Guess who outgrew the planters before the other seeds...

One problem when exporting a SketchUp model that contains images as textures to Google Earth is file size. You do not want to have a building model that weighs in at more than 500kB. A 1 MB file may be justified for a very complex building, but anything beyond that will a) load slowly (remember that these models are streamed over your internet connection) and will b) reduce the chances that Google will ever include it in the 3D Building layer in GE. As a result, we have to put our models on a diet. Pardon the pun, but we are after anorexic models here.

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Visiting this building was quite amazing. Not only is its shape and facade a glamorous sight from the outside, being inside makes me want to go to department stores again. It is refreshing to see a store filled with so much natural light that there is no need anymore to ask a sales attendant to escort me outside to check for a sweater's true color.

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I like visiting the Lynn Valley suspension bridge in North Vancouver. It is not as commercial as its big sister - the Capilano bridge - yet it gives you the same thrill walking over it. It was even safe for the kids - apparently the deck got an overhaul last year. What I hadn't seen before was the new cafe and ranger station next to the parking lot. This is a nice pavilion featuring a combination of wood, glass and aluminum. Main features are the big, doubled-up and angled glulam columns and connections that use shear plates and possibly split rings. What was interesting to see was that although there is a good roof overhang (and all columns being sloped inward AND large trees surrounding the location), the two outermost glulams already show quite pronounced signs of weathering.

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It suddenly appeared in our garden...