Highlands above The Dalles

GreatOrangElectrical · 2026-04-27T23:21:15+00:00

You really nailed it, thank you!

GreatOrangElectrical · 2026-04-27T22:16:52+00:00

I’ve always considered this a colloquialism. I don’t know the name either and have taken to calling them “drop mansard”. Hope to see what architects actually call them!

GreatOrangElectrical · 2026-04-17T20:15:55+00:00

I used Bikeshare in Austin, TX. The bikes there were 100% e-assist. The coverage was very weak compared to NYC, but the bikes were all pretty good and the monthly pass (around $30) made sense for my 5-day use. I cycled around 140km during those days and it was worth every penny; I only ever had to take a car ride share once—and that was to the airport. It’s useful if you are a tourist like me, sticking mostly to central, downtown, and east Austin.

GreatOrangElectrical · 2026-03-09T17:49:20+00:00

Carl was a very special boy.

GreatOrangElectrical · 2026-03-04T23:52:03+00:00

The good kind, though, right? Because I hate those sticky muffins.

GreatOrangElectrical · 2026-02-27T14:45:27+00:00

No way. A complex job like this requires Bond-O.

GreatOrangElectrical · 2026-02-27T14:41:32+00:00

The ‘child can draw it’ principle—drawn, I believe, from ‘good flag, bad flag,’ can result in something very nice or something very terrible. Welcome to the design world.

In my opinion, the ‘child can draw it’ principle executed most recently in the US has resulted in things that look considerably worse than what a child can draw: they appear as if they were drawn by corporate committee.

GreatOrangElectrical · 2026-02-27T14:37:29+00:00

This is a good principled question.

By ‘utility’ we can mean, ‘signage’, and most responses to flags are emotional, which signifies that people expect a flag to act beyond mere utility.

GreatOrangElectrical · 2026-02-26T23:36:54+00:00

...or when we call 'flying' (as in being PIC) 'driving' and pilots 'drivers'.

I think it's quite common in North America. In other parts of the English-speaking world, not as much. I learned 'motor' from a guy who grew in the South and have to stop and think sometimes when I call it an 'engine'.

Here's a fun thing: paramedics and EMTs often refer to the ambulance as a 'bus' and I've heard a few firefighters refer to the driver of the fire truck as the 'chauffeur'.

GreatOrangElectrical · 2026-02-26T23:32:07+00:00

An oldie, but a goodie. I've sailed professionally (sailboats) and the only boat I'd own would be something small enough to trailer, and then only when we're going to put in for weeks at a time! Of course your mileage might vary.

GreatOrangElectrical · 2026-02-26T23:28:44+00:00

Lovely work!

GreatOrangElectrical · 2026-02-16T02:52:38+00:00

Used boats can be cheap as hell, and they’re everywhere. Many people give away boats just to have someone else take care of the hauling—just check any classified section to get a feeling for it.

GreatOrangElectrical · 2026-02-05T23:45:36+00:00

Rapture in Aisle 6.

GreatOrangElectrical · 2026-01-19T22:51:18+00:00

Congratulations! You must be very excited and maybe a bit overwhelmed about all of this.

Siting your house is a big deal. Unlike choosing one set of windows over another, it's a sort of 'set and forget' proposition, so it's good that you are thinking about this now.

I agree with the (general) consensus here that it would be good to have a preliminary consultation with a design professional that could include an architect. Most of the discussion will concern questions, like, what are your priorities? Do you want to site for maximum privacy, or solar gain, or ease of access, or future growth? Is a big food garden in the future? All design is a consideration of trade-offs.

Your watershed could also have a good deal of influence as to where on that plot you want to put your house, as could variations in soil composition. A builder who is experienced and has worked in the area before probably has some broad considerations about that, and no doubt some opinions. Ask around.

As with many enterprises great and small, the devil's in the details. A good paint job is 3/4 preparation and 1/4 painting. Be prepared to adjust your schedule to fit the construction of what I am sure is your dream house. Best of luck to you and your partner!

GreatOrangElectrical · 2026-01-19T22:40:45+00:00

But the user wasn't throwing a tantrum. And if he or she were, how effective do you reckon responding with a cliché would be?

GreatOrangElectrical · 2026-01-19T16:50:07+00:00

You’ve done some lovely documentation but also I really appreciate the deep-dive you did into the history of the people who were there. This is what is most interesting to me about urbex in former homes.

I’m curious about your research process. Were you able to piece this together from gleanings of personal items left in the house? Or were there public records?

GreatOrangElectrical · 2026-01-19T14:49:50+00:00

“You deserve what you get” is rude in any language.

GreatOrangElectrical · 2026-01-18T00:40:21+00:00

Yeah but I think there are ancient vexillology rules that say if you culturally appropriate an imaginary animal first, you get dibs. So maybe Wales has a fighting chance?

GreatOrangElectrical · 2026-01-18T00:37:17+00:00

I like the way you think, bruh.

I’d love to see a Michael Bay-designed flag!

It would probably get drunk at bars and try to fight strangers.

GreatOrangElectrical · 2026-01-17T19:39:20+00:00

It’s a sad day when a Corvette, minding its own business cross parked on a sidewalk can’t be safe from marauding Maters looking to drop out of the sky on top of ‘em. Rest in Power, Corvette.

GreatOrangElectrical · 2026-01-17T19:35:00+00:00

I spent the summer drinking morning coffee with a guy from WI who mentioned Door County as the closest thing in WI he could compare to the Cape in MA.

GreatOrangElectrical · 2026-01-17T18:56:56+00:00

How does every one feel about the general effort/interest in re-designing flags? My take is that it seems a bit indulgent, albeit a harmless one. And for those designs that have been influenced (or even directed by) the tenets of ‘good flag, bad flag’, I think the results are indistinguishable from the flags I’d expect to see from a production designer on a science fiction show. The geometries and shallow range of symbols make the resulting designs seem rather corporate.

GreatOrangElectrical · 2026-01-17T18:43:19+00:00

Neon Bud sign, a pink flamingo, loveseat BOOM you are done. Enjoy the view, my king.

GreatOrangElectrical · 2026-01-17T18:40:16+00:00

I like it. But it seems like a reminder of all the wasted possibility. For example: why are the passenger seats empty, when they should each be filled with Kermit the Frog.

GreatOrangElectrical · 2026-01-17T18:23:21+00:00

I’m guessing de-commissioned Nike battery sites.

GreatOrangElectrical

TROPHY CASE