I never would have thought . . ..

. . . . that seeing a cactus would bring me great joy!!!  

However, today, for me, they are symbolic of warmth and I haven't been warm since the 29th of October when we left Williamsburg, Virginia.   My Manulife friends won't believe this, as they call whatever room I am in the "menopause" room . . .. 'cause I am always too hot.  Such has not been the case these last 3 weeks.  I have purchased wool underwear, wool socks, gore tex running shoes, a toque and mitts just to stay warm . . . . and those socks went to bed with me sometimes as well!!!  Soo today, at 78 degrees with the sun shining and a gorgeous blue sky . . . just fabulous!!

One of the places we wanted to visit this time was Frank Lloyd Wright's Phoenix home, which is actually in Scotsdale.  He was an architect who is probably one of the most famous in the last hundred years, and certainly the most influential, as he brought contemporary housing design to the forefront emerging from the Victorian era.  He was certainly ahead of his time in that his residence was very "green" and that was his philosophy of life.  He believed a home should reflect the surroundings in which it was built.  He loved the colour red and even painted his cars red, and he loved angles and geometry.

The breezeway

His property is situated on the "eyebrow of the mountain", thus the name Taliesin West, taliesin being a Welsh term for eyebrow.  There is also a Taliesin in Wisconsin.  What I never realized before today, and I did have prior knowledge of his work, was that his residence was actually a collection of rooms and buildings, all having various functions and completely in tune with nature.  He loved fireplaces and playing with unique ways of creating "eye music" by using recessed and floor lighting to create shadows and shapes.

Today, his legacy lives on as there is an accredited program of architecture taking place on the property at the princely sum of $30,000 per year which does by the way, include room and board.   When he built the original property he had apprentices doing all the work by hand . . no big equipment was used in 1937 which is when construction began on this property, and when you see how rugged the surrounding landscape is, that was more than a major feat.  

One of the many sculptures on the property

We were very fortunate to have such beautiful weather to visit this national treasure, as we didn't have time to go the last time we were here.

If you are interested in reading more about his history, here is a link:

History of Frank Lloyd Wright's Work

I actually find this all quite fascinating, as the kind of photography I enjoy the most is architectural.