Salute to you Mac!

The Breakfast Lions honor you! And so do I!! What a tribute for the many, many years of service to the community! Thank you for all you have done and continue to do! What a great and generous heart you have! And I love you!!

Taliesin West

The American Architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

This is his home and his school of architecture, of later life, carved out of the Arizona desert. With students or as he called them 'apprentices' he gathered rock and mixed cement, purchased wood and built this 'camp' in the desert. Originally the western home and school, away from the harsh Wisconsin winters, but with each trip west, this 'camp' grew and expanded. At first no glass windows, only stretched canvas to let in filtered light. Let's see, no air conditioning...at first no running water, the group had a bucket brigade that brought water to the area...no windows, this is the desert, with snakes, and creeping things, and things that fly in the night...did I mention he brought his wife and their children? But built with the knowledge of the desert breeze and captured the breeze to help cool the school and home.This was the living room, complete with piano. All the furnishings were his creation.


His bedroom, complete with cooking utensils hanging in the fireplace




He was told there wasn't water, however, he eventually dug for water and w/in 500' found an aquifer which still supplies all the water on site.




The grounds offer two auditoriums. A small dinner theatre, and somewhat larger, more for performing arts. And of course a garden...a sculpture garden with bronze statues.



Today, he is credited with his 'organic' architecture. In a culture where we are 'green' everything, he was one of the first to use natural materials from the area he was building. His new thought of space and lines has had a dramatic impact in our buildings and homes today. He truly was a great architect.

How walkable is your neighborhood

Sometime back Rachel asked the question 'how walkable is your neighborhood?' and I have pondered that for sometime. After visiting friends in London, once upon a time, their neighborhood was very walkable and public transit friendly, to my somewhat envy, I have wanted to live where it is walkable. And many times when out shopping in the enormous black asphalt of parking lots, state, if we were in London we would be walking. All to say, I have the blessing of working downtown on the precipice of residential homes. In this part of the country, many of our old homes have been converted to commercial office spaces, and I work in this area of town. Most of the time I walk during my lunch time, and as I leave my office and walk down amongst the old homes...I'm never being disappointed in my walks. And after our recent visit to Taliesin West, my appreciation of these old homes has been renewed. (American architecture) I love the landscaping, some very formal, some not so...with gates and 'additions' and fencing, but the homes themselves...awesome...in an era of 'franchise' shopping and 'tract homes' where everything is the same, I desire the return of the unique, one of a kind home. So, my neighborhood might not be so conveniently walkable, to the market or dry cleaners, I do enjoy my almost daily walks in and around the not so 'cookie cutter' homes of downtown. This is a sampling of what I see...This has to be one of my favorite homes...barrel dormers, upstairs on the side french doors onto a porch that sits in the leaves of the trees...the landscaping, azaleas, a dogwood tree, Japanese red and green maples, in the fall she puts pumpkins on the porch...

Don't you just love homes with big front porches...This house is Huge! with almost no backyard, i know, I drove up the alley!

American flags flying!

I love the charm of this house. Reminds me of SLO, the fountain and 'growies' tangled everywhere, a cushioned bench underneath giant shade trees beckons me to sit a while and sip ice coffee and read a book...

Neatly trimmed picket fence!

Okay, so these are mostly landscapes...I was a little nervous taking too many pictures of houses..

Pinky Up Food Two!

Cavier anyone! (is that how you spell it?)

Heirloom tomato salad!



And unbelievable dessert! Had to sample all four...this was peanut butter mousse in a chocolate cup! move over Lois!



And Chef Michael serving us to boot! What fun!

Wine Tasting!

The visit was a good excuse to have Chef Michael teach us the ways of wine tasting. Cheese, two kinds, jack and pepper jack, green olives, (blah!) bread for cleansing the palate! Never cared for green olives, but with a sip of red wine, changes the taste of the wine completely!

So, I've tried to upload a video of the 4 of us tasting wine...but alas, the video is way to large to upload! So a picture tonite(Mike has already fixed new wine and cheese for Sat) will post later!

Moving Day

It was moving day! I love to move! Well, at least the anticipation of something new, new people, new home, new places to explore. I love all the eagerness and excitement! Duane and I have counted up between us, neither of us have lived in one house/apt for more than 10.5 years! and that was just recently! I moved alot as a child.
And it is hard to move, always making new friends, changing schools, leaving what is comfortable to the anxiousness of the unknown. As an adult, those things still plague me. And leaving friends and the thought of attempting to make new ones gives me a knot in my stomach. Friends are God's gift to us, each one special unto themselves, what they offer to you. But I only know that as an adult in middle years (ok, old) And I cherish the friends I have. Brett and Emily, may God grant you new and dear friends as you move to a new home, new job, new place to explore.

Whew!! how did that get started! Brett and Em stopped on their way to New Town! Yeah!
It's always good to see cousins!

And present 3 year old wedding gifts! Lorie presented Em with her wedding album scrapebook! ooooo's and aaahhhh's over their special day!


And the pleasure of meeting Henry!


A swim in the pool, Teryx include



Soaking up the sun!!!



And Popsicles for nostalgia sake!!


And the guys bonding as only guys can do!!