April 2010

the Grandest Canyon

I wasn’t planning on visiting the Grand Canyon, but it was only 200 miles north of my path, so I decided to stop in.  The drive was long and I had to be in Albuquerque by 6, so I was getting frustrated by the time I got to the visitor center and was walking around the shops and toilets and couldn’t find the canyon.  Was thinking maybe it was a waste of time, all the cars and tourists. But when I finally found her and the view opened up through the trees, that first glimpse was so awe inspiring, it made the 4000 mile trip completely worth it in an instant!   You have to see it to understand. 

visit to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West

Frank Lloyd Wright coined the term Organic Architecture nearly 100 years ago and the advances in design, materials and natural architecture he developed are seen ubiquitously in our homes and communities around the world today.  I arrived at Taliesin outside Scottsdale, Arizona after closing hours just at sunset.  Not wanting to miss a chance to see my hero’s winter encampment where he and his students built an oasis out of the desert rock, I wandered into the library and met one of the current fellows.  We got into a long discussion about developing eco-sustainable communities and I was invited in to share dinner with the fellows.  The exterior of Taliesin West flow seamlessly up from the desert floor, appearing as if they have been there for a thousand years, or perhaps are just natural features f the desert itself. The interiors are the most comfortable, human-sized rooms you could imagine, with natural light filling the space and the boundary between inside and outside delightfully blurred. 

WIND POWER- if California can, why can’t Japan

Driving out of LA traffic through the valley towards Arizona, I came across this huge array or wind generators.  In a way it made up for all that consumption in LA, seeing all this natural energy being harvested.  With Japan’s high unpopulated mountains and long coast line, and amazing technological skills, why arent we seeing more wind farms popping up.  Social responsibility is stronger here than NIMBY (not-in-my-backyard), so I dont think the opposition of  ‘environmentalists’ is what is holding us back.    2 BIG wind turbines along Tokyo bay are an encouraging site these days.  Is Japan on track to become a leader in renewable energy?

High Village House, winter tour