Living history

I was locked out one day and sat at the front entrance awaiting someone who had the new key to the condo. Not a bad view, eh?

Bridge to main entrance.

This is the North Boulder Farmers' Ditch, built in 1862.  This is not the ditch that started the madness of the doctrine of prior appropriation of western states' water law.  That honor goes to nearby Left Hand Ditch, which transferred water from St Vrain to James Creek in Left Hand Canyon.

The North Boulder Farmers' Ditch entering the property.

The ditches were built about the same time, though.

The modernist building straddles the ditch.

Read more about Boulder's ditches at The Ditch Project and view the interactive map.  (The bottom three pictures were taken off the real estate listing for this condo.)

Is it a coincidence that the Dairy Center for the Arts lies on the other side of this fence?

The case went all the way up to the Colorado Supreme Court.  The court ruled in favor of the water diverters, thus establishing the right of prior appropriation of Colorado water rights.

Riparian rights means that the owners of land adjacent to water share the water equally.  Prior appropriation means that the first person to put the water to "beneficial use" and to file a paper claim to the water owns the water rights.

Eastern states tend to follow Riparian rights.  Western states tend to follow prior appropriation or "first in use, first in right" doctrine.

Wildlife doesn't count as beneficial use.  Use by native Americans and other non-whites also seldom counts.  There's more paper water than real water in the west, particularly during normal and dry years.

This doctrine is being tested right now in California as even senior CA water rights holders there have been ordered to stop drawing water from CA rivers.

I say good riddance.  I'm not a fan of John Locke and his worshippers.  They have a planet-sized blind spot regarding who does the real work and who reaps the benefits of work.  Water and the laws of physics don't give a f*ck about John Locke and neither do I.

A lively history about the St Vrain-Left Hand water war:
The Battle that Wrought Colorado's Water Law

Details and schedule

Wow, I was surprised by the number of people who want to see design details.

New door opening with glass door.

This is an especially stressful time at work. Last week, I audited an NCL Workshop and gave a short demo on how to find data for analysis. This week, I'm attending a WRF Workshop and giving a poster presentation of how to find data for numerical weather prediction.

In between, I moved into the condo (which looks more finished than in the picture above).  My family is arriving about the same time the WRF Workshop winds down.  Amid all this activity, I'm helping to write a NASA science education proposal due in 1 week.  Yipes!

Design detail posts will be posted gradually, and in a rushed manner, as I come up for air.

Meanwhile, I found a photo of the doorway we moved.  It used to be on the right, which seemed unnecessarily complicated.  Why go around a corner and then turn again to enter a room?  How does one move furniture into this room with 36" wide hallways (and 34" clearance door jamb to door jamb)?

36" wide hallways are the minimum width required by code.  Now, 40" and 44" are more common.  We couldn't really widen the hallway without MUCH effort because of the immovable adjacent posts that support the concrete floors and ceilings.  This is a 1960s 'hung' concrete high-rise building for those of you who speak architectural history.

I $plurged*and moved the door about 40" to the left, to align with the hallway.  I'm not sure if this was a good Feng Shui move.  But, it sure simplifies getting bulky things in and out of the room.  A door with a glass insert also allows the room and hallway to borrow light from each other.

Originally, I wanted ribbed (aka reeded) glass.  But, tempered safety glass is only available in clear or frosted.  We went with frosted, to match the rice paper in the Shoji screen closet doors.

The door is at the door workshop so that they can take the protective coating off the glass.  More pictures later.

* It was a splurge as anyone who has ever paid to move a 1960s asbestos-laden wall can attest.

Treehouse 2

When Bad Dad and I were shopping for our first home, we nicknamed the houses. We called the house we eventually bought in California 'the treehouse' because of the several large trees on the north, east and south sides of the home.

I bought another treehouse in Boulder.

Poang chairs with Lack table and my hand-knitted bolsters.

This condo is in downtown Boulder, with a walkscore of 91/100.  Yet, I look out through trees towards the mountains on the north and west sides and across trees and a creek on the east side.  The shuttle to work stops two blocks from here.

We installed mirrors against one wall to amplify the view.

We have two architects.  One architect/general contractor (GC), and an hourly architectural consultant who is a retired architect.  The consultant came up with the idea of cutting the mirror into pieces about the same size as the windows and then sizing a chair rail the same depth as the windowsill and kitchen countertop.

The line continues across the kitchen countertop, with glass-fronted kitchen cabinets and a window along the rest of that wall.  The effect is all light and line.

The GC primarily builds gorgeous (and large) custom homes.  The consultant primarily built 'not so big' homes that are modest in scale, but with many thoughtful extra touches.  Are you interested in seeing some of the other details they designed?

It's starting to feel like home as I unpack and put my hand-made items out.  I intended to tie-dye these IKEA Poang chair cushions.  But, I love the tone-on-tone creaminess of my hand-knitted bolsters layered on top of the natural unbleached and undyed cotton canvas.  I may leave them in that state for now.  Do you recognize the patchwork Valentine pillow I made for Bad Dad?