We always look forward to getting our minds expanded by new work from Shabazz Palaces (aka Black Constellation). This gorgeous short film from the Seattle-based hip-hop collective does the trick and then some. The piece, which carries the unwieldy title of Ode to Octavia part 12: (Sparkles)... Recollections of the Wraith, was shot on location in Methow Valley, Cascade foothills and in......read more
If someone told you there is a Silicon Valley startup selling bottled air to China, you would probably think it’s a joke. And it is; the startup is actually in Alberta, Canada. Vitality Air produces and sells “hand-bottled” air from Banff and Lake Louise, two Canadian locales known for their Rocky Mountain surroundings and crystal clear bodies of water. The startup has......read more
Esteemed American photographer Steve McCurry, who is perhaps best known for his iconic "Afghan Girl' image, has built a 30-year career traveling the world to career to document traditional cultures before their transition to modernity. In 2012 he travelled to southwestern Ethiopia to live with and shoot the Kara and Surma tribes of the Omo Valley. The project was set up by Omo......read more
Michael Poliza is a man of many hats. The former child actor juggles multiple roles as an expedition leader, tourism consultant, World Wildlife Fund Ambassador, and professional photographer. What remains constant is a thirst for adventure that informs all of his work, including these aerial photos he shot from a helicopter over the Rift Valley in Kenya and Ethiopia. The images are pulled from......read more
The IT House is a pre-fab design system developed by LA-based architects Taalman Koch. Delivering optimum control of construction waste, labor, and quality of finished product, the firm has several of its IT Homes built. This particular one is located off-the-grid in Pioneertown, California, near Joshua Tree National Park. Conceived as a small house with glass walls and an open floor plan, the......read more
Stretching 450 miles from Bakersfield north to Redding, California’s expansive Central Valley contains some of the most productive farmland in the world. The sun shines 300 days a year and the valley represents the world's largest patch of Class A soil -- the very best growing dirt there is. So it doesn't surprise us to learn that the area grows the majority of the produce......read more
It's official, spring is upon us. What better way to ring it in than to swoon over some some breathtaking, back-to-nature photos. These images, from a series by Swedish photographer Anna Aden called Lily of the Valley, should do the trick. With a painterly eye for countryside scenery, Anna depicts an angelic figure lazily enjoying a warm day in nature. At only 25-years old, this girl has some......read more
When the owner of a Silicon Valley property decided to renovate his family home, he also decided to make good on an idea he and his daughter shared: building treehouses in an oak grove on the edge of the property. While not exactly treehouses per se, these three tea houses nestled among the stands of oak should do the trick. Designed by Swatt Miers Architects, the glass-paneled tea houses......read more
From NYC-based architect David Jay Weiner comes Zen Garden House, a residential retreat nestled in the San Luis Valley near Crestone, Colorado. The home has been designed to take advantage of the unique serenity and jaw-dropping vistas in the surrounding area. Befitted with a traditional tatami mat meditation space adjacent to an outdoor Zen rock garden, the house provides......read more
Like we recently mentioned, the sustainable farming movement is alive and growing in New York's Hudson River Valley. NYC photog Daniel Handal documents the back-to-the-land movement thriving in the area with a collective portrait called Between Forest and Field. These are not old and crusty farmers, desperately hanging on to a rural life their children have left behind. No sir. These are......read more