Daydreaming in The Garden Room

Taliesin West - Garden Room

Taliesin West – Garden Room

I would like to be relaxing in this room – right this very moment! Maybe with a book in hand, or a notebook filled with words that flowed easily from mind to paper, and so now my writing project is neatly done.

Maybe I’m drinking an iced tea, or even better, indulging in a fudge brownie and a glass of cold milk. And while I’m daydreaming, I’ll go all out – the sunlight is streaming through the windows, and warming my face. Warming my soul.

A Nice Place to Relax

A Nice Place to Relax

Say, this is a daydream, right? Maybe Mr. Wright will walk through the door, in an amiable and expansive mood, and share a few of his theories on architecture, or better yet, tell stories of the happenings of his boyhood, about the land he lived on and loved, and where he built the other Taliesin, the home and studio where he spent his summers, Taliesin in Spring Green, Wisconsin.

Taliesin West, Scottsdale Arizona

Blue Seating in the Garden Room

This is in the Garden Room at Taliesin West, Mr. Wright’s winter home and studio on Scottsdale, Arizona. It’s a sprawling complex, now the winter home for the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture. The school moves east to summer in Wisconsin from May through October, just as Wright and his family did when they were alive.

Amusingly enough, on a recent tour through Taliesin West, our guide was an architect and an instructor at the architecture school. He had made the acquaintance of Wright several times. He mentioned that one of Wright’s express wishes was “Don’t ever attach my name to anything having to do with a school.” Though Wright appeared to get his way much of the time, seems no one paid attention to that request (or demand) once he was no longer around to speak up.

Taliesin West is a wonderful space to visit, the tour guide was knowledgeable and witty, and had a rather genius way of passing on Wright’s heritage and philosophy.

Sonoran Desert Reflection in Rain Puddle

Rain Puddle Reflection

Saguaro National Park

It’s not often I get the opportunity to photograph the desert after a heavy rainfall which offered puddles and perfect reflections of prickly pear and saguaro cacti.

We visited one of the more isolated areas of the eastern part of Saguaro National Park. We hiked the Mica View Trail,  which offered great views of the Tanque Verde Peak and Mica Mountain, but I was most fascinated by the puddles and spent a fair amount of time sprawled on the damp desert floor fiddling with my camera and different angles..

Flying Home

Ascending from Tucson

Ascending from Tucson

Leaving Tucson, the scenery is breathtaking. The city is surrounded by mountains – mostly browns with just a hint of green from spring rains.

Flying over Snow Crested Mountains

Flying over Snow Crested Mountains

Further east, flying over the Rockies on the eastern side of Arizona. Lovely snow crested mountains. What a flight – always something to see.

Reflecting on Tucson

with a Side of Palm Trees

Tower and Palm Trees

The first time we wandered around downtown Tucson we were caught in the middle of a cloudburst. It was one of the two cloudy days we saw in Arizona. Two out of ten – not too bad!

We went back the morning we were flying back to Wisconsin. Sunday in downtown Tucson is, well, very quiet. But this time the sun was shining, and so I took advantage of that last bit of Arizona light for a few last photos.

This was a fun shot. I loved the reflections and distortions in the plate glass, but I also loved the added attraction (for me, anyway) of those lovely palm trees.

Palm Shadows in Tohono Chul Park

Tucson Arizona

 Sunny Days

Missing Tucson’s sunny days, but I have photos enough to keep me busy until the flowers bloom in Madison.

I visit to Tohono Chul Park in Tucson offers unlimited opportunities for photographic play with color, light and shadow, and texture.