Paving stones allow tremendous flexibility in walkway and driveway design, patio design and hardscape design. Concrete pavers allow color selection to match the existing property or surroundings, and can be laid as a single color, a color range laid randomly, or with simple or complex paver designs almost as rich as a mosaic. This flexibility, and Pacific Pavingstone’s somewhat fanatical (we admit it!) dedication to doing only the best work, means that our designers have to stay up to date with the available patterns and colors from all the manufacturers we deal with. That’s also why we can’t give a price quote over the phone: without seeing the colors of a home and how it is constructed, there’s no way to help the homeowner pick the right colors, the right pattern, the best design.

Some companies use a computerized representation of the paving stone design in a photograph of the property as a way of showing what the finished job might look like. This is all very well, but no computer screen can show the actual colors accurately, and without a very expensive, fully completed computerized design, what is shown on the screen will only be a rough approximation of the actual layout. It might give you a rough idea, but the finished result could be very disappointing. That is why we insist on bringing samples of the actual stones that will be used on your project, so you can see exactly what they look like and how the colors will blend with what you already have.

Other factors, like the slope of the ground, drainage (existing or not), the condition of the subsoil and the expected load, all influence the design, so our designers are also trained in the technical know-how to determine what will work best for any given project.

The customer, whether home owner, architect or commercial contractor, almost always has to weigh the cost of a particular design against the available budget. That’s when seeing the actual stones is invaluable. That less expensive option might give your project a perfect look, but you won’t know until you see the real thing.

Meanwhile, our website has galleries of photographs showing driveway designs, patio and walkway designs, and pool deck designs, as well as a page that will show you many types and styles of concrete paving stone.

"The Labyrinth"

Image Copyright © George Cannon, All Rights Reserved.

Not here. Even though the official first day of Fall was on Monday, it certainly doesn't feel like it here in Denver. While still in the mid-80s the rest of the week, the leaves are starting to change colors!

Can't believe summer is over already, seemed like it just began. Did you have a good summer? What was your favorite part?

Berlin in black and white.

The installation of the covered walkway on Washington Blvd. will start today, Wednesday, August 27.  As a result of the work beginning today, there will be two temporary detours to enter the campus building: 

(1) the Washington Blvd. sidewalk going north starting at the corner of Broad Street will be closed from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and thus all pedestrians who cross at the intersection of Washington and Broad will be directed to walk east on Broad Street, under the covered walkway that has been installed, and be directed to enter through the Franklin Street campus entrance; and

(2) the regular entrance door on Washington Blvd. will be closed on a temporary basis from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. each day, as the work crew installs the covered walkway.  An alternate entrance door, which is located about 25 feet north of the regular Washington Blvd entrance, will be available for entering and exiting the campus building, beginning at 7:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.  The workday ends at 3:00 p.m. for the construction  crew, and so the regular Washington Blvd. entrance will be re-opened each day at 3:00 p.m. and will close at 10:30 p.m.

We encourage you to use caution in walking and driving near the Trump Parc site. If you walk to and from the Stamford Train Station, please use the pathway that begins on Washington Blvd. at the entrance of the Summer Street garage, which then will allow you to walk through the Target parking garage, that leads you to the Franklin Street entrance of the campus.  In addition, we recommend for those persons who park in the UConn Stamford garage to use the crosswalk and signal that is located at the entrance of the parking garage.  In taking this step, you may enter the campus building on the Washington Blvd entrance, near the lightspine section of the building, and bypass entering the campus from the Broad Street entrance.
 
 

This is what I was pleasantly surprised to discover this morning on one of my neighbourhood walkabouts. Without any arm-twisting by me, somebody apparently dispatched a city crew to give the walkway another cleanup.

How nice would it be if this was the beginning of a frequently-enough regular maintenance schedule?

I haven't gotten out much to take photos recently, as I've been busy sorting and packing and cleaning and all that un-fun stuff. But here's a shot from the test roll of my new/old Yashica ME. It's of the leaves pressing against the plastic walkway leading to the SECC. Gosh, I love that walkway.

The System 45 Lighting Collection at Design Within Reach, offers three different fabrications in three sizes and an adjustable head that can be directed three different ways.

System 45 Lighting

went through a dark walkway leading to the exhibits
~ Mami kept asking " scary one or not ? " ~ haha

Sis on the red bus !

and i was reporting news on tv !

then there was this game where you gotta tilt the round table
to guide the ball through the maze. . .

. . . great success !!!

this maze is a toughie. . .

. . . failed, but almost sia !

this is little george, quite a wittty robot i must say

Kenny: tell me 10 reasons why i should like you

lil' george: you don't have to like me

Kenny: i don't like you

lil' george: i don't like you too !

~ laughterSss all around ~

this is our favourite game ! ~ see whether you racial harmony or not a.k.a. racist !

these are the contestants, Sis and Kenny, but got Mami and me too

we got high score of the day lah ! but we not happy, challenge again !

almost again sia !

got one question wrong because Kenny thought the word "Wayang"
from "Chinese Wayang" was derived from Cantonese instead of Malay

oh wells, nevermind ~ we had fun, haha

so this is what i've discovered:

1) i look like an ah beng when i report news
~ hand in pocket, legs wide apart ~ aiyoyo !

2) some balls are easy to handle, some are not. . .

3) yoyo-mud-yoyo ~ i'm not a racist !

What's neat about this picture is that you can really get a good idea about how the roof is going to shade the windows, during the summer. This picture was taken around 5:30-6:00 p.m. on a sunny afternoon. The roof overhang on the shed dormers, along with the roof extension and the walkway all help in minimizing the sun's impact. The walkway hasn't been built out as far as it will go, yet, so you'll see there too we'll get more shade on those bottom windows once that's completed. Conversely, the idea is that low sun angles in the winter will hit the window for solar gain - based on our sun path charts

* For those of you following this blog and getting blogged down by technical speak, a dormer is a window at the top of the house, which can either be built in a gable (peak) shape or as I have it, a shed (flat) shape. Alright, class dismissed. Go on back to your BBQs...

Dear Sir/Madam

I would like to thank the town council's effort to erect the curb in a bid to prevent the flooding of the walkway that is next to Block 223. However, I would like inform you respectfully that your ingenuity has not solved your residents' problem.

As you can see in the photograph, rainwater has been collected despite the presence of the newly erected barrier. Moreover the walkway was made relatively smooth to begin with. This combination makes that stretch of walkway extremely slippery, and thus dangerous, especially for older folks.

I am appalled by the lack of sense that has been displayed through this solution. Obviously money spent to build the barrier has gone to waste, judging from this puddle that may just breed mosquitoes.

Of course, I am not here just to complain, I propose a solution too! Below is a suggestion to this potential hazard since your first implementation has failed to address the problem.

Suggestion
Elevate this portion of the walkway and slightly slope it off to the left so that rainwater can be drained. At the same time, ensure that the surface of this portion have sufficient traction to prevent people from slipping.

Thank you for your time in consideration.

Of course, I sent a less kwai lan message via the feedback form at the Hong Kah Town Council website. Hopefully, there will be some sensible actions to solve this little problem.

By the way, I have been nominated for ping.sg's blog awards, running for The Best Photoblog and Best Photo Post. If you liked what you've found on my blog, please take a moment to vote for bLog by Pixels. Thanks!

Spurred on by childhood fantasies of tree dwelling Robin Hood types, Ewok villages and little militant teddies, I won't lie, I was a little disappointed with what I found. Having practically frog marched my party through acres of Capability Brown's finest, my heart was racing, expecting ropes, hoistings, angry 2 footers and Morgan Freeman, I was dismayed to see an old British favourite in its full heaving glory; the queue.

'I'spose this means it's good?' muttered an enthusiastic gimp - what kind of logic is that???

I'm being too harsh we shouldn't judge by line size, for of course there was a line, there was always going to be a line, Britain thrives on lines - collective line misery is something we are very good at, but thats for another time.

Aaaaaany way, I digress, we reach Kew's new Treetop Walkway. A soring steel structure, taking you directly into the canopy above. It had been open for hmm, maybe 2 weeks so of course the lift was broken and people had to walk to the top - but in reality, this is probably a good thing.

After a 15 minute stairwell climb due to the achingly slow pace of the queue, 60 ft up, we reach the top and for the first time, look out at the 650ft walkway ahead of us. It is certainly impressive. I look down. We are freakin' high, and the floor is see through - not cool if heights aren't your thing, not cool if heights are your thing.

After letting my resentment for the lack of rope bridges go, walking the treetops was all well and good. However, I couldn't help but think that this walkway had so much promise of being something really impressive, it just fell short repeatedly:

The view was / had the potential to be amazing but was restricted by the foliage (ok yes, yes, it will be better in winter i know, i know), the single line flow of treetop dorks was innately retarded and probably a hazard, that will probably result in the immediate death of everyone, who knows? But the most fan-tabulous factor of all was that good 'ol treetop was wobbling!??!. Let's just say it had a Millennium Bridge moment and I was outta there.

The Treetop walk is cool, don't get me wrong, but just give this exhibit some time. When the hype has died down, the noobs who built it have been back to wobble school and the trees have died (winter not bad karma) then try again - especially any aeronautical dorks out there, go. go. go. (It's worth it just to be able to look right into the eye of the pilots heading to land at Heathrow - those baby's are low, I swear I touched a DC10, no really... that low).

p.s Dork = Good.

Choosing the style, material and look of your front walkway is extremely important to the overall look of your home and landscaping.  Front walkways can be constructed of many different materials depending on the look you wish to achieve.  There a many different kinds of interlocking, cement, patterned cement, flagstone and many natural stones. 

Your walkway can be straight or curved, angled or not.  Here a few examples of some stone walkways by Rainbow Landscaping.

Since there is no sidewalk here (picture above), people have created their own pathway along the roadside section of the park perimeter.

This is an obvious desire line: the desire to get to a fresh drink, especially on a hot desert day in the middle of an outdoor game, leads to a water fountain at the end of the worn patches in the park grass:

From a short distance, thick desire lines worn in the hard surface of the bank around the tennis courts shows well-worn footpaths of visitors:

Even with a sidewalk present, desire lines represent an alternative choice. This picture shows that the desire line follows exactly the same path as the sidewalk, but in this case, perhaps the desire is indicative of the fact that the people walking prefer the surface of the ground instead of the designated hard surface of the concrete:

Along the south end of this city park are a tall eight-foot high thicket of oleander bush; even though there is no sidewalk here, here is a straight line of desire that reveals a trajectory probably used by dog-walkers or strolling individuals making a 360-degree path for strolling around the perimeter of the park:

Walking along the edge of the thicket revealed places in the bush where desire lines were drawn by walkers entering the park from the neighboring homes:

And there were many similar places like this along the way where the desire lines as entryways into the park from neighboring residences were easily spotted:

Desire lines also showed up as widened pathways or overrun areas where concrete curbs stopped or where streets ended. This picture shows how pedestrians carved out rounded cutaways even where the pavement was very wide to accommodate more traffic:

Following the desire lines of the perimeter of the park near the oleander bank led me to more spaces in the bushes were people made pathways to other destinations. This time, the desire lines were made by people who were living in the brush at the south end of the park; these homeless people had created their own pathways in the areas underneath the cover of the overhanging branches that shielded them from park users:

The desire line through the shrubbery led me to a sleeping man:

An analysis of the desire lines in such a small area as this public park showed that careful consideration can reveal what kind of people may have created them in the first place. Carefully looking at the source of the desire lines and the directionality of each of the pathways also revealed how heavily used each of these trails were used. The most heavily traveled or popular pathways were the worn dirt trails leading around the tennis courts and up to the water fountain. The least obvious paths were the subtle, thin spots in between the oleander hiding the secret passageways of the homeless trying to seek shelter from the heat of the midday sun and the watchful eyes of the park patrol.

My shot is at the top left, the 'Bicycles in Beijing' :) I found this image with images.devilfinder.com which I'd never used before but someone had found my blog with it so I gave it a go and did a bit of searching for myself. Its nice to see myself, my photography, in print :) I'd be unsure which agency it was purchased from so here's the list of places you can buy my shot:

www.istockphoto.com/file_closeup.php?id=1428098
www.istockphoto.com/file_closeup.php?id=1579898
www.canstockphoto.com/Beijing-China---Bike-0248905.php
www.canstockphoto.com/Beijing-China---Bike-0248878.php
www.bigstockphoto.com/photo/view/432162
www.bigstockphoto.com/photo/view/432165
www.fotolia.com/id/439726/
www.fotolia.com/id/439730/
www.dreamstime.com/beijing-china---portrait-view-of-bicycles-rimage585212
www.shutterstock.com/pic.mhtml?id=1415610
www.stockxpert.com/browse.phtml?f=view&id=111143
www.stockxpert.com/browse.phtml?f=view&id=111122
www.123rf.com/photo_510860.html
www.123rf.com/photo_510764.html

Description:
Stock Photo In Beijing, China, Tiananmen Square / Beihai Park, Forbidden City...

Keywords:
bicycle, bike, pavement, walkway, sidewalk, ancient, architecture, beihai, beijing, bowuguan, building, chairman, china, chinese, city, clear, communism, communist, communists, courtyard, cultural, dynasty, emperor, flag, forbidden, gate, gugon, heavenly, historic, history, imperial, landmark, mandarin, mao, ming, monument, ornate, pagoda, palace, park, pavilion, peace, peking, peoples, prc, qing, red, republic, revolution, roof, shang, shrine, sky, square, summer, temple, tianamen, tiananmen, tree, zedong,

Here's the Dreamstime referral image: :)

© Photographer: Pdtnc | Agency: Dreamstime.com

Download da font completa aqui.
Fonte: TypeNeu

Along the Seine, Paris, France

I also started the walk in front of our house.  We are putting in the garden, but I wanted a nice pretty walk way leading to the house so that it's obvious where to step.  We are putting down gray stone like pavers.  I needed to "skim" 2" of ground to make room for the pavers and under layer of sand.  I did that tonight at 11:00, when the black flies had retreated for the evening.  They were awful during the day when I tried to start the project.  Any good ideas for safe Black Fly deterrents?    I'm very open to suggestions!  The project is not very photo worthy at this point, but I'm hoping to finish it tomorrow.  If so, there will be pictures then.

So, maybe a dress and a new walkway tomorrow.  Here's hoping, anyway!

Sounds crazy, right?

But that is exactly what Lansing Township hopes to accomplish with their development plan of creating pedestrian and bicycle paths throughout the northeastern quadrant of the township. The plan would use a mixture of shared-use pathways for bikes and walkers, sidewalks, bike lanes and bike routes to give residents a broader choice when it comes to transportation.

Steven Hayward, director of development for the township, said that the goal of the plan was to offer alternative transportation methods without slowing down traffic. “There should never be a hindrance,” said Hayward, “otherwise that is where conflict begins.”

The township developed a concept plan in 2005 that proposed the idea of developing pedestrian walkways and bicycle paths throughout the township, Dewitt Township, Lansing and East Lansing, spanning both Ingham and Clinton Counties.

The plan would create four corridors, each reaching out from the Eastwood Towne Center: North corridor would run to two major mobile home communities and Granger Meadows Park in Dewitt, South would reach toward Pattengill Middle School, Lansing Catholic Central High School and Eastern High School through Groesbeck neighborhood and Wood Road; Southwest would stretch in towards the northern side of Lansing using Lansing River Trail and through Lansing Old Town; and East would link to East Lansing and Dewitt Township.

The plan outlined many benefits for creating new walkways and bicycle paths, including safer travel for non-motorized transportation, reducing motor vehicle congestion, and improving property values.
Adding sidewalks to the roads is considerably inexpensive, costing about $10 per foot of sidewalks. Because bike lanes only require restriping the roads and adding signs they cost only $.05 per foot according to Steven Hayward, director of Planning and Development for the township.

Maintaining both sidewalks and bike lanes is easier than roads because they cause less stress on the roads then automobiles and funding for the bike system comes from the Tax Increment Financing Authority, which redistributes 25% of the increases in taxes and reinvests them in development.

Hayward said that since the township formed the plan, they have created bike lanes and sidewalks along Wood Street, Lake Lansing Road, and Kerry Street.

Creating pedestrian friendly paths is not only a priority for the township, but for other municipalities as well. Hayward said that the City of Lansing is planning to place bicycle paths on Lake Lansing Road from the Quality Dairy to the city limit this spring. In 2009, East Lansing plans to extend the bicycle lanes of Coleman Road to Wood Street.

John Daher, supervisor of Lansing Township, thinks that developing bike paths and pedestrian walkways can help the Greater Lansing area economically and environmentally. Daher thinks that it can help local businesses when residents decide to walk instead of drive. “Cars drive right through,” said Daher. “Walkers and bikers stop and shop.”

Hayward believes that these pathways could enhance business. “Not everyone wishes or can afford to drive a car. Also, the idea that one within Eastwood that you can easily walk to your next location makes it more convenient for people to stick around and support the businesses.”

Erica Capetillo works at the management office at Eastwood Towne Center and sees many shoppers who walk to the shopping center.

“It would be pretty convenient for both workers and shoppers,” said Capetillo. “I hear plenty of costumers who said they walked here.”

A garden can be a wonderful place to nurture your green thumb, and express yourself. Adding a walkway to guide you and your guests through your garden is an attractive and useful way to add character and texture to your outdoor living space.

A walkway can be as simple as stepping-stones or as elaborate as multicolored cobblestone. You can keep it simple, or incorporate designs into it. It’s really up to you. Stone can provide you with that natural feel. A simple garden would benefit from a decorative gravel path, or maybe even flagstone. Or if you choose, a structured pattern like brick can add a new dimension to your garden. Add something as simple as a bench and you have a nice focal point for you and your guests to sit and enjoy your outdoor space.

Construction of a walkway is relatively simple. Straight walkways are easy to layout because they use straight lines and 90-degree angles. But you may find that adding curves to your design will give a more fluid affect. You can do this kind of layout easily. Simply lay out the border with rope or a garden hose.

After you get your layout like you want it, the sod and soil will have to be removed to a depth that will make room for the base material, sand, and whatever type of surface you have chosen for your walkway. The base can be compacted soil or fine gravel known as crusher run, which should be compacted as well in order to give a solid, flat surface. The next layer is usually leveling sand, which makes it possible to level natural stone more easily, and is used to form a level surface for pavers as well. You need to wet the leveling sand and then smooth it out using a 2x4 or other long, straight edge to do the job. Then it’s just a matter of getting your stone or pavers down. Make sure you secure the edges with a border, or more compacted soil, so your stone or pavers can’t move.

Explore the possibilities and have fun.