Tuesday, September 30, 2014
In Honor of Beverly
There will be no vacation post today. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Carter family. So sad.
Monday, September 29, 2014
The Arts and an Evening Swim
There's just something right about starting the morning having a leisurely breakfast on the patio before the heat sets in and its still quiet.
Today started at Cosanti. In 1947 Paolo Soleri moved from Italy to Scottsdale for a fellowship wits Frank Lloyd Wright at Taliesin West. The Cosanti village includes his original subterranean "Earth House," outside studios, student dorms and a performance space. It is a maze of terraced courtyards and shady paths. It is also home to the foundry and ceramic studio where the popular Soleri windbells are created out of bronze and ceramic. Of course, after exploring the village and talking with the workers, we left with a bell of our own. www.cosanti.com
We spent the rest of the day in downtown Scottsdale in the Arts District. Picked up a very cool mask made by local artist who believes in an organic style of art. The mask is made of small pieces of paper and bits of desert sand, rock and plant life. Should have taken a picture before leaving it at the gallery to be shipped.
So who said every dinner had to be a big deal. That's exactly what we thought, and pizza at the local Humble Pie seemed like a perfect way to end the day. We're not much on appetizers but I couldn't resist a medley of olives after the waiter said they were roasted onsite. Big Daddy just turned up his nose but that just meant more for me.
Since we didn't stuff ourselves at dinner, we ended the evening with a nice swim and dip in the hot tub. To say the pool area (5 pools) is nice would be an understatement. It is a spectacular, multi-level collection of small and large pools, beautiful landscaping, rushing streams and waterfalls. At night large elevated firepots along with artfully placed lights set the area aglow. It's magical.
Tomorrow we head out early to climb the Hole in the Rock, then off to Sedona with a short stop at the Montezuma Castle National Monument.
We spent the rest of the day in downtown Scottsdale in the Arts District. Picked up a very cool mask made by local artist who believes in an organic style of art. The mask is made of small pieces of paper and bits of desert sand, rock and plant life. Should have taken a picture before leaving it at the gallery to be shipped.
So who said every dinner had to be a big deal. That's exactly what we thought, and pizza at the local Humble Pie seemed like a perfect way to end the day. We're not much on appetizers but I couldn't resist a medley of olives after the waiter said they were roasted onsite. Big Daddy just turned up his nose but that just meant more for me.
Since we didn't stuff ourselves at dinner, we ended the evening with a nice swim and dip in the hot tub. To say the pool area (5 pools) is nice would be an understatement. It is a spectacular, multi-level collection of small and large pools, beautiful landscaping, rushing streams and waterfalls. At night large elevated firepots along with artfully placed lights set the area aglow. It's magical.
Tomorrow we head out early to climb the Hole in the Rock, then off to Sedona with a short stop at the Montezuma Castle National Monument.
Golf, Yoga and a Man Named Wright
Yesterday morning started with two favorites. Big Daddy on the hotel Faldo course and mama on the floor...doing Yoga. Aaaahhhhh! My back is very happy.
So who hasn't heard of Frank Lloyd Wright and seen pictures of his designs. The tour of his winter home, Taliesin West was very interesting to say the least. Almost more interesting than the physical tour, was learning about his philosophy on life. He had very radical ideas for his time, and strangly I found myself agreeing with many of them. His house is built on the brow of the mountain above, not at all by accident. By living on the brow, you have a spectacular view of the valley and mountain but the house can't be seen from the valley and there is a continual breeze. Very private. There are many buildings on the property, some built by students/apprentices that live onsite during the winter. Wright's use of local sand, gravel and stone creates the impression that the complex terraces and walls emerged out of the ground. I'm adding a Wright book on my must read book list. http://www.franklloydwright.org/about/TaliesinWestTours.html
So who hasn't heard of Frank Lloyd Wright and seen pictures of his designs. The tour of his winter home, Taliesin West was very interesting to say the least. Almost more interesting than the physical tour, was learning about his philosophy on life. He had very radical ideas for his time, and strangly I found myself agreeing with many of them. His house is built on the brow of the mountain above, not at all by accident. By living on the brow, you have a spectacular view of the valley and mountain but the house can't be seen from the valley and there is a continual breeze. Very private. There are many buildings on the property, some built by students/apprentices that live onsite during the winter. Wright's use of local sand, gravel and stone creates the impression that the complex terraces and walls emerged out of the ground. I'm adding a Wright book on my must read book list. http://www.franklloydwright.org/about/TaliesinWestTours.html
Sunday, September 28, 2014
A Surprise
A tap at the door last night revealed a surprise gift from the front desk....champagne and chocolate covered strawberries for our birthdays. Woohoo!
Oh, and here's a shot of us yesterday at the botanical gardens. We ended the day with 14,815 steps even though we had to hunker down part of the day due to the thunderstorm. It was a great first day!!
Saturday, September 27, 2014
All Things Prickly
We arrived in Phoenix right on time, checked into the hotel and headed out for the desert botanical gardens. Amazing plant life you definitely don't want to accidentally fall on. Yikes. Our visit was cut short due to a pretty powerful storm preceded by a minor dust storm.
We are right on target with our activity level (always important) with almost 12,000 steps and it's only 4 pm. On a more somber note I have to acknowledge the disappearance of Carl's mother by saying the family is in our thoughts and prayers.
We are right on target with our activity level (always important) with almost 12,000 steps and it's only 4 pm. On a more somber note I have to acknowledge the disappearance of Carl's mother by saying the family is in our thoughts and prayers.
Thursday, September 25, 2014
Anticipation
For those who haven't heard our travel details here's the scoop. Three days in Phoenix, three days in Sedona (one of the most beautiful places in the world), two days in Mesquite NV (with side trip to Zion National Park) and four days in sin city, Las Vegas at the Venetian hotel. What are we doing? Golf for Big Daddy, and hiking, sightseeing, art galleries, spa treatments, shows in Vegas for both of us. It's a mixture of the many things we enjoy.
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