Arizona Part 1🌞

An opportunity fell into my lap to join a friend at a wellness retreat in Sedona Arizona, and I said yes immediately. If you haven’t been to Sedona definitely put it on your list. So that will be the Part 2 of my Arizona trip - Part 1 is a few days in Phoenix preceding the retreat. Warm weather and sunshine always seems like a great idea if you live in the Midwest and have survived the January and February gloom. My lovely niece Angela lives in Phoenix and always tells me I have an open invitation to visit anytime. So warm weather and time with Angela is a great combination. I arrived and picked up the rental car and headed to her place. Big surprise waiting for me! My brother David and Sister in Law Dee were there too! They kept it a secret for a month even though I kept saying I wish they would come too from Seattle. If you know David no surprise he is holding a snake in this selfie😂 So a bonus that I got to spend time with them too🩷

Since I am a huge fan of Frank Lloyd Wright it was an absolute MUST that I make a trip to Taliesin West in Scottsdale - one of his 8 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Luckily I had booked my ticket at least a month in advance because when I arrived there they were sold out for the day. If you like architecture you should visit if you’re in the area. But don’t go thinking you’re going to see a Prairie structure. Wright built Prairie where there was a prairie. His goal was to build buildings that fit into the terrain around it so this compound fits in with the desert. The tour is an audio self guided tour and initially I was disappointed I wouldn’t have a live person. (I always have so many questions😂)But actually I thought they did a great job with the content, and there were people in strategic places that you could ask questions to which was nice. My goal here is not to reiterate the tour but post what I think are some cool pics that might encourage you to make a visit.

The entrance! You have arrived!

Wright started spending winters in Scottsdale starting in 1935, but it was literally a camping site. His permanent resident was in Spring Green Wisconsin at Taliesin (after he built in Scottsdale Wisconsin was East and Scottsdale called West) but he was looking to escape the cold winters. In 1937 he bought the initial property and started construction. The site now is almost 500 acres and over the course of years the architecture school he headed there had 635 apprentices in total - 50 per year. Wright lived there in the winters until he died in 1959 and that is his final resting place.

Wright loved geometric shapes and here in Oak Park there are so many octagons. At Taliesin I would say hello triangles! They are everywhere you look.

These chairs definitely look more comfortable then his Prairie period ones😂

Wright loved Asian art his entire professional life and I will make another visit when I’m in Arizona just to hone in more on all that are on display here. Something in particular that caught my attention were 12 Shiwan Theater vignettes Wright purchased at a shop in San Francisco in 1955 and has displayed around the structure.

And here I am taking it all in and ridiculously happy to be there😍

I was blown away by the size of the drafting room. It was huge! So that’s why one of the questions I had was how many apprentices were there at one time. The apprentices didn’t just work under Wright. They did everything that needed to be done. Cooking, cleaning, building, gardening etc. It was a totally immersive experience.

The apprentices all lived at Taliesin too, so there were enrichment experiences happening all the time. In addition to their architecture talent many of them played instruments, and other entertainers were invited by Wright so a Cabaret Theater was built. Cocktail tables and chairs and almost perfect acoustics of course!

To the right of the screen is a baby grand piano and a stage for performances.

I had a great time but now I’m hungry for lunch. Off to IN-N-OUT I go! Got my standard order when I’m there - the number 3. Single burger, fries and a medium drink. Just about the only place I eat fries because they peel and cut the potatoes on site! Yumm!

Finished the day with my friend Joy and the friend she was visiting seeing Anything Goes at the Hale Center Theater in Gilbert. My expectations were exceeded as the theater was in the round so every seat a good one. It’s a schmaltzy Cole Porter musical with some great tap dancing and catchy tunes. Of course a fabricated unbelievable story but that just makes it fun. The singing was really good so a fun night. Thanks for putting that together Joy!

Then some nice time with my family enjoying all the great food they cooked, catching up and laughing which is the best medicine. Part 2 coming next. Exploring Sedona and tracking down energy from the vortexes!