March 10, 2021
Season 2, Episode 6 (Peter and Eric)
We had special guests Peter and Eric stop by to discuss their 29 year relationship both personally and professionally and share their story and experiences.
Please check them out at SCIDESIGNS.com
We had special guests Peter and Eric stop by to discuss their 29 year relationship both personally and professionally and share their story and experiences.
Please check them out at SCIDESIGNS.com
Transcript
Hello, and welcome to The Q Lounge Podcast. I'm Eric and I'm Gil. Join us as we discuss news stories and life situations. As they relate to the LGBTQIAPK+ experience, please visit us at theQloungepodcast.com and hit that subscribe button or listen wherever you get your podcasts while you're there. Please leave us a five star review and don't forget to tell your friends.
Eric S.:
Hello and welcome to The Q Lounge. I'm Eric and I'm Gil. And today we are happy to be joined by Peter and Eric from SCI Designs. How are you guys doing today?
Peter:
I'm fine. How about you are doing great.
Eric S.:
Thank you. That's good. Glad to hear that. Although how sad are COVID shots, yesterday day. And so we
Peter:
got a temperature. I have a temperature today, so we won't get into that too much, but they do say a slight fever and odd enough, I felt great. I still feel good, but I do have a fever. I go what's going on here up, but anyway, was that your
Eric S.:
first vaccine? Yes,
Peter:
that's the first dose.
Eric S.:
Okay. I have both of my doses. So I know you had said that to Amarillo. Okay,
Peter:
vaccines anyway, but we're on our own because we really need to get back to Florida as well, because we're going back and forth as and we wanted to do this out here, but it was still taking longer. So Amarillo became the best option. We've heard very good things. And there was a very professional
Eric:
18 to 64. My group. So that was great. So we
Peter:
get in there of course at the lower end.
Eric S.:
Yeah.
Peter:
That's awesome.
Eric S.:
I always claim that I'm 23, so all good. How was the COVID world treating you guys overall?
Peter:
It's been interesting because we've had. We thought going into it when we got word of it, that this is so it's going to be really something fierce and scary for us because we had it, it was a, an up and down thing. Landscape architecture was cyclical and you're part of the whole developmental world. But because we did international work, we were somewhat, or often quite immune to this sort of thing that would hit the domestic market. But what indeed occurred was that we had a very good year last year with certain what I called COVID angel clients who were there for us. We had one large job that we still hope goes on. A lot of work was done. It's in the Looking for, serious investment partner mode and and which projects have to do of course, but this client was superb. It's in Florida, East coast, a wonderful project, huge project. And we were really given. So much like carte blanche to play with. And so it started at a master planning level and anyway, we took it all the way to even series architecture. We have a dear friend, who's an architect from South America who we brought on board because the client wasn't ready to. Bring on board a full-time architect, because I think he was knowledgeable, but where he was going to go with his funding or not, or, retake time. And so it was a great project and it really kept us going and it was a lot of fun. And great team. There were quite a few people involved and I think we made a big difference to where it is right now. And hopefully he can kick it off because he's in the right place. And I think in about a year's time, it will be in the right time for it as well or less. Oh, that's great.
Eric S.:
And you guys do some amazing work Their work can be showcased at like the premier resorts around the world.
Peter:
It has been our specialty, our resorts, and we tend to do master planning, sometimes whole resort communities. And then we have a third partner, Tim Campbell. He's amazing for master planning and he's in Orlando where he recites with a lovely wife and has a daughter a young daughter who's just a doll anyway. But the it really is interesting in that the profession as such, we get this work and we can go from masterplan or we can go to even down to a little boutique hotel. But largely it's been hospitality related. But not always. We love urban design. We love city parks or small small little pocket parks. We really get into all of that. We have a relatively modern style. It's started more vernacular driven, meaning very strong a place cues from colonial, or let's say Thai or Balinese, that sort of thing. But we've Matured as a company into contemporary yet of place kind of organic touches because being landscape architects, but we really do the hardscape. We do everything that's beyond the building envelope. So we just don't shrub it up as, some people often think we actually go in and create a,
Eric:
we started the company in 1992 and yeah. Started in with many projects in Egypt and a huge project in Spain that got us going the first a year two, a business. But then in Egypt, we are traveling there all the time and doing their resort hotels from Cairo over to Sharmel shake and the some of Bay in, in Hurghada, Egypt. So that was a interesting time. We were working with Michael Graves and a lot of other great architects, and we were just starting out our company. So that, from that it just grew. And then we're doing Hyatt hotels over there and then Hyatt hotels around the world. Hi,
Peter:
it has been good to us. Although we have been Hyatt went through some changes as companies do. Some of those people have moved on to other corporate hotel corporations. We became more diversified in the last years, which is, that's always healthy for any company. And but Hyatt, we have to give them kudos, have been very good to us and we've made many wonderful professional friendships at Hyatt and. Many of those people have now, as I said, moved on or many have retired as of late. So that's a kind of an interesting turn of things, but now we're working with new groups just started with a new hotel group. It's still confidential, but they're well known and it will be our first entree with them. So we're very excited and we seem to really like what we're showing them as initial imagery. Okay.
Eric:
We were able to do the grand lakes resort, which is a thousand JW Marriott hotel and a 500 room Ritz Carlton in Orlando was one of the premier resorts at the time. And then from there we did the Waldorf Astoria hotel and Hilton at bonnet Creek. The animal kingdom lodge was one of our projects. Disney, but and then we we worked recently on the Jimmy Buffett, Margaritaville resort, which is a huge new develop and continue
Peter:
to do just expanding
Eric:
further they're ongoing stuff. They've been very good to us as well. And then
Peter:
that's really interesting as Eric describes it. You're what you're hearing is domestic work specifically, Florida based because our offices are, you had heard Tim at our Orlando office and we recite in Sarasota. Florida, even though we had our origins in California and in California, we were doing really well. We were ahead almost solely. Just about 95% international work. And then unfortunately, lo and behold nine 11 and those towers came down and the rest is history and it really hit the tourism market. Of course huge, everybody became home bodies. No one was traveling anymore. And And so because of that, our work just like
Eric:
project California was a hotel on cannery row and Monterey. And day after the September 11th tragedy we were driving down to Monterey this, the client said, Oh no, everything's still goes, we're driving down to listen to the news. And then 10 days later they found out their funding was pulled for the project. By the banks.
Peter:
Everyone was in a fog at that time in their head. Grinding down, going this ain't going to continue. What are they thinking? But why are we even wasting our time with a meeting, cause it was quite a haul from Napa to Monterey. Exactly. And It's it was a case of but that was what, where things went. And then out of the blue though, through our, who's now a partner with us, Tim, he, he brought to us the potential to work, which we had already tickled a bit while we were still in California with a developer who was doing big things in The Bahamas, as well as Florida and the East coast, but a huge thing in The Bahamas. This. Potential client is just a dear is a very interesting fellow. He's Southern as can be. And yet, Oh my gosh, you voted him in as president. He has such a, amazing personality as such charisma. He, you think, it was one of those cases where there's
Eric:
no, Hey. And they knew that they were still
Peter:
He's just contacted us and hopefully we can go somewhere with him on something else. But these are the people you meet along the way, and sometimes it's just surprising that you think, Oh, look at that. He's so cool. About stuff and you'd not necessarily, maybe think that initially, but was fabulous work for awhile. It brought us out though. However, you can stay in California. You've got to come out to Florida. If you want to do this work in The Bahamas. So we said what the heck? We literally had to disband our office because income stopped overnight. Yeah. Okay.
Eric:
And then but we've also done, Projects in many other parts of the country, like the Andaz resort in Yula, Maui, Deon, Dawson, Papa, Gaya. CostaRica those are all Hyatt related.
Peter:
So obviously the world comes back. Yes. And we were given these wonderful projects. Again many of them, and that's also when we at that point too, we decided to already happened in the late in the late nineties, certainly, but to transition to a more contemporary kind of style for ourselves, something we were always more comfortable with anyway, wanting to do Erik mid-century modern. Like you can't believe I do as hell. From furniture design down to, a cigarette case, whether it be also art deco, we love the
Eric:
I first started collecting mid-century modern and understanding that. And no, it was probably the next big thing. And of course now it is. But our modern aesthetic was always there, but we were had, we had to do things that were, responded to the localities, like our it was our park Hyatt Goa India,
Peter:
Which is totally Portuguese colonial. It's a very clean style. We always try to do things and not get fussy or gimmicky. It's not what we do. So even what we call work that is more of vernacular driven, based on historic sort of cues and precedents Which obviously the Hyatt is in Goa and it's now a new ownership and I forget their name, but if you do look up park, Hyatt, Goa in India, you'll see it. And it really turned out very well and was, and that's probably one of the great examples, including the Hyatt Hua Hin Thailand, which is two hours South of Bangkok. That was
Eric:
one of our very first projects too. Hua Hin Thailand, It's more traditional style. Certainly
Peter:
it's an organic lagoon like pool. No, we start with a very formal fabulous fountain, which has elephant heads as part of the pedestal with a fabulous, huge bowl that comes up. And then that overflows and then at the four corners are. I have to go to the place that made him special, extra large urns the roof as tall as I was, and as, as wide. And I'm not wide, but but
Eric S.:
And the Saved
Peter:
every
Eric:
tree on the
Peter:
site, every tree on the site what's the client wanted, being devout Buddhists. This was important to them. It was actually a Christian school or retreat with, from a Christian school for people to go from Bangkok down there to Hua Hin, which is on the water, beautiful beach, stunning beach, and had a very long sight, which is very rare in Hua Hin they're always these narrow things and you get a little snippet of each. This one was like huge long site. And and we created a really. Fun projects. And what's the good point for both of Goa. And and Hua HIn in Thailand Goa in India is that you get to work with wonderful local people who then take your wildest wonderful ideas, and then they create something so special, extraordinary. The fountain, the elephant fountain at Hua hIn is an excellent example of that because I. I had a basic design, not far from what's there, but boy, local people amp it up into only what the Thai can do. That's so important because it doesn't have to be about us as designers all the time. It's about really the guest experience is who we designed for. We have clients, but of course they're paying our bills and we work hard. And then create the very best we possibly can. But in the end, it's the clients who go with their little kids and they go enjoy the pool, mommy and daddy, or it's a honeymoon couple,
Eric S.:
God forbid a gay couple.
Peter:
They go and enjoy. And Thailand is students super all of that, but it just it just to be designed for is in the end. And that's a very rewarding for as Eric and I, we go and check like the TripAdvisor reviews. Oh, the pools, because we designed the pools
Eric:
to start with Hyatt. Not with our own company, but a previous job when he's working in, why he designed the Kauai, which was a, one of the most incredible hotels you
can
Peter:
imagine, which is the grand Hyatt. No, it was the Hyde Regency it's at point pu remains the stunner and is so beloved. And I tell you, we don't often, we're always so busy, you're as good as your next project. You roll onto the next 20 years. They, Oh my God. Peter Eric was lolly gag in these hotels all the time. But in that particular case I did. And I remember I was low key. I just loved it. It was it was a beautiful and that, that project got hit by a Iniki nine months after opening. And Iniki was one of the worst hurricanes to get why and it broadsided Kauai. I love Kauai. It's my fate. I just love alive. It's still in my heart. Is this New Mexico. And and so just broadsided it and that client that still own it from 16 something Shinto, temple builders, Japanese ownership, they wanted it brought back exactly the landscape as Peter had intended. It was the biggest, one of the biggest compliments of my life.
Eric:
We know we don't usually like to stay at the mega resorts like that, but we design them to make them. Something that we would stay at. Cause we liked boutique hotels, even the grass, grass hut with,
with
Eric:
shelf Wars, we beat the
Peter:
state very rustic because we love the local experience, of all sorts of places. So we've been so fortunate in our lives to have traveled already in our thirties and forties and fifties and sixties. And so in see amazing places where people, if they're lucky they do, when they retire, they go to these things we've been able to because of our international basis. And a very wonderful thing happened at the Hyatt Kauai. It's a really important thing is that I was, we'd created an amazing swim lagoon. That's in addition to the more still very sexy swimming pools that are currently in you and they go up the hillside and there's a. Fabulous light tucked into wonderful rock work done by a gentleman called John Who's sadly no longer with us, a true artist. Don't find them like that often really anymore. And but the people adore the swimming, it looks like a sand bottom. It looks like the little tide pools? Exactly. The restaurant is what's on this wonderful swimmable features called tide pools, the restaurant, and I was in the water and here's this wonderful woman pregnant as can be. She probably, it was her last point to get back on the plane that the doctors would allow. But she was from, I believe, California. And she was just laying there and we were just talking and I said, Oh, isn't this just wonderful. And she looks, and she goes, Oh, I would love to tell the person who designed this, that they've saved me. I have had to carry this child. And I'm so boyant, into this beautiful lagoon pool, I've never felt so good in months. And I said I wasn't going to say anything, but I said little old me. Must be what here. I wasn't that old at the time, but she just loved it. She just, she was beside herself. She just started pointing me out to everybody. I was like trying to be low profile. I said that's over. But though that's where isn't that wonderful that, so that's what you do. People go on holiday. It's so important. This is their downtime. They save for it. They look forward to it. Now everybody's cooped up and we can talk about that more because of COVID it's going to be an amazing flood of needing to do things. So anyway. Oh then we'll go ahead. We're taking away from your question. No.
Gil:
So how was the coming out story for you
Peter:
guys? Coming out, you're coming out. I grew up in Albuquerque. I had however, very art, arty, liberal European parents, my father Hungarian and my mother was German. And also Austrian her father came from Austria. Her mama was from Germany. And And they'd be that all became part of my life. The moment that they could afford to Europe was in our future, my future. And I was very fortunate to be a kid from a big cow town like Albuquerque, which was still the coolest
Eric S.:
place to grow up because
Peter:
Albuquerque was it was at, and I think it's coming back. I hope with all the things with Netflix and whatnot, it deserves it, but we were at the apex. It was just booming. You had people at Sandia labs, so smart making tons. You know of money with fabulous jobs. Everybody had their beautiful homes who were using way too much water back then, but you had lawns everywhere. It was just, everybody would go to the nursery and buy their bedding plants. It was just like surreal and in some way, so very fortunate Albuquerque public school systems were off the hook. They were voted among the 10 best in the country. The schools. So I felt very fortunate. But with that, because my parents were there once that, both Eric and we didn't, it wasn't a thing that we were like, I knew at an early age, but it wasn't like, okay, this is just a phase I'm just into action hero figures. This is going to pass. Okay. And but sure enough, you've got to realize my passing. And so the coming out was certainly in my Case. My parents knew, and it was this really when I finally really had deep discussion with them, it was probably early twenties though. It was like. Just, I think all figured out, but it was, this was their reaction was don't you think we knew enough about you? We need to get back to our problems. I need to move. It lasted that long.
Eric:
We already knew each other at that time.
Peter:
Eric and I we had just started to know each other because I had gone on to my first job very early on after I graduated I was relatively young when I graduated from Cal poly Pomona, even after transferring after two years in Albuquerque. And I ended up working for firm in Yeah. One of the best firms that were just starting to do hotel work with one of the best architects who are also just starting to do serious hotel work, which was ready to boom. And it was in, in throughout California, particularly the California desert elsewhere, along the coast. And Eric had just been hired prior to that. He graduated a year before I did in Ohio state. And he's an Ohio boy and I can tell stories about that. But I was one of the first to be hired after there was a recession in 82, and I couldn't find a job anywhere. I came back home from California. Thank God for my parents. They paid for everything and I could be with them. And I tried to look for work everywhere, Texas, Florida. And everybody at the top companies all said no. We realized where you're coming from. And I was very fortunate. I was able to graduate with one of the top five national student awards in landscape architecture. And nobody really cared. They cared, but nobody had anything to offer. So it was a case of it was certainly an eye-opener for me. It brought me down, I don't think you hit me. I was never a cocky sort, but I thought I'll do okay. I'll do. Okay. And so it took a while it took about seven months until I finally got a job. I
Eric:
was, I was hired in 1981 and then I was the golden boy of the company. It was a pretty large company and they were letting, young designers do their thing. And then I came in, I was a big thought as the big shot and everything. And then they hired this guy from Polly pine means what's the competition? It's Oh my
Peter:
gosh. And these firms would do that. They'd love to hire the young people they pit one against the other. They were, none of the owners, they were relatively good businessmen. They were in the right place at the right time. And interestingly as such, they, none of them were like supremely talented designers. It was the next tier. But, they had created this firm and it was, going places. And so they were looking for the talent and Eric was just amazing. He actually, the
Eric:
first project I got was the Ritz Carlton and Laguna Niguel was the very first re it resort hotel. So they pretty much dumped it onto me. And I was working with one of the bosses over nighters
Peter:
forever,
Eric S.:
and
Peter:
it's you joined the Marines
Eric:
good experience. And then from there, Years later we have our own company, we ended up doing the grand lakes resort, which is really one of the premier hotels for Ritz-Carlton at Marriott. But so Peter comes along and and next thing we became friends and then we became roommates in Corona Del Mar, California. And then he tells me he's moving to Hawaii. And he said, I'm moving to Hawaii
Peter:
because I wanted to do tropical work. I'm wanting to get out and see Asia. I wanted to, because of my parents, I didn't want to go too far away. And I was offered a job in Singapore probably should have taken it because. It would have been, I know who took it and it changed their lives pretty much. But in note, in any case, I went and found back then you used the yellow pages. You didn't go online. So I went to the
Eric S.:
library in Corona Del Mar found the Honolulu
Peter:
yellow pages, copied the landscape architecture section with an old big fat Xerox machine and proceeded to dial away at home on a, an a, on a regular coat. And sure enough, I get the guy who becomes my future boss, who then hires me as director of design for his company. He was just coming out to Pasadena to see his parents and he hired me. And so I interviewed with him in California and he says, you have the jobs. When can we have, so he left me
Eric:
high and we ran friends. We were just friends at that time. We had separate bedrooms and so forth, but we were best friends, so I can move to Hawaii. Then I would travel over there and visit him on occasions. But then it wasn't until
Peter:
I saw the site for the height, it was just sand dunes. So we were really close,
Eric S.:
travel to the Caribbean together and on trips. And finally in St. John's it came together in a tent. You
Peter:
know, you just get that sultry, tropical weather it's things blossom
Eric:
for me. I was I grew up in Ohio, a little town in Southern Ohio and I knew since I was six years old and I was, this way or different of course than the others. And then we were in, we we had a nasty priest at our one Catholic the local Catholic church. So we ended up going to another Catholic church in Mason, Ohio, and there's this other family there that would. Come often. And the sun was George Clooney turkeys and set up. And I was a little bit, two years older than him, I think, but we'd sit. It was a U shaped church. And it was like, I fell in love with this other person, and. It's just so influenced by that. And
Peter:
That's your first boing
Eric:
but honest to God knows he was there. His dad was a newscaster in Cincinnati, Ohio at the time. And but George was very just the as, as cute as could be. And so I had the secret crush on him at that time, but it wasn't to my brother in Ohio no less so later, my brother was. Flying to California with George when George was first in going to Hollywood. And my brother tells me about him as, Oh my gosh. Yeah, Nick's son. George has. Yeah. And that he's going to be a big star someday and sure enough, it became the big star. But so other than that, you, my family, my, my family is very accepting of everything and my brother actually moved to California to live with my friend Randall, who was older than me, but he was my mentor in California and he helped me helped me come out at the age of 24, I think. And but my brother became very friends. You're very close to him
Peter:
because he got to know him through
Eric:
Eric. And then finally then my mom and my brother asked me, w do you have something going on with Randall said yes. And that was,
Peter:
that was fine. And but yeah, no, there you go.
Eric:
And I have my cousin Todd on my mother's brother's son and his daughter and two daughters they're lesbians. And so something's going in the family there, the family was all great until recently when I found out that. There's serious Republicans politics. Wasn't a big deal until, recently the last four years. And my mother is a Republican, my uncle, I call him uncle. Uncle bigot, the one that introduced me to gay people his friend was very best friend that was famous entertainers in Cincinnati on television. And that was the first time he ever saw a gay couple in my life. And that was Uncle Ronnie'sbest friends. And then he becomes a politician. Of course. Then marriage is between a man and a woman, not Adam and Steve. She said it on national television. I was like, Oh Ronnie, how could you do this? I
Peter:
know time, we have such faith in young people, such as yourselves and my relatives in Hungary. My father was Hungarian as I think I mentioned, and they are so cool and fabulous. And they adore Eric. One of them named their child, Eric. And and because they liked him so much. And and then they named Peter after this, I got too many Peters running around with my name, but anyway, it's just it's really fabulous to see that there's such a open, fabulous thinking. Even a cousin of mine that I know has become very religious to the point. Always welcoming may not. Be completely for it, but we have had such a dear friendship all lives that I think that allows him to see that there's good in everyone and to certainly adores me and that doesn't become a problem, whether he would do that with. Others who may be gay. I'm not quite sure, but he's a fabulous doctor, but these are the kind of the interesting things you come across, and in life. But I really do, I am excited about the young people. And even the Eric has relatives, from his side, it's so diversified and they've married they're interracial and it's happening, it's, that's good news. And so they're. And, whether it be gay, straight, Black, or Asian, all this kind of, it's wonderful and that's the way of the world. And that tide is going to continue to just get bigger and bigger, it's just how it is. Thankfully. What else, gentlemen?
Eric S.:
With all the places you guys have been to and all the work you guys have done around the world, have you guys come into any conflicts with the fact that you guys are gay or is everyone pretty much accepting or is it just not really discussed?
Peter:
It's, I think it's that, we sell ourselves as landscape architects. It's, I present myself as a, what do you do? Oh I'd love design. I'm a landscape architect and Oh, by the way, if they have, Oh yes, I happen to be gay. And but no, no one, what happens is that some interesting things happen. We told me about the gentleman before, who you might've thought, because of his Southern, upbringing and all of that turns out to be wonderful human being in all sorts of ways. Very worldly and just a delight. And and then you have others where it may not have dawned on them, but because as you become familiar with them, People working on the project who work for this client. I say my partner, Eric, and they know that, Oh, but they live together as well, not just business partners. And because I mentioned partner Tim, but there's a different animal. And and then that kind of, worked its way back to this client. And even though we did. Two fabulous projects for them that has garnered amazing recognition, the press and awards and all of that. We got phased out and I, I don't know completely, but I just could tell there was a big difference when. I saw that, because they knew the whole thing and they were real sweet about it. They were, European and, but then that might've been,
Eric:
so they also said that they couldn't work with us anymore cause we're Americans and this particular client is Palestinian and he did not want to work with Americans because of Trump.
Peter:
And we understood that, because pro was this whole pro thing
Eric:
international work stopped immediately when Trump was elected into office. No we
Peter:
were very fortunate to be among the last of the the where there was sold American on the project. And he allowed that right. But then unfortunately, whatever reason it faded out, but I know, and we've had an issue with the last four years with Trump's administration was horrible for us internationally. It just dried up were the
Eric:
heroes just before and then we become the because of. How Trump dealt with
Peter:
international. We were the hope of the world. And then we became, this disaster case, and it was really hard to sell ourselves. Now that also had a lot to do quite frankly, that in the world people the professional landscape architecture has really developed in the last four years, regionally in other places of the world, where before we were so lucky because unlike architecture or certain engineering, like civil or structural, you have them all over the world. Been, 20 years ago, 30 years ago, 10 years ago. But now in the last 10 years, a landscape architect has really risen in places like Bangkok and places like Singapore in places like Europe, Egypt, even people have moved there, Brazil, it's really tough. That said we still bring a certain people, still love what we do and they realize, and so sometimes we do joint ventures with local designers and say, let us give the feel to a certain phase. And it's your best bang for the buck and take it, let's say to schematic or the next phase design development, and then you can carry it on with your local. Cool landscape architect, and we can check their documents to make sure the design attempt is made. But for all we think team all the time, we try to be very how should I say nurturing? Because there everybody brings something to the table. Now, and then there's You say, Oh my God, this is a disaster. And I'll let a client know. But for the most part, there's some really great people out in the world that we get to work with and they learn from us, and we learn from them. And and so it makes for a better project, even though we've always been very team-oriented and we tell the client that and clients come back and say, you've always said that it's really true. And there isn't the ego at the door. It has to be a change because of something, culturally or monetarily regarding the costs. We do it and said it, but let us do it. Let us handle the change and then we don't want a wound in our plate. We want to see something that heals well, because we were able to, it's our baby, let us be there for it.
Gil:
Makes sense. Did you have any like favorite projects that you've done over the years where you're like, that was the baby? That's the one that I absolutely love or is everything pretty much the same?
Peter:
No, we've been, we really bent back backwards for each and every project it's easily said. I know, but we really do. We do not go to a drawer and pull out standardize details. God forbid that ever happens. And but we
Eric:
don't, we're only as good as our next resort hotel. Exactly.
Peter:
And so we look at it like a good interior designer would, these are like outdoor spaces. Outdoor experiences has to be fresh and different. Every time we look at the local culture for motifs and stories, and also a strong sense of place. What is the place about what is the environmental conditions. We're not going to plant an Amazon style rain forest in a an extremely. sea coast oriented, location where you have winds and salt, it ain't going to work. People have tried in Vietnam, for instance, one of a fabulous project that. Had certain difficulties at first, but it really did turn out well. And we love working with architects. We also have fabulous time with interior designers because that's where we connect with them. For the indoor to outdoor relationships are so important, especially in climates where you tend to be outdoors more often, but even in Santa Fe here maybe not in the winter, but then everything opens up because we have such a,salubrious a long summer climate here that is so stress free, humidity, the bugs, nothing. But the Hyatt Regency Denang was huge in its aspect. We had a fabulous project manager. There were some hiccups. He actually, the first project manager came back, had saved everyone. And I was so grateful. We've remained friends ever since. And so you have that element too. You're as good as your project manager often and clients know that and something so large, but that, was a contemporary, modern, fresh hotel that remains to this day, very popular. And I think it should have been a grand Hyatt because it's of that scale. Also, we did an intimate hotel. The grand Hyatt Wailea. Not grand Hyatt, but if I say, Oh, that was a job that my first my first boss in Hawaii the Andaz at Wailea which is at it was originally the Stouffer that became the Renaissance hotel. It was the first built site to get a hotel at Wailea superb place, but Maui as a County. Literally recycles buildings, unless you can deem that there's some sort of caustic building product in the building, or something like that, you need to work with that building. And so that was a very, I believe, late seventies or the eighties building, which wasn't the best era for architecture sadly. And yeah. But we were lucky in that the landscape was just never achieved properly, had this ridiculous, tiny footpath of a pool for the student important resort. And so to be an Andaz in and to set a whole new tone
Eric S.:
for the whole. In first resort
Peter:
of this magnitude. And we did just these wonderful series of stepped pools where each one gives you an infinity edge, as I believe three of them. And then it goes down to the fourth, which is the main sort of lagoon pool, just terrace. It's like rice patties that are water. Yeah. And then your backdrop is the water wall of the overflow to that pool. That's just behind you. So you're always in this. Fabulous, environment of things. And we always try to make sure that scale is always comfortable. We never do these resorts like you see in Las Vegas where there's six or 10 chaises back behind each other, and you can't even find your towel and, book anymore. But it's like a parking lot at a major airport. And so the good news is that we do intimate. We'd never do more than two chaises deep in any terrace, that's by a pool because you either want to see the water or you want to be backed by something equally cool, like a waterfall or planting or whatever you have. So it's really important to, factor that in and it makes a difference. People don't realize that.
Eric:
And we designed everything from now. Out to the landscape. We designed all the hardscape parking lots, tennis, the details are every whole thing. And their planting plans are really the last thing that's icing on the cake with the plantings, but you have to go through so many phases before. You get to the final design because there's value engineering where the client must has to spend more money on the architecture. So you have to cut back on the landscape architect.
Peter:
We've never had Carte blanche where, it's always, then suddenly it's called, a value engineering. The worst, two words you've ever heard of the meeting. Oh God, we're a sunk. We understand our clients, we want this thing built too. So we're going to work with them. We take the gulp and sigh, and then we say, okay, we're here to work with you. So let's do this.
Eric:
Make a dime, look like a dollar on almost every project.
Peter:
I know, it's, there is. It's probably not that bad, but we've had a few though where, we've had some interesting clients where they told us their budget and we're like, ah, and but it gives you a challenge. They tended to be smaller projects. And there's also learning curve. Many of our projects they finally got and go, Oh, the pool is going to cost that much if we want it. Okay. What the hell? Many of the projects that we've worked on have gone that way. Some unfortunately went the other way and we had one third of the budget taken out through like up to D and had to redo everything,
Eric:
going mercy. Sometimes they pay us for the changes. Sometimes they don't, which are called add services, but we always Make the final project, something that we can be proud of. So we're proud of almost every single thing we've ever done.
Peter:
Yeah. I've been very fortunate. And but to answer that question from long ago now it feels, but we also have peninsula Papa Gaia, which was an undusted, it wasn't Costa Rica. That was also a labor of love that was designed into a marvelous hillside that also saved. Just about as many trees as we possibly could. And that is an organic, modern design. It's something we like doing when the, that it's still clean and definitely contemporary, but it's organic at the same time, the use of the materials, the curves, the sexiness of it all. It's not trying to be this. Flintstone landscape,
Eric:
the site planning, place, the building. So we're saving those trees and we understand the site, Peter here, I both walk the site when there's nothing on the site. And Peter had a heat stroke.
Peter:
Oh, God, oh God. Costa Rica. Jeez, that they had to give me intravenous electrolytes. Oh, God. Oh, it was horrible. My body was twitching. I was in horrible convulsions, but it was like, it was a hundred degrees and we had no water for four hours. And I kept just going, Oh no. It's okay. It's okay. I should have finally said okay. Enough already. Cause I would've prevented and we get back to this fabulous restaurant by the water being the Pacific ocean. And I was just. Gulping down the the Agra frescoes, the Sandia, the watermelon ones. And it wasn't enough it was too late. Oh. And I actually went to the bathroom and just, I just started to convulse. I just was looking at my body, all my muscles. I came out and they had to call the ambulance. Oh, my God. It's weird, but that thank goodness isn't is the only case of something of that nature we've had. However, in Cairo, we got, unfortunately we're signing the peace accord for the Gaza strip eons ago. And on that day on a Friday, all the students demonstrated at the universities and Cairo and were out on the streets. And we almost got flattened in our taxi. They were literally jumping on things and pounding them down and we were huddled Eric and I on the. Very dirty floorboards at an ancient. peugeot not pretty in Cairo. And but we survived the hoards passed us and they didn't see us. I thought we were going to be in a horrific CNN, moment.
Eric:
There's certainly projects we did in Egypt. When. We had no competition. Nobody was a interesting time at the time. So we've got one project after another, from the grand Hyatt Cairo on the Nile river, the tallest building
Peter:
In that, and that went on for 10 years. It just that the client kept adjusting his tastes and everything and would pay extra for it, and it was quite amazing. So it's never been a dull moment. We were gosh, everything when Latin America was still certain countries still scary and now far more fabulous. There were issues too, with certain clients that we just couldn't take on because we knew it wasn't going to go well, so we're always polite. We always back out in a way that is gracious. And, but you have to, you have to go and say, what is worth. What my favorite projects
Eric:
have always been the ones for the clients pay their bills on time and they treated fairly and give us credit after we've done the work, many of them don't.
Peter:
They said how many people that you think our phone would ring off the hook sometimes.
Eric:
I won't tell anybody about it because they don't want someone else to have the quality of work that they have, like on our
Peter:
And but it's I think a case of no it's hitters or then we have clients, so that make, we had a fabulous content before nothing came up. It was to be a wonderful resort in Chiang Mai Thailand with a lady, client who had means had a partner who had more means that part, unfortunately overnight fled the country with 16 million in a suitcase from the bank account. And this fabulous. She I've never had a client do this. Usually it's this tug and pull thing, with contracts. So could you reduce this by, they can do this, do that. And so it's this game that is played. And though she actually accepted the contract as it was, and had a signing ceremony with a fabulous Thai dinner in Chiang Mai. Oh, wow. Oh my God. Yes. And they brought in, they had put the contracts and these beautiful sequent folders and so Thai. And I was like, Oh my God, she adored me.
Eric:
We love it. When we see our projects. In Conde Nast, traveler magazine, number one, hotels in the Caribbean world, whatever. And they don't mention the landscape architect. And sometimes we've had to call and say something. Of course, then that's, that's not what they want to hear from you. So it's always interesting, it's it's we've never
Peter:
been very good because for small company read like the David against Goliath, we don't have a marketing department. We do what we do. We love, we're like the artists, the painter, who has a studio and he's doing really well and he's known, and everybody loves the work, but we don't go and promote ourselves that we're going to, it's just really, we just don't have the time maybe, and our work speaks for itself. And so we've never been short of work for the most part. There have been a few hiccups, but generally it's been word of mouth and we've been very fortunate. And so regardless of the times, even COVID. And but
Eric:
you now, we're, now we're working out of our summer studio here in Santa Fe, New Mexico, which should have been some or inherit is February
Peter:
because of COVID.
Eric:
You've got it. We've got the workers in Sarasota and also up in Orlando. But we do everything from our dining room table here. When we're speaking to you from, so we do design concept. We scan things, we send it back to Florida. We keep the guys working there and
Peter:
yeah, we have a good team. I have to admit that we have one long-term person and, employees they move in, move out and we've met wonderful people along the way. So we've been very fortunate. We're always consulted style to which we're doing a lot of consultancy work, just because of the nature COVID has certainly made that happen. But even before COVID, we've decided that might be a better way to go because they're prep. They're, they love it and they love working with us because we bring a caliber of work, but they don't have to move to Sarasota. Maybe they don't want to move to Sarasota. It's all this kind of stuff that starts piling up. So someone can still live in. Charleston and work for us. That's fabulous stuff. One lady in particular, and and very capable and so well, we love that, and, Oh my gosh, I'll just, we'll review plant material together and she adores my opinion and I'd love what she had done. I said, but we need to tweak this. We need to have a bit more color over here. And she just loves hearing that. You can have a mutual understanding and respect each other and do fabulous things. And so it's an interesting time, from the classic office of, before,
Eric:
been large, we've been small, luckily coming to COVID, we have more than 12, downscale previous to COVID because of the last four years of our international, we're stopping pretty quickly. And so when when COVID came, we were already lean and mean and doing these projects with the team that we had and trying to keep on top of everything,
Peter:
we're seeing a change though. We just got awarded a fabulously sexy with this new operator and a new client. And it's good. The architect is very engaging, very supportive, a wonderful interior design. It's like it was. Before COVID. And before the last administration, quite frankly, it feels like that there've been
Eric:
some other projects internationally of which they're not moving forward to the next stages, but we did all the concept work for very important projects. Yeah. And South America, so that's always good. And also
Peter:
in South America, we have w one potential project that is super exciting would be one of our more extraordinary contemporary, I think conceived projects it's on a very demanding hillside, but Oh gosh, the 3d model that we've made of it, it's still confidential, but it is something. Oh yeah. Yeah. And so I hope I've been reaching out to the owner's rep. Haven't heard back, but they're in a I knew that they need things need to settle on this Caribbean Island and it's shut down at the moment because of COVID. What can they say, to me, but we just have to be patients.
Eric S.:
Do you guys have a favorite place that you guys have been to.
Eric:
I think the Seychelle islands,
Peter:
I think two places, the Seychelles, which are in the Indian ocean and and the French Polynesian islands beyond Tahiti and even Moorea the smaller ones like Mount PT, which is actually beyond Bora. And the Island of Huahine, and these are extraordinarily beautiful places. and a good architect friend, who was married to a Fijian still is to a Fijian woman he's British. And so we were able to also travel to Fiji and explore those islands. And so three, we have the mama NUCA islands, which are these tiny little Atol things. So just fabulous. And but yeah, Seychelles are unique because unlike. Tahiti and Fiji, which are these kinds of atolls with sand and were old volcanoes. The Seychelles on that's almost smack-dab middle of the Indian ocean. There was spur of the supercontinent that broke up the super continent that broke up. So this is a granitic spur. All islands are either coral or volcanic in nature. The Seychelles are unique and maybe there's a. Few others out there, but very few are unique in that they are like continents, but are islands they're granitic. So you go there and I made the joke about Flinstones, but there are boulders the sizes of semis that were just strewn to create this like a giant was playing with his pebbles and just, it just blows your mind. It's one of the most gorgeous places in the world. Beaches are bar none. So Sandy iswhitest thing. Only Sarasota comes close, literally that's because we collect sand
Eric:
and put them in spice bottles, British air miles. Yeah, we had, I had flown with some of the British here, all those trips to Cairo, you are finally paid off and we were able to do, business class.
Peter:
I told our British airways fellow who was such a sweetheart and I said, where do I want to go? As far as I can and exotic as I can on these miles, because, and I don't want to do first class. That's a little bit stupid, but I knew business class was gonna be very nice. And he said it's the Seychelle Darlin'. And and we, Oh boy, you hit it. So that's where
Eric S.:
we're going to go. Oh, and then
Peter:
we ended up on this Island called frigate, which is where the frigate bird is now. That was the last week or two of it as a funky eco really a hippie eco resort sort of place. But we could afford it though. It wasn't cheap, but it allowed us to go to this very special place. And it was like the last place in the Seychelles. We went as our high point that we were spoiled on the fabulous of don't even think about it. Just go it's so stunning little a D. Anyway. So then we ended up on fruit, God, and we're just getting terrible vibe. They have the world's biggest spiders. There's the Beatles. There's it's just Oh God, and I'm not squeamish. Oh, that's a beautiful, giant, other than the Galapagos state on this Island that you have these amazing land tortoises. And they're just fabulous. And I literally like the cartoon I'm crossing a stream. Step on what I think is a rock and it moves up and it was one of the tortoises. Oh wow. And then they have this elephant brush, which cuts you, you come back like this bleeding thing, like you were supposed to
be
Eric S.:
the most beautiful. We're like the most beautiful beaches. Tell the lady is going to lose her job any minute. Because, they're closing it
Peter:
down because the guy it had been sold to this fabulously wealthy, one of the world's most successful princess di went there. Oh, it's not so exclusive. Anyway, she says, don't leave. You're going to. I'm going to pack a lunch for you tomorrow morning. You're going to spend the day at this beach and she shows us on a map, like a treasure map with the hexes and the dash lines. And we go, yeah, sure. But if that doesn't work, you're going to have to leave because we want to go maybe to something else and sure enough, Oh my God. We Trek through that damn elephant grass only to go down this cliff side where the cliff side literally has. Thousands of coconuts, rowing and little crevices in the cliff side, out over the sea. And this fabulous like almost Mesa Verde this huge big rock outcrop, creating shadow areas of sand that you get under. It was subliminal. Because in the whole world is considered
Eric:
what? Top 10, we had it to ourselves. Wow. Of course, of
Peter:
course I was wearing my, on my full full body swimming costume. Okay. And so anyway, but what a Beautiful place it was pure heaven. And we stayed then like all the days and went there every day. Every time
Eric:
it's an Island and Mount piti, which is one of the farthest islands out. And it, nobody there, we had this incredible crystal clear swim, what do they call this? It's almost like the lagoon.
Peter:
They'd say, do you have the Mo to, or the islands that create then a lagoon? And that's the old remnant of a volcano crater. And so you have these sandbar, like islands I've screwed up more or less a circle, but they're often irregular. And then the lagoons, my God, it was so quiet. I said, Eric, stop at, you could feel it. Your
Eric:
heartbeat. Yeah. We were staying a little 10 by 10 grass hut that was elevated with complete open windows international resort hotels. Oh, it was total. There was no electricity. Took you on a fire. And then we went to an outhouse,
Peter:
but it was great, but they were a couple that were with Maury, which was, they were French couple. They could cook, like you can't believe. So we were so spoiled for food, but all from the place, it was unbelievable. And so we're in the breeze. There was no air conditioning, but you didn't need it because the breeze comes through. your hut. It was, it was like a Gilligan islandwas nothing in comparison.
Eric:
We did that. We were able to do that with, between our twenties and thirties, which was great, so we were able to travel and do all this stuff. It's fun. And
Peter:
also thirties to forties actually still, we
Eric:
do that whole time for the last 29 years and we,
Peter:
Like all the islands of the Caribbean, we know everything from the Grenadines to Barts to the Maldives or another stunning place. I was very fortunate. It was my young years where I was pulled in to do a photo shoot for a Japanese tourism company. And luckily I had my swimsuit collection with me. I need my other billboards. So yeah, I was once in Osaka billboards. Yes,
Eric:
there, we done a lot of stuff in the middle East, projects from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to Things in Qatar.
Peter:
Eric did, we did. Eric was amazing.
Eric:
And the largest competition for a
Peter:
huge international competition, little old us one because of Erickson being amazing for Jude also along with Tim from our office, but Oh my God, city park, which was three quarters of the size of central park, the
Eric:
Mayor of Qatar. And we could tell we had won the competition right? When we to present to the Emir. And they had four international companies that had it broken down to, and we had models of our projects. The model was what,
Peter:
like 20 by 10 feet,
Eric:
15, 24 year. Yeah. It was amazing. We're working with the Emir of Qatar, and then he had us do his palaces beach palace and yeah. And he was the most. Eric said he was the most polite well-spoken man. Perfect English.
Peter:
You just, the graciousness of, one of the world's wealthiest Royals was like with Eric, yeah. He was supremely wealthy. It was.
Eric:
And before he passed his title to a son at that time then the son has his own people that
Peter:
he wants and then things errode. And so it's, it's a lot of interesting. Sways, ebb tide and, it does its thing. And and so it's never a dull moment. That's for sure. We never have to complain a boredom. I'm glad I didn't become, follow into accounting or anything that would have lasted too
Eric:
long. But in those countries you just keep quiet, just, don't do anything, that could cause trouble. You
Peter:
Certain countries, you start to, you have to do your homework, you go in and many African countries interestingly enough you really have to watch it because it's like fully illegal. We do know of gay couples who landed two were married in their European country and were turned around at customs and had to go back on the flight back to Europe. they said, You're not welcome here. And that exists
Eric:
for one room sometimes, so sure. We'll stay in the same,
Peter:
but what's interesting is that it's but then other cultures are just amazing. And the people that you meet and one architect that we knew in Spain fell in love with him, they figure out that the toll you at attic, you are a couple of my brother is gay and he is those wonderful couple, this was Alejandro and it's just fabulous stuff, and so you never, and this was like early on in all of this, and now it's just, Oh gosh, it's never. In some cases it's never even spoken. It just, it's just, it's, doesn't matter. And then in other cases it matters all so much that you really don't talk about it. Or then you may not be able to deal with that culture in place to do a project or
Eric:
because it's so Qatar. So the boys take me to the the to the local mosques. So I get to go in and wash my feet, do all this stuff, go through the motions. Just, I couldn't believe that they'd take me there, but they're just just touchy, feely, so friendly. And so you have to be careful, but yeah, they log his stomach. So they go You must have money. You have a big belly, but I've never going to marry. I said, do you have a wife? No, I'm not going to get married. Oh, really?
Peter:
And you get that. And many people can't talk about it all, but you get old, amazing innuendos sometimes, but then other people you think you're going to be working with, an interior designer and you meet the person and you can't wait to, talk about who's your partner. And then he'd mentioned his wife and kids, and you're going. And so that's also very interesting, and I'm embarrassed than, That the gaydar is malfunctioning, you meet just, you meet creative people and some people just have a, they may be straight as can be, they're just have a light touch to the personality and and all of that. And so you don't can't assume. So we've learned that too. It's just, okay. We'll be quiet and just figure things out here as they unfold. That's awesome.
Eric S.:
How do you guys keep a successful relationship? Both professionally and personally.
Eric:
We've been strangled.
Peter:
You have a strangling session every so often,
Eric:
and then just her friends and 29, 30, 30, some years, there's
Peter:
a lot of. The compassion really kicks in any relationship straight or gay and the love for one another. And the fact that you're there for each other, I can, I can count on this knucklehead over here, like nobody's business, both professionally and otherwise, and that says a lot. You, you, that's not too often in life. My momma would say, you can count on one hand that people you could really depend on. You'll be very fortunate. And that's the saying that I really do believe in because we've had, we've been, I've been very disappointed with what I would think would be professional relationships with wonderful architects that then I couldn't believe. You know what I had to endure and then others are just a delight and you're saying, Oh, I'm so glad I've met this person in my life. And that, that happens with an interior designer, for instance, one, a fabulous lady. Who's no longer with us due to cancer, but you meet some amazing people along the way. And so we've been very fortunate. And and they've also have just adored us as the two of us and, but
Eric:
working together and having your own company for 29 years. He knows what I'm doing. I know what he's doing. One of our first partners was a married fellow, one of the three partners originally. And it was always issues with his family and so forth. And after that ended, we were in the first. Two years, or for first year or so then we we've been together since then.
Peter:
And the good news is that Eric has so many, we both are rich with our own personal interests that are other than just landscape architecture. He'll go onto a tangent of artwork with a certain artists that we have found locally through her grant through the granddaughter, wonderful stories like that. And then, or he gets into, mid-century modern or through his through some of his posts that he does through some of his chat rooms. What do you call them on Facebook?
Eric:
Like group
Peter:
groups, group pages and whatnot, and Oh, it's been amazing. And he's I've just discovered, the cold next door, this app that is sensational and I'm like chatting with people. I never thought I would, I have to stop that because I just do work. But We're up to all of that. We addressed that and don't start me about E-bay and vintage. Okay. Vintage sunglasses to vintage clothing. Okay.
Eric:
Peter be traveling or just crazy trips back and forth around the world here, around the world there. And that was always good. Good.
Peter:
I was doing it like four times a year around the
Eric:
world or back and forth to Asia or Europe. I wasn't traveling. I was here at the house or. Switch out.
Peter:
I'm, I'm more the front person here, the front man, but Eric, I wanted to make sure and he would travel off and extensively. I mean, one time he was just, they wouldn't let him go until the funding could meet with one of the Emir's in the middle East. And he was there for weeks. Remember?
Eric:
That always gave us our own time to be away to, but then in the last few years, five, four, four years or so, we haven't done that.
Peter:
Travel has really, and that's why. But no, all kidding aside, but no any relationship it's tough at times. We, you have moments and and since we're 24 seven with so many things, but because I think in the end, we know that we've got this We just know that we're there for each other and then it all, and then having our Poochie that Eric knows so ruckus, or even the previous one or that, Oh my God, this one one mention of any curse word. And you're you settle yourself down immediately. He comes and tells you to stop it now, daddy. Oh, he barks and he slaps you. Oh, wow. I won't mention the F word. So adorable and that's also been great. Anyway just super and you need to, and God when you see what COVID has brought us and to have this history, you get the shot. We were just sitting in the car. And I have a slight fever though. I think that's down again. I was outside was such a beautiful day to day and maybe that didn't help, but it's just it's part perspective as well that you realize, Ooh boy, just enjoy the moment. We've had a fabulous life so far. We've been so many exotic places and are so fortunate and would return there and work with the people there. So it wasn't just being a tourist on a bus. We were, interacting. And and we don't know where w where are we going to go from here? I think Santa Fe will always be part of our life for sure. Just because my roots are here, though, all my family's in Europe, but I have the Santa Fe is important because that's where my family was. And and and since being born and raised here, But then the other picture we'll go traveling again, or we settle somewhere where we can then have a base. I do want to see my European relatives and maybe we can pick up work in Europe because we're very creative. Certain governments are very pro because they're losing certain professionals. So even at our age, we can bring something to the table and to notice us to love us, hopefully. And and but, We're always up to adventure. That's for sure.
Eric S.:
Awesome. And anyone, if they want to, if they're curious on what designs you do, they can check out your website, right? That's SCIDESIGNS.COM.
Peter:
Yes. That's been on a bit of a hiatus. It's still a wonderful thing to check out, to see our work and it will allow you, but yes, SCIDESIGNS.COM and that will show you 10 of our projects. We need to update it in COVID we've just, again, been just. Trying to keep ahead of ourselves thankfully and get it out. But we
Eric:
need to some of the recent projects that we have maybe more important recent projects, but there are some others
Peter:
ones that are on there, but some of the current ones that are still in limbo because they're not to be fully announced yet. They can't go on. We've got them, ready. And then we have jobs a deal architect said once they're called service paradise, lost the projects that you designed with all your heart and soul, very detailed level have fabulous 3d movies and all this, and the client disappears and never gets built. Maybe you're lucky you get paid to a certain point and it just collapses. And I would say we've been fortunate as a small company. We have so many built projects. We're very lucky many firms out there. You look at their portfolios and you see a lot of beautiful graphics, but you have to ask I want to see photos where your photos and that's the big difference in many cases. So that's where we've been so fortunate. But some of our most breathtaking designs are sitting. Maybe one day, Oh, I did a pool for a project that did get built, but they removed a whole pool area and that pool needs to be reconstituted somewhere else because it is so cool. And then another project we did was a competition in the Canary islands on the fabulous Island is Lanzarote, which is the dry, the arid Island. It looks like a piece of Africa dumped in the Atlantic, very exotic, beautiful place. And yeah. Oh, my God with a very talented architect, two weeks, maybe max three weeks with a 3d model, fly through model of this. Oh my God. I wish it could be built, but it turned out this client was in, not in any way, interested in sophisticated modern design and went with his designer, who did his warehouse is grocery stores for him or something like this. And they were just take off all this fabulous work from But what are you doing? But that is a one day that, Oh my God, the fly through, we show it to people. And they said, that's just fantastic. But those are paradise loss, but maybe it can be regained. We don't like to necessarily, we always look at a project fresh, but still something like that there's inspiration to be had that could affect, on a certain project.
Eric:
But We've had two Was it two or three billionaire clients die on us during the projects?
Peter:
So we have the same architect and we feel it was because of him.
Eric:
We had a wonderful client from from Kiev who gave us lots of work and took us some y'all too.
Peter:
But before he became a subject of national television here in this country in the last four years, we had already parted ways, thankfully, but he was a wonderful man. Couldn't be more professional. He just unbelievable. And and we got paid
Eric:
everything as well. Took care of us was a wonderful guy until the FBI arrested him.
Peter:
Oh, wow. So I bet you know, it just, you just have to be, the international arena, when you see wealth and all events, you really have to often think, okay, what is behind this? And not that you don't want to ask too many questions, but you just have to. Lay low and keep your ear to the ground, just to make sure that this is all, but it should be. And Eric and I, in particularly, I'm always the first, I want to be a naysayer. Are you sure about this? Did you realize that this is what happened over here at the architect on this project was actually found in a Lake with a bullet hole in his head. You don't have a true story.
Eric:
And so they want to pay you in light bulbs and mattress and wristwatches watches. Oh, wow. So these are major hotel companies, but they were just trying to
Peter:
figure it out themselves. But these were major potential developers who were loaded for all sorts of who knows reasons that you didn't want to ask about. And we bowed out ever so graciously, because thank goodness we had people who were from the region who were part of the design team. They were the ones I said, you need to look into this person because what's going on. Why is this architect no longer on this job? And and all they say, he's just say, he's no longer with us. And and then we found that out and then I said, okay, Nope. No. And so again, it's it's fascinating. So that's why we really do love perversely. Sometimes the international work, because you really get to deal with these amazing people as your clients and with their cultures. And I can sit next to my Thai lovely lady I'd mentioned earlier, we would call her queen Anne, and she would always feel my biceps and say, Oh, Mr. PETA, It couldn't beat that. And you know, we've been very blessed, that'd be been able to interact with, we
Eric:
hope that it will continue, with this current situation the world economics of.
Peter:
But I think there's going to be, I think there's going to be, there must be such a pent up demand for people to travel. I know, say it, they'd say that it's going to start and probably will in baby steps. It's going to be domestically maybe then the Caribbean then maybe Latin America or central America. And then finally Europe again or, Asia has come through this real quick. So I think there's going to be an amazing sort of draw to Asia again. And we've tried to work with a architecture firm that doesn't have a landscape component and try to create. A joint venture with them in Southeast Asia. And so we hope, now with COVID of course, that all went quiet. And, but that would be a fabulous way because they have not only talented people who can do the technical documents. And again, it doesn't matter if that person is stateside or we can work with someone at the projects located in Vietnam, let's say, and we have a wonderful Asian crew And I love to mentor and I love to travel over there and spend time, maybe it's a month at a time or something and then come on back, but interact with the people and teach them and show them and have a ball because it's just it's so rewarding in that regard, so
Eric S.:
that sounds really awesome. And I hope everything picks up for you guys when yeah. But I'm
Peter:
feeling good about
Eric:
it. We get a good, we had a good year last year, which was amazing. And then The year before it was okay. But it was really seeing a lot of things happening so much confidential stuff now that you can't even speak of, which are really
Peter:
exciting and fun projects, properties, real estate wise. There's so much commercial stuff that people have had to just walk away from. So suddenly you have this ability to acquire certain properties that have. All the potential in the world with the right creative team on board. That's where we hopefully come in and that's what you're going to see because it's just, people have, unfortunately, very sadly been so strapped that they no longer can continue with, Major things. Money will be King and there are those out there with it and can do these things.
Eric S.:
Yeah, definitely. I want to say thank you guys so much for taking time out of your schedule to chat with us. And it's definitely been very interesting and hearing everything that you guys have done. Than
Gil:
your work makes you want to go travel again? I'm like, I can't, I need a visit here. I need
Peter:
here. No. And there are so many beautiful places in the world. I just picked up, something on Like Japan, for instance, there's this, Japan has so many hidden secrets of places that are like going back in time where there's this fabulous trail. You can take that along with the pilgrimage trail to, in, to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. This is There is one of the great you UNESCO it's this hike that you just go on this Ridge type events with these forests and you stay in these fabulous ends, these ROIC on, and then you have the meals that are, there's wonder everywhere out there need not be just, in Mount PT though, there's a hell of a lot of wonder there, but in Polynesia, but so many, Oh God, you just need to, if you haven't hiked like South to roll in Italy, the German speaking part, which used to belong to Austria. It's stunning. It's the people, the scenery, the, ah, the mountains. It's fabulous. They're so everywhere
Eric:
in the world, is it R a Caribbean resource that we recently completed? B a park Hyatt St. Kitts, which is one of the top hotels in the Caribbean. And then we finished the Kapinsky Dominica, which is on the Island of Dominica, which is the rainforest Island, where they filmed. It's like the Costa Rica at the Caribbean, and it's a handful. Bye. So our hotel, there was one of the top hotels
Peter:
at that hotel had goodness had only done the major structural foundations and whatnot. So the more tender stuff of all kinds had not gone in, but then that got, that was the first to get walloped by Maria. And it was annihilated and it's now come back. And so that particular project has become. Truly part of the history of that Island. Single-handedly I shouldn't say single-handedly, but for the most part, it's putting Dominica back on the map in a way that it never was before and people are so feel so blessed that this has happened. It's really exciting and will hopefully change the course for Dominica, but we did the project is still not aggressive. It's low rise was meant to be part of place and about the culture and the environment. So it's really quite extraordinary. It's just perfect for Domenica. And we're so pleased that, again, we have the ability to work on such projects. That's
Eric S.:
awesome. Thank you guys for sharing your life with us a little bit. Thank you for joining us today. We greatly appreciate it. I will be posting your website. I'll be posting your website on the show notes so people can look at anything of yours. And I just want to say it. Say, thank you so much.
Gil:
thank you for listening to us. We hope you enjoyed your time in the cue lounge. If you have any questions, comments, suggestions on topics, or if you would like to be a guest or contributor, please email us info.TheQlounge@gmail.Com or through our contact page at theqloungepodcast.com. Don't forget to subscribe to continue listening wherever you get your podcasts. If you want to be our sugar, daddy hit that donation button.
Eric:
Until next time live in your authenticity.
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