Dear Penny,

One of those "can't sleep so get up with the idea the higher forces downloaded instead" moments. Quickest of notes:

SAVING OLD BUILDINGS

We lack power to keep places the way they are and we are loosing structures faster than we can count them. This applies globally, but I try to focus  on the issue in the three places that I know from living there (but very loosely speaking, with lots of diversions):

1) East Palo Alto

2) Madrid, NM (The Turquoise Trail, etc.)

3) St. Ann's Bay, Jamaica

REMEDIES

- I sense that all the "remedies" we can apply are pretty much common to all three settings (and pretty much anywhere else)

- They have to do with an economy of a tourism of place-as-it-is that you and JB have taught me so much about.

- Using digital photography, email and Facebook as major tools, we might be able to start a program of  photographing structures, measuring them, and reproducing them in another location.

A MODEL

Marilyn Scoot's house on Clarke Ave in EPA

- might be one of only a handful of Weeks-related buildings left

- help for the project might be available from Mitch Postel, Stanford (Michael Levin's old associates), or other educational institutions.

- BUT maybe anything realistic depends on Mitch (Marilyn's house COULD actually be the only intact Weeks house left.) He would have to refer it to some source that would take major responsibility for it. Without that, I imagine that the project is a no go. 

SO

- I wonder what you think of the idea of (someone) photographing and measuring the house and stashing the info in several places in case money, space, will ever result in applying the info  now or in the future.

- IF you think it's worthwhile, would you be able/willing to give Mitch a call and check what he has to say?

MISC

- Students need something useful to do, so piling this issue on them isn't unreasonable.

- YOU most likely don't have the wherewithal (to say the least) to do any major work on this.

- It is a subject better suited to Mitch than to Levin, whose loyalties and aspiration remain unclear.

- If the program can get off the ground in EPA (including extensive photodocumentation) it might be more palatable to other places, notably Jamaica. 

- The idea is to spread the work so that many hands make light work (or something like that).

So what do you think ? :-)

T

PS: As I recall, I tend to think issues are much simpler than they turn out to be, so there's THAT to consider also!