Sunday, November 8, 2009

Experiences in Scouting and Architecture


(Image above is the "Tooth of Time" at Philmont Scout Ranch)

I am a big supporter of the Boy Scouts organization. Having gone through all of the ranks of Cub scouts and Boys scouts – Bobcat to Eagle then beyond into Explorers as a kid, a lot of good memories were made and skills learned that help me in my day to day living even now.

Be Prepared, the Twelve Scout Laws and many more oaths and sayings are permanently engrained into my mind. Currently, I am a Cubmaster for my 10 year old son’s Cub Scout pack and an Assistant Scout Master for my 13 year old son’s Boy Scout troop. It keeps me hopping and allows me to enjoy scouting as a big kid.

When I was about 16, I went to the world famous Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, NM. My tent partner was a guy named Danny that went to a different high school as I, so we really did not know much about each other before the trek.

Long story short, Danny and I remained friends throughout the years (well over 30 years now).

Danny’s and my lives have cris-crossed throughout the years. Danny and I got our Eagle Scout award about the same time.

He went to the Air Force Academy while I went to Texas Tech. He was first stationed in Lubbock’s Reese Air Force Base while I was finishing up my last year at Tech.
Later, Danny and I became housemates in a small town named Wichita Falls, TX while he was at the base there and I was with an architectural/engineering firm.

Now, Danny is a captain of the largest commercial airliner in the Delta Fleet. He flies the 777 to various international destinations from JFK Airport. Again, crossing paths with me being in NYC.

Yesterday, I he called me to see if I was free to have dinner with him since he had the rare opportunity to play during a long lay-over in NYC. It was great to see him again and catch up with what he and his family has been up to between the years that we have not seen each other.



Danny has been really involved with scouting too. It was a thrill to hear about all of the high adventure scouting trips that he has done. His recent trip was a week trek in Europe. There, he had to technical climb sheer icy cliffs with pitons and ice shoes. What a trip.

Perhaps, you will see some designs that I am developing for his 10 acre estate in the hill country of TX sometime on this blog.

I guess what I enjoy most about my friendship with Danny is that we have created similar experiences throughout our lives. Some together, but mostly in different circles that seem to keep overlaping.

These experiences of life really form our perception of where we are and where we have been. My "Experience Architecture" is no different from this. When we design a space with the "Experience Architecture" philosophy, we are tapping into memories and trigger points that our clients have experienced that they want others to enjoy. Our designs help them have those desired experiences.

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