Massachusetts Views: Seals At The Parker River National Wildlife Refuge

“Sunday Morning” leaves you today with seals sunning at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge in Newburyport, Massachusetts (with some snowy owls looking on). Videographer: Michael Clark.

Parker River National Wildlife Refuge is a wildlife sanctuary encompassing the majority of Plum Island in northeastern Essex County, Massachusetts, 5 miles southeast of Newburyport. It was established in 1942 primarily to provide feeding, resting, and nesting habitats for migratory birds.

The harbour seal, also known as the common seal, is a true seal found along temperate and Arctic marine coastlines of the Northern Hemisphere. The most widely distributed species of pinniped, they are found in coastal waters of the northern Atlantic, Pacific Oceans, Baltic and North Seas.

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Architecture: SRG House In Sydney, Australia (Video)

As an architect’s own home, SRG House by Studio Johnston balances its heritage context with contemporary design aesthetics. Facing the nearby water, the family home retains natural qualities through a strong connection to the surrounding bushland. Despite its inner-city location, the structure has an almost tree house-like quality to it, relating to its waterfront position in subtle and interesting ways.

The original building was dilapidated and had a number of unsympathetic alterations. Being an architect’s own home and after being stripped back, SRG House was reimagined to capture an element of discovery, seen through the materials used and maintained. The house stands as three storeys with an entrance at its middle level. To the left sits the kitchen, and adjacent to this is the dining area with inbuilt furniture.

The house tour then follows the floor plan out to the living space that looks out towards the water. In the original structure, the downstairs space was underutilised and was transformed to become bedrooms and a lounge room overlooking the pool.

Video Timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to the Architect’s Own Home 00:40 – Heritage and History of the Tree House 01:27 – House Design of the Architect’s Own Home 02:10 – Reimagining and Utilising Materials 03:40 – The Aspect of the Tree House 04:23 – The Architect’s Favourite Part of the Home 04:58 – Materials, Products and Furniture Round-Up

Island Walks: Cozumel In Southeastern Mexico

Cozumel, a mostly undeveloped Mexican island in the Caribbean Sea, is a popular cruise ship port of call famed for its scuba diving. At Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park, there’s diving spots around a section of the Mesoamerican Reef and the Museo Subacuático de Arte’s submerged sculptures. Chankanaab is an eco park surrounding a lagoon with underwater caverns, home to dolphins, manatees and sea turtles.