The Lecture Continues...it was quite long!

What some might call a 'decorated shed'....




...also appreciate this as 'Sacred Architecture'.

I tend to agree with the lecturer, on these two extreme examples, anyway. The point was that architecture happens in a moment of experience, in time and space. The chapel by Tadao Ando (in pictures- I have never been) has a soul searching quality that meets one person in one moment. Whereas the Crystal Cathedral was created to entertain many people- hopefully entertain them enough that they would feel like giving to the church (so they could pay for their structural engineer). just joking

You tell us...what do these two pictures of *religious* space bring to your mind about Sacred Architecture?

Wisdom

Last Friday we joined a couple of friends and went to a lecture entitled, "Untimely Meditations on the Need for Sacred Architecture." The lecturer was the picture of an eminent scholar...he has a "real" Ph.D...that is, he is an actual Doctor of Philosophy. When I learned that he was a 70-something-year-old white guy who had spent his entire adult life reading and writing philosophy at Yale, I unconsciously made a bunch of assumptions, many of which weren't kind: yes, he would be brilliant, but also probably boring, arrogant, and stodgy.

In some ways he did not disappoint. He was brilliant. Though I was lost a lot as my brain struggled to parse and sort out his long sentences, I kept up enough to see that he was really insightful about a whole range of real-life topics like religious practice in the United States. And yes, he was a little boring from time to time (but that probably reflects more my inability to take in everything he was saying.)

In other ways he did 'disappoint.' That is, he wasn't arrogant or stodgy at all. He made a bunch of self-deprecating remarks in the question and answer period and seemed to be genuinely humble, not even taking into consideration that he'd written 180 articles and 5 books. And his mental flexibility was amazing! Quite the opposite of stodgy, he seemed more alive than most folks I've heard in any similar context.

Two of his ideas stick out in my mind. First, he argued that everything about the evolution of western civilization has pointed toward freedom. We are increasingly able to control and reproduce everything and that allows us to do almost anything we want. As a result, we are increasingly 'unbound.' That is, there is little that holds us together. To the extent, then, that architecture simply reflects people's desire to control and reproduce spaces, architecture is merely functional...it does nothing to bind us together and only reinforces our current trajectory. As he would say many times, nice-looking functional buildings are merely "decorated sheds."

He holds out hope though. The sacred, he argues, is one force that can bind us together. He was not speaking as a believer, so he was quite vague about what the sacred is. But he referred a lot to an 'aura' or a sense that there is something greater than ourselves and greater than our control-obsessed civilization. Architecture can and should help create that aura or sense of the sacred he argues. When it does this, it is a force that slows our dis-integration and helps bind us together.

OK, so that description stretches the notion of "an idea." My takeaway: we need spaces that inspire awe and remind us that we are not as big a deal as we think we are.

The other idea was much simpler. After the lecture, a person asked him if he was optimistic about the future of architecture. His answer was something like, "Am I hopeful? Of course I am. Pessimism is self-indulgent."

Fun with wires!

With the exception of the kitchen, the few square feet behind the stereo have been the focus of more energy than probably any other in the house. Behind the four square holes you see below is the nexus of nearly every system in the house. Hot and cold water run up the behind the wall, waste water comes down, radiator pipes go up and down, phone lines, ethernet cable, and coaxial cable run to the upstairs rooms, component video cables run up a conduit to the projector, and 14 gauge stereo wires run to 11 outlet boxes spread around the floor and ceiling of the main room. No surprise then that it has taken a while to get it all working--and looking--right.
This picture was taken back in the 'dark days' when I'd come home late and run wires and pipes until 11:30 pm so that everything would be ready for the dry-wallers.


Once the essentials were working, there were about 50 other major projects that made it seem crazy to stop and take the time to sort out the wires.


This long weekend was the long-awaited time where I got to solder fancy gold-plated endings on to the stereo wires. After this step, a 'banana' clip get screwed on so that the wire can easily be plugged into the stereo and wall (and easily unplugged when things need to get rearranged.)


While this is hardly pristine, it's about as good as I can make 30 wires look!

"Fun with Sushies!"

The first time I ever had sushi, I think I was 25. But ever since, I've been a huge fan. In fact, the Mrs. and I had sushi on both our first official date and on the evening we got engaged.

So when we thought about what to get Flash for his birthday, it didn't take too long to think of sushi. Why should he have to wait another 23 years to discover sushi?

The folks at Amazon happened to have some in stock and were kind enough to send out an order that arrived the next day.

Flash was pretty excited to play with the assortment he got. We're quite confident that any future order he gets will taste better than this one...the chefs at Amazon can only do so much wood and paint.

The Power of Nebraska

In the last three years I've discovered that much of this country is actually run by people from Nebraska. So when the Mrs. stepped out of the room, I snatched the computer so I could post with her user name...wanted to feel powerful!

Just today I was reading a random magazine and came across an article about the founder of this very site...Blogger. Where's he from? Yep...Nebraska. He's now working on a new website apparently called "Twitter." Haven't been there yet, but I hear it is set up so that you can easily write short messages about what you are doing at any given moment. The idea is that while writing this blog post, for instance, I might get distracted and write a quick twitter to a friend about how I'm blogging right now. Apparently our innovative Husker guy gets the same comments about Twitter as he used to get about Blogger..."why would anybody want to do that?"

I had the same question for a friend in college who was using this new thing called an "internet browser." Clearly I'm not from Nebraska.

More on Enough

The Necessary Brevity of Pleasures
by Samuel Hazo

Prolonged, they slacken into pain
or sadness in accordance with the law
of apples.
One apple satisfies.
Two apples cloy.
Three apples
glut.
Call it a tug-of-war between enough and more
than enough, between sufficiency
and greed, between the stay-at-homers
and globe-trotting see-the-worlders.
Like lovers seeking heaven in excess,
the hopelessly insatiable forget
how passion sharpens appetites
that gross indulgence numbs.
Result?
The haves have not
what all the have-nots have
since much of having is the need
to have.
Even my dog
knows that - and more than that.
He slumbers in a moon of sunlight,
scratches his twitches and itches
in measure, savors every bite
of grub with equal gratitude
and stays determinedly in place
unless what's suddenly exciting
happens.
Viewing mere change
as threatening, he relishes a few
undoubtable and proven pleasures
to enjoy each day in sequence
and with canine moderation.
They're there for him in waiting,
and he never wears them out.

Happy Birthday Flash

We are looking forward to singing *Happy Birthday* to you on Saturday!! Though it is a little intimidating to compete with your usual diet of Iggy Pop and Puccini.

Seasons

It is getting cold here. Fall is fully upon us, and it seems that Winter isn't far off. When the seasons change it seems so rich that our lives are able to reflect that. Some times change looks like it is only happening to those around us, but when I stop to reflect on the leaves and their amazing color, I am reminded that we are all changing - our colors are changing too.

The mornings are chilly at our house, we haven't turned on the heat just yet. Mr. and I are both hating and loving the crisp air in the morning. It lends to more cuddle time under the layers of blankets, but it makes for a cold run to the warm shower! A warm cup of tea in the afternoon is a welcome treat, and when it is time for bed, I can't wait to get back under the covers.

Amazingly I get to feel and see my body change too as these seasons change. PLL might start protruding a bit with the coming of winter. And certainly the morning sickness (which happens all day!) has passed as the cool air blows in. I imagine that I will feel PLL with much more force as Spring arrives and just as Summer is coming so will this baby. I am excited about all these seasons, though I wish I could fast forward to the Summer!

Lately I have been saying to the Mr. I can't wait for Christmas (I mean seriously, have you seen the Pottery Barn catalogue?- so Dreamy!). And as soon as I say that I feel a little guilty, reminding myself how much I LOVE the Fall, and I get sad to think that when Christmas comes Fall will be gone. Living in the moment is difficult when I feel so ready for this baby to come- and the next season to come. (minus the essential things you need to care for a baby- none of which we have) But it is good to remember that it is just Fall. This little Luecke inside me is just a wee thing and it needs time to grow and nurture- Lord willing it will wait till the end of Spring.

Sockets

It will come as little surprise to anyone who knows me that I have a thing for tools. No news there! But I have a special place in my heart for socket sets.

It goes back a long way, apparently. When I was two, my dad was working on adding a back porch to the house (hm...who would do that?) and I, being 'helpful' decided to rearrange his socket set...around the backyard. I still remember the set...chrome sockets, one ratchet, a socket driver with a green handle, and green metal case.

The next socket set I got at least twenty years later (dad, if you remember when, let me know). It was a Popular Mechanics set that was at least 3 times the size of the set I first 'used.' The PM set has been great. If you stop by the house and I'll show you where all the bolts are that I've turned...they're holding the second floor up at the meoment, actually. It turns out, though, that the plastic case latches didn't age all that well. Even without the help of a two-year-old, the sockets fell out and have been scattered around in various nooks and crannies. Truth is, I think I have about 90% of them somewhere. But it causes me angst to think that I might have a need to turn a specific bolt and that bolt just might require one of the 10% of the sockets I'm missing. What if there was some sort of emergency bolt turning that had to be done?

The idea of buying a new set has been on my mind for a few years now, but the ridiculousness of the idea of the previous paragraph managed to ward off the purchase. But this year I gave in...a check from the Norfolk Heybrocks, a gift card from the Cleveland Lueckes, a check from the Arlington Heybrocks, and another check from the Fremont Smalls started to burn a hole in my wallet. Out a frugal desire to save my wallet, I made my way to Home Depot and bought myself a primo socket set for my birthday!

So far I've removed four lag screws and used the large extender as a lever to unscrew a big eye-hook. Oh, the projects we'll do!

Thanks family!

Chillaxin' at 207

Mr. D was over Monday. He looked like he had a pretty good shiner on his left eye. We asked about what the other guy looked like...he said "what?" His teacher apparently said he had a "star" in is eye. Every now and again his eyes do twinkle, but our best guess was that he actually had a stye. We have little medical training, but we hear that cucumbers are good for the eyes, so Mr. D took a little break from his homework to take care of his star.

What do these things grow into?

Every once in a while we think of adding on to our house...after all, come Spring time we'll have 50% more people in the house. It always seems like so much work though. I saw these bulbs at the hardware store the other day and though maybe this might be a nice way to grow some extra space..hard to tell a lot from the picture, but the house looks pretty nice to me..

Big Sound, Small Footprint

If you saw and heard the show, you might have thought the Sharps 'roll heavy'...maybe a van and trailer. But somehow all the musical gear, two adults, a one-year-old and a one-year-old's gear all magically fit into a Prius. So far they've clocked over 7,000 miles, and they're only halfway through the trip. Toyota should be a Cobalt Season sponsor!

It was Good!

If you made it to our place last night, you know what an enchanting evening it was! Music by the Cobalt Season filled with emotion to match the thought provoking video projected on them and behind them. It was music that has been created by Ryan (and Holly) from the depths of their souls, and they bared their souls to us last night as they sang about hurt, anger, love, and hope for the Kingdom. Here is a clip.

Showtime!

The great thing about planning way ahead is that you get to anticipate good things for a long time. We've been looking forward to Ryan and Holly (aka Cobalt Season) playing in our living room for months now...and November 2 has finally arrived! Now we just have hours left to count.

If you are reading this and can get to our house by 8 pm tonight (Boeing now makes planes that will fly you here nonstop from any city in the world), please come...you'll be glad you did!

up for it?

I am not sure if we can do this, I mean everyday? It could be a fun challenge! But since we tend not to be that dedicated to the old blog, I am just not sure. Anna might do it...maybe I will see if I can at least out last her!

And I guess a post is a post, so this is mine for the day.

Enough

With a 'bun in the oven,' it is even easier to wax philosophical, it seems. To what kind of life will we welcome Project Little Luecke (PLL, or just P for short)?

My nephew, who turns 2 in about week, already seems to have a great attitude, at least as implied by his musical preferences. He often asks for, and instantly recognizes, Iggy Pop's "Lust for Life." Even strapped into a car seat, Iggy Pop gets his head bouncing and legs kicking!

I don't know much about Iggy Pop, but I think that Jesus might have hung out with him. After all, Jesus summed up his purpose as coming so that we may have life, and life abundant. I hope that we will welcome P into a family that has a tangible 'lust for life'...and 'life abundant.'

But I worry sometimes that a healthy lust for life can turn into a lust for more. 'More' is just so enticing. If something is good, more of it must be better, right? If things aren't so good now, more of something would certainly make it better, right?

I ran into a poem this morning that had a ring of truth to it. Though the title seems like a downer, somehow in the context of thinking about new beginnings, it seems oddly appropriate:

As Death Approaches
by Susan Deborah King

I can't believe I'm laughing!
I'd have sworn I'd be
shaking or sniveling.
And I sure didn't expect
a limousine.
I've never been in a limousine.
No biggy.
I've had better than fame.
Who needs the pressure?
As for fortune, I'm filthy.
That's why I'm laughing.
I've had so much love:
the giving, the getting.
It's shameful.
It's embarrassing.
And it's too late.
No one can take it away!
And I've had the pain
to help me appreciate it.
Thank God for the pain!
Easy for me to say
now that I'm going!
But no, seriously,
the kicks in the teeth,
the gut, the rugs
pulled out, slammed doors,
setbacks, snubs.
Without them, I'd
never have recognized
Love, bedraggled,
plain eyes shining,
happy to see me.
Do I want more?
Of course I want more!
I always want more
of everything: money, hugs,
lovemaking, art, butter,
woods, flowers, the sea,
M&Ms, chips, tops, bottoms,
trips - I did give up drinking -
time, sure, and yes,
I'd like to see
my grandchildren,
if there are any.
I'd like to see my books
but more has never
been good for me anyway.
Enough - that's what I've
always needed to learn,
and is there a better way?
So this laughter
I had to work up to
through so many tears,
it just keeps coming
like a fountain, a spray.
Let it light on you
refreshment, benediction,
as I'm driven away.

Coming Soon to a Living Room Near You (or at least very near us!)

Project Little Luecke is Underway!

Expected Completion: May 26, 2008.

Project 37

Phase 1 of Project 37 kicked off last Friday at 12:30 PM when the Mrs. whisked me off to an undisclosed location...which turned out to be the Columbian Bed and Breakfast just outside of Lancaster, PA. While we are not necessarily philosophical fans of robber-baron railroad tycoons, staying in the a beautifully-restored house of one was fantastic! We took a trip into Lancaster and had a great German Oktoberfest meal of brats, pork ribs, and pork loin...and some good beer. And it turns out that railroad tycoons have nice big cushy and elegant beds that make for a really good night's sleep. For breakfast we were joined by four other guests who were certainly well under 37. I decided it is good to be older and wiser!

Phase Two of Project 37 was to return to 207 and get ready for 37 relatives (ok, more like 17) to drop by for dinner. That's the Mrs. in the picture to left slaving away in the kitchen while I loafed around taking pictures (I did manage to work up a sweat in the kitchen too!). It was actually a lot of fun to set up for the feast...207 was renovated for exactly occasions such as these. We had to pick up a few extra pieces of tableware and borrow a few chairs, but otherwise we were good to go. Thanks to a Home Depot sale a few days later, we are actually stocked up with chairs now...hm...who else could we invite next time? You can see the window propped open...it was pushing 80 degrees on October 20!


Phase three was to enjoy the roof deck, 4 munchkins, and a beautiful evening...followed by dinner. The whole crew managed to make it down from the roof deck without mishap. After we polished off two chickens, six bottles of wine, and two ovens full of potatoes and roasted vegetables, we went to work on a peach pie and a carrot bithday cake. Following a generous allotment of presents (for me and the Mrs.), the kids finally tuckered out and the party wound down. It was quite the blessing to be joined by so many relatives on one day. Usually we have to wait for Christmas, Thanksgiving, or a funeral for such a great crowd!

Project Progress

Sometimes we get a little overwhelmed here at 207 with PROJECTS! There is constantly something that needs to be done at the house, a new project, an old one that hasn't been finished, a wall that has to be painted over because some crazy old roommate picked a nasty shade of blue. Small projects that mount to lots of time being devoted to our old house. We have made progress, and today as the Mr. is painting the basement and finishing the drywall (more projects) I have been trying to clean and do laundry. But I was struck by the progress....

There is new bedding in the newly painted room. I finally found exactly what I was looking for!

The new 'dresser' is in use. Mr. worked so diligently on this piece of furniture only to find that the baskets scraped the wood when we pulled them out. I lined the bottom with brown felt and the insides with a nice floral pattern for a little extra protection for the clothes.

And we also got a headboard. Our bedroom is coming together! (we also got a bed skirt)

This is for those days when I feel like the projects will never end....some have ended and they have turned out well..so far!