better than a 1000 year old plus second hand horse that you don't know where it's been.

[hermes2015]

Honestly hermes, I probably couldn't afford the knockoff. I do need a better chair though. Maybe I'll come across one in a junk store for cheap!

ETA: Hole E Chit! That's a six thousand dollar chair. You certainly have refined tastes.

A bit late now, but I found this video an how it's made. It kind of makes one understand why it has a high price tag.

[jumbojak]

That was really cool.

[hermes2015]

That was really cool.

Yes, I agree. I have actually seen them made at the Vitra factory in Germany. Vitra is the authorized manufacturer for Herman Miller in Europe. I see there are other videos like these on Youtube as well.

[Dragonia]

Honestly hermes, I probably couldn't afford the knockoff. I do need a better chair though. Maybe I'll come across one in a junk store for cheap!

ETA: Hole E Chit! That's a six thousand dollar chair. You certainly have refined tastes.

A bit late now, but I found this video an how it's made. It kind of makes one understand why it has a high price tag.

Wow, SOLD!

I think the history and enduring quality of these chairs appeals to me every bit as much as the appearance. I just want to touch that leather...

[Dave]

Yes, nice to see quality. I would love to see the processes used in the first models.

[hermes2015]

Yes, nice to see quality. I would love to see the processes used in the first models.

That was one of the very interesting ways that Charles and Ray Eames worked. They did not just draw designs and make pretty models. They actually got their hands dirty and designed the machinery used in the final production step as well.