editor’s note
Although I’ve done it on a couple occasions through the past 11 years, I’ve always had trouble writing columns that welcome a New Year – even when times have been good and there have been reasons aplenty for lavish doses of optimism. I just don’t like clichés, and they’re amazingly difficult to avoid when you look to the future with
Soon after we published our first-ever Resource Directory last December, we received this comment from a reader: “Thanks for pulling this together. I can’t tell you how frustrating it is to work with the big, fat buyer’s guides other magazines put together and sift through all the stuff I really don’t care about to dig out a few important nuggets. I do have a complaint, however: Why’d you take so long to
Economists, commentators, politicians and just about anyone who’s been paying attention have described the recession that started in 2008 as the worst economic calamity to befall us since the Great Depression. None of us needs their expert testimony to know that the past 18 months have been the toughest most of us have seen in our lifetimes. Just as we knew when times were great that the housing market was ripe for
I wasn’t surprised when Jim McCloskey suggested that it was high time for us to produce a Green Issue of WaterShapes: I’ve known him for more than 20 years and have long admired his dedication to environmentalism, recycling and keeping the planet healthy for his children and everyone else’s children as well – beliefs I wholeheartedly share. I was, however, caught a bit off guard by
Through the years, WaterShapes has published numerous columns and articles that speak to the value of studying and appreciating nature. Time and again, for example, contributors ranging from Brian Van Bower to Anthony Archer Wills (along with others too numerous to list) have waxed eloquent about the importance of getting out and taking good, long looks at the way things get done in the natural world. Those of you who have not been inclined to take that message seriously will get quite a break on September 27, when the Public Broadcasting System will begin
I’m constantly amazed by innovation: Just when you think a device or system or technology has reached its limits, something comes along to advance things a notch or two and the whole cycle begins again. And the most interesting thing is that innovation often comes without truly being driven by need. Take telecommunications as an example: We were all getting along pretty well with land-based telephones when
Through the years, a number of key themes have almost effortlessly woven their ways into columns and features published in WaterShapes. Some of these include the value of design education, the significance of familiarity with art history, the importance of materials selections and the virtues of sound hydraulic design, to name just a few. Another theme that stands among the most common of all our overarching concepts has to do with
Just a couple weeks ago, I had the pleasure of spending the day with a long-time WaterShapes contributor – and my good friend – Dr. William N. Rowley. Just a year ago this month, Bill was one of the first recipients of the McCloskey Prize, and as we noted at the time, he has from the start of the magazine been a tireless supporter of our efforts to build pride and professionalism
This is almost certainly the toughest column I’ve ever written – and probably the most important. In past editorials, it hasn’t been unusual for me to share various forms of personal information, some of it about my family, some of it concerning my own health. I’ve been keenly gratified by the words of support I’ve received from colleagues and friends on those occasions, and I thank you here, one and all. This is, I fear, another of those occasions, as I
I’ve always enjoyed spotting trends in watershaping, and I think I’ve found another that bears mentioning. This one first caught my eye on my daily walks through the neighborhood surrounding my home in Laguna Beach, Calif. I’ve always reveled in the creativity homeowners in this upscale seaside enclave apply in detailing their properties. Better still, it’s a place where no two homes are the same and almost everyone takes
