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A Bridge Apart…

heidi08 Beavers or Social Ambasadors, Creative Solutions, Tile Bridge March 12, 2010

Yesterdays tile installation was a wonder to behold. All 100+ tiles were laid by noon, and traffic was literally stopped as people slowed their cars to admire how it looked. Channel 2 came for an interview and footage, as well as the Contra Costa Times and Record.

We still have grouting and UV protection to add, but the hard part is done. Our generous contactor Dimitry Doronkin did an excellent job, but very much appreciated his hands on assistant, Worth A Dam treasurer (husband!) and beaver friend Jon. Yesterday I wasted no time writing the council, inviting them to come see for themselves, and asking for a donation to pay for this years festival art supplies! I got some positive responses, too, so we’ll see what transpires.

I was saying yesterday that designing the tile layout and counting the needed border tiles for the perimeter was one of the most challenging beaver labors my brain has faced. Its not what I generally do well. I tried begging some designers for insight, but no one felt so inclined. I was helped, oddly enough, by using scrabble tiles on a raised deluxe board (letter up: colored tiles, wood surface: border tiles) and lots and lots of repetition. Turns out my uneasy calculations were exactly correct. We had three extra tiles.

Come down and admire the artists work in all its bridge-y glory. Stop by the primary dam and see its disarray and then stroll to the footbridge to admire where the beavers have been putting all their effort. It has been a magical week aboard the beaver madness express. If there were any more room in the scrapbook, this would definitely go in it.

It’s tile time!

heidi08 Friends of Martinez Beavers, Tile Bridge March 11, 2010

Today 99 children’s tiles will become a permanent memorial to the beavers in Alhambra Creek. I cherish every single one of our young (and not-so-young young!) artists’ contributions along with the help of our generous donors that made this possible. The Gazette asked me today if there would be some kind of ribbon cutting or ceremony, but I told them no, just an open invitation for people to come down and see them for themselves. Wednesday, with the measuring and taping, you could really see how the project is going to look. Art to draw attention to the creek and its famous residents, beavers to draw attention to the deserving artists. It’s a perfect combination.

I won’t get all misty-eyed about the miles we’ve travelled to get to this place, or the challenges and bitter sheetpile hardships we have endured. I won’t mention the kits that didn’t survive this year, or the long hours of worry as we watched for missing faces. I won’t talk about all the exaggerations, the lies, the accusations or the mean-spirited panic beaver supporters have faced. I’ll just think about a certain November evening 27 months ago when everything changed.

Thank you Martinez, for giving our beavers the best possible welcome and thank you beavers, for teaching a city how to listen.

At Last…

heidi08 Tile Bridge March 10, 2010

Dimitry Doronkin: Contractor: Double Quality Remodeling (925) 708-1587

Tile-Bridge work begins today, barring a weird sudden rain storm like we saw last night. I couldn’t be happier to see the treasures of last summer become the pavings of tomorrow. I’ve heard from at least two papers that they’ll be by to photograph. Taping, measuring and framing today for the five panels, laying tomorrow. Stop by and say hi, look for your child’s tile, or just send a mental good luck.

The website was terrifyingly disabled last night when the host site did an upgrade. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anything more frightening than the error message. The only word I understood was “missing”. It’s back where it belongs, but we’re short 700 viewers! Come back! Come back! All is forgiven! Once again, I must say that Bluehost has the very best tech support in the known universe. Thanks guys! Whew.

Bridge over troubled waters…

heidi08 Environmental, Festival, Friends of Martinez Beavers, Tile Bridge January 13, 2010

Part II: Public Outcry becomes Public Art!

Tomorrow morning Escobar bridge will be taped off by city staff and our contractor Dimitry Doronkin will begin the task of laying the ceramic painted tiles on the bridge surface. He will be helped by Roger of the Environmental Studies Academy, a student of Rona Zollinger and the son of a tile & granite contractor himself. Worth A Dam will be there, handing out water, picking up trash and making sure the right tiles go in the right places.I heard from Lisa at the Contra Costa Times that we might even have a photographer stop by to record the moment.

Dimitry tells me they will lay tiles on thursday, and grout them on friday. The tile will be sealed for graffiti and UV protection, and will need to dry 72 before the last layer can be applied. Maybe you’d like to stop by and honk your support? The blue trim tile was purchased at Laufen tile in nearby Pacheco, and they kindly gave us a “school” discount for beavers. The trim pieces will be cut today by Chris Johnson at Bullnosing by Craftsman on Nardi Lane in Martinez. Jon is meeting Dimitry at the Home Depot in Martinez to buy supplies. All in all it couldn’t be a more local project.

Back in July, Worth A Dam was able to land an interview plugging the beaver festival on KCBS. The beaver-weary radio man made a series of veiled remarks bemoaning their presence and said “I guess Martinez has decided to turn its lemons into lemonade“. Sigh. What can you do to combat that kind of prejudice?

Now I think I would smile very indulgently and say, “Gosh I don’t think its entirely fair to call our city council “lemons“. Sure they’ve been difficult, but we have managed to work with them.”

Bridge-Brigade!

heidi08 Tile Bridge, Why We Care December 8, 2009

Yesterday I got word from ESA instructor Rona Zollinger (and long time beaver friend!) that our student helpers had finished with their “ascribing tiles” for the bridge art project. Would I like to come pick them up? Rona and her students were at the original beaver meeting in 2007, and told me once at the farmer’s market that it had been “thrilling” to attend and show her students first hand how all those people caring about something can make a difference. I was immediately fond of her after that! Since then I have really been drawn to learn about the academy and the remarkable way it teaches stewardship not just for the earth but for the humans that populate it. I did a beaver presentation to the class last year, and was definitely impressed.

What this means is that if the weather gives us a few dry days we can start installation. Take a moment to contemplate the distance crossed in spanning this particular hurdle. First we had to convince the donors to give us money for the pens and the tiles. Then we had to encourage copius young artists at the festival and John Muir Mountain Camp, then we had to bake all 120 tiles in the oven, (which if your oven is 100 years old will only hold 12 tiles at once), then we had to find a contractor and get him to pledge to the project, then we had to beg, plead, muscle and cajole our way onto the Agenda for the Marina, Pool, Parks and Cultural Commission, then we had to present to them and sit through their 3 hour meeting, then we had to meet with the director of public works, then photgraph every tile for their inspection, and FINALLY we had to present to the city council and get final final final approval.

Whew. I’m exhausted just typing it.

Coday, Jessica, Roger and Maddy did a stellar job with their civic art. Check it out. I can’t wait until this project is lauched! Hmmm…what will we do next year?

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