2023 RRSLA Internship Blog

Hello folks, I didn't realize how long it's been since my last update. Time flies when you're having fun I suppose. The past few weeks at work have been good. I did some architecture/site analysis for a confidential project. It's a cool project that I hope to continue working on. On another project I had to spec some artificial trees for an interior planting plan. If you aren't going to use a real tree, why not choose some art or other interior decoration instead? I don't understand the appeal.  Adventures in the Sierra continue. Two weekends ago I was able to take my bike out and explore the paved trail network around South Lake Tahoe. I tried going for a run and quickly realized hills + altitude make it real tough. Last weekend I went snowshoeing up to an alpine lake that was surprisingly still frozen over. I can now say I've walked across a lake. Yesterday I went outdoor climbing at a rock called Sugarloaf. It was my first time climbing granite and my fir...

 Hello everybody!     I am going to dive right into it, t-minus two weeks till I am finished with this internship. It has been mutually agreed that I will not be extending my internship into the summer. My official last day is May 12th at 12. I have a high school friend graduating from Southeaster on the 13th, and Mother's Day is on the 14th. That weekend will be the first time I have left the great state of Florida, since  December. So, I am very much looking forward to being back on Louisiana soil.      I have been working on the same project for three weeks; my eyes have not seen another project. I have spent countless hours adding/subtracting trees to meet the code minimum required. I spent four hours on Sunday identifying the plants in Land F/X. Monday all I should have to do is put the mulch. On Thursday I was sent out to measure 15 existing bald cypress to see, if we could get any credits for them. Thirteen were big enough to count as two credit...

Hey everyone! I hope all of your internships are going smoothly and no one is too stressed out. I'll just go ahead and get started on the update WORK Work has really slowed down at PBD. The Calypso project has been put on the backburner while the clients assemble the other members of the team, so I haven't touched the projects in some time. Instead, I have been moved to designing a community entryway we are doing here in Central Florida, including signage and surrounding planting design. I originally thought it would just be a regular subdivision sign, but it has turned into two 16 foot tall towers, a water feature, and a huge amount of 3D cut corten steel incorporated into the signage. I've gotten a chance to really run with the project, going from sketches and renderings to AutoCAD and finally modeling it out in Sketchup. My coworkers are still tons of fun, and we've decided to invest in small battery charged boats to race in the pond behind us. Everyone at PBD is rea...

 Hey everyone! These past two weeks have been crazy. My one parks project and the Inn project, both of which I've been on since I started, are pretty much over. The parks are moving to a different design phase so there's been a lull because of contract things that I don't fully understand and the Inn is under construction! They've been laying pavers this past week and get plants in next week so my PM is talking about us going up there to supervise end of next week. Since those were my main two projects, I've been thrown around the office a bit on all kinds of things. One of our major lifters is going out of town for 2.5 weeks so everyone is kind of freaking out and I'm getting put as support on two of her projects that have deadlines over the time she's gone so I'm sure these next two weeks are about to be crazy busy. On top of that I've been working on edits to a planting plan for a residential complex down in New York. There are over 300 trees and ...

  hey ;) over the past two weeks, I've been primarily in sketchup. My supervisor wanted me to have some ownership over a project so I could have something cohesive for my portfolio. I've been responsible for continuing to update the sketchup and lumion models in coordination with the architect.  I also worked on a cost estimate for this project, which was tricky, but it was cool to see how that gets organized.  70 acre site in sketchup progress in lumion A few weekends ago I drove home to spend time with my family and eat some crawfish! I was super happy to be able to be with my people and my city, but a weekend was not enough time. I took some friends from Houston with me, and I got to show them around the french quarter during the french quarter festival and we enjoyed some music and art. I've also been exploring more parks and open spaces in Houston, mostly going to Buffalo Bayou Park to go skating.  art shop in the french quarter cool water feature at buffalo bay...

 Foreword: It's been too long since my last post, but that doesn't mean I'm not thinking about you and writing this blog. :) Since I last checked in there have been some interesting events at work besides the usual workflow, which has grown to me seeing a handful of my own residential projects among the grunt work.  Our office hosted the rest of the firm's offices here in Denver. It was fun to network and meet some LSU alums and the other interns.  However, about a week after this, my fellow Denver intern quit; I think he was homesick more than anything but this has been good for me as I'm now the intern that didn't quit (the semester + summer schedule helped make a better impression too). The broship will be missed but the rest of the office also bros down.  The workload projections seem to be calling for more hours so I might get into some overtime for a lil more gas money.  As for my expeditions, I took a nice hike in the Rocky Mountain NP with my coworkers o...

 We began to work in our new office. It is very good. The working environment in our new office is really good. I love working there. When we settled in our new office, we began to have many new projects and work hard. Everyone is very busy during these weeks. I am helping my project manager draw the planting and irrigation plans using CAD. My project manager taught me a lot of CAD skills. Next week, I will have another new project of mapping. This will be a very different project for me. It is about mapping and planning which is very different than the residential projects I did before.  The weather here is a little strange. On Thursday, it was 68 degrees. But yesterday, it was 25 degrees and snowed heavily. The weather changed from spring to winter which made me surprised and confused. Therefore, living here, I must always prepare a coat to avoid the cold weather. Except for the great changes in the weather, living here is really pleasant and relaxing.  Tianji...

Wow, this semester has flown by so quick. We're already nearing the end of April. Crazy. I officially set my last day of work as June 16th, then Sawyer and I plan on making a North California trip the week after that, and then our lease ends June 30th and I'll be back in the boot.  While I have enjoyed this internship and this experience, I am looking forward to it being over. Especially given the fact I'm getting married in July. But I'm still trying to soak in all that California has to offer while I'm still here. Work has been going well recently. My mid-performance review went well and I have had a lot to work on recently. I just clocked in two 52 hour weeks back to back. So this next paycheck will look really nice. Hang in there everyone! We're on the home stretch

I think I said this in the last post but things are really really starting to pick up and the work load has seemed to double in the last two weeks. Which is fine, I don't really feel pressured with anything- just more busy. We also just hired a new landscape architect that will start in two weeks so hopefully that will balance out some of the work. Trying to remember what I did in the last three weeks is hard lol. I think I have done a few base maps, a few small designs, a few plant palette/image boards, and some takeoffs. Mullin's culture patio that I did the 3D work for is currently being built and looks really nice so far. I'll put a picture up when they're done. The plant wall I was working on has since changed to a preserved moss wall which is the smarter move since having alive plants is a lot of risk/money. I just did a lot of research then had to switch gears but it will be okay.  Some recent/in progress work: (the last one is not my design, I just rendered. Its...

 Hey gang, Evan here, I hope all is well with life if not your internship. Only a little bit longer so get what you can and then we will be back at school before ya know it. So, they have offered me the job and then at the end of last week they let me start rendering plans for them. I got to bust out photoshop, markers, pens, and color pencils. I will have to photoshop the names of clients and addresses first before I can post. One was a rendering of a neighborhood community one of the principals designed and the other is of a residential property where they are adding plantings, terracing, and "Pergola X" which the cheapest model they make is at $38,000. We had a sales rep bring lunch for us while he told us about the product, Paco. These pergolas have louvers that open and close according to light, wind, rain, and a timer if you so please so. LED lighting, fans, remotes, the whole nine. Also, I will upload a detail that I worked on for a bocce court, retaining walls, terrac...

 A whole month has passed  since my last post,  and I   didn't  even notice. guess that means I've  been pretty busy lately. I  like the way dan did his blog so let's  break this down shall we.   WORK I've been project hopping the last month, getting put wherever the team needs a little help, usually  with a deadline and then moved when needed elsewhere. This has pros and cons. On the one hand i get to work on a variety of different  projects, on the other i am never on a project long enough to really get acquainted  with any of them. The bulk of my work recently  has been in either indesign or cad. TRAVEL I took last week off to visit with my sister in Colorado . She is a ski lifty in aspen and got us some pretty sweet deals on day passes and rentals. previous to that my parents came to san diego for a few days which was really nice and kind of surreal . ill post a few pictures from both of those experiences.  ...

 Ayyye laddies, recline in yer fancy feather beds, and let me spin ye a yarn. WORK Work is fine, and I have been glad to be very busy this week. My priorities have been a billionaire's house and a cool office space with neat post-industrial material choices. I still always forget to take images at work. Worked through some conundrums in code with fall heights and pool enclosures.  HOME I must move out of the house of the family I am staying with. I am actually quite glad about that but not looking forward to the hassle of moving. Not worth going into depth here on why I'm glad, but ask me when I get back. MISC I played footy today with the Austin Crows, reigning champs of the USAFL. The national team is coming to Austin so I will get a chance to play with guys from the highest attainable level of footy, aside from Intra-Australian teams. I did an adult show-and-tell and I rocked my presentation. Most of the others were boring drags. Let me please tell y'all something. The b...

 Hi, its me again, Marcelle.  This is how the concept came out for the pocket park Ive been working on, Im quite proud of it.