2018 Trip 4: Arizona: June 1-3

Flagstaff and Phoenix Arizona, Friday to Sunday, June 1 to 3

Part of Taliesin West, Scottsdale AZ

This 18 day trip wrapped up on a slower pace. Friday we started the day easy and then drove down to Phoenix. The scenery changes from the Ponderosa Pine forested mountains of Flagstaff, through the western end of the Mogollan Rim to the cactus studded area around Phoenix. We checked in to the Orange Tree Resort, a time share community from which we obtained our two nights lodging. Chris and I jumped in the pool, Deb and Rebecca lounged on their patio. Dinner was at Ajo Al’s, an authentic Mexican restaurant.

Dinner at Ajo Al’s, Phoenix

People here love the weather, so they say. I believe them. However, Chris and I found the 90 to 107 degree days hot, dry heat or not. I noticed people did not sit outside under the shady umbrellas at restaurants until evening. They hide indoors during the day. So, in my opinion, not much difference enjoying a warm indoors during a Minnesota winter as enjoying a cool indoors during an Arizona summer.

One other supporter of my belief-Frank Lloyd Wright, the famous architect (1867-1959). Wright founded an architectural studio and school just outside Scottsdale, Taliesin West. We toured it Saturday morning; Chris and Rebecca taking a three-hour tour. Deb and I settled for a 1.75 hour tour. Wright’s school, following in his past practice, packs up the students and faculty from mid-May to October and they study at Taliesin East in Spring Green Wisconsin. He was no dummy, it is hot in Arizona in the summer.

One example of the reconstructed Chinese art at Taliesin West

Taliesin East came first, Taliesin West was founded in 1937. I am not going to give you a history of Wright, there are many books about his life and his work. A few tidbits gleaned from our docent tours to liven up the narrative though. Frank Lloyd Wright:

• • had three wives and a mistress
  • was a challenging person to work with
  • designed over 1000 buildings, if an owner followed his design exactly, they were allowed to place a red icon on the building, around 20 owners qualified as most found some aspect of his design not to their liking
  • had his students live in the desert in tents for their first year at Taliesin West, years two and three they built their own small housing units in the desert which were torn down when they left
  • emphasized incorporating the building into the natural environment in which it was placed
  • purchased a large quantity of broken Chinese artifacts, had his students glue them together and many are placed around Taliesin West
  • designed his cabaret (small theater) with almost perfect acoustics and seating designed on a bias so a person’s view is not blocked by the individual seated in the row in front of her
  • The water features and stone walks and walls were fire prevention features
  • and his school have a zero drop-out rate, and a 100% placement rate for its graduates with a notable international representation
  • the doorways are a ducking place for people 6 foot tall and over
  

  The drafting studio at Taliesin West

  

  The
  Cabaret

  

  The Water Tower at Taliesin West – once Wright had enough money to drill deep enough to reach the aquifer

  After a lunch at Panera, it was back to the Orange Tree Resort for more pool and relaxation time.  Lou and Joyce had returned from Flagstaff and joined us for a pizza and pasta dinner in our room. Then Chris and I took Deb and Rebecca to the airport for their red-eye flight back to Boston.

  On Sunday, we found a Catholic Church nearby, Blessed Sacrament, that actually had decent singing by the congregation. We had lunch at In-N-Out, a west coast burger chain before joining Lou and Joyce at the Musical Instrument Museum. The Musical Instrument Museum is amazing but let me get my biases out of the way. A. I think corporate execs are paid way too much and this museum was started by a former chief exec of Target Corporation; B. As a Minnesotan, and since Target is headquartered in Minnesota, I would have preferred to see such a museum in the Twin Cities. Okay, on with the tale.

  

  One example of a country exhibit at Musical Instrument Museum Phoenix

  The Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) is housed in a building that does not wow you on its architectural style. It is clean, straight lines, white and beige colors. It is the inside, the exhibits, that make one say “WOW”. And I am not a major music listener. The second floor is devoted to collections of musical instruments from around the world, grouped by geographical regions. So what? you say. Well, the presentation includes examples of the musical instrument; a map so the geographically challenged can understand where the country is located (I did not remember that the New Hebrides are now called Vanuatu-did you?); and an audio-visual screen that comes to life as you approach it wearing your headset. Thus you understand the country’s location, see the instrument, and hear and see the instruments being played.

  

  Another country exhibit

  

  Just four of the 15,000 instruments in the collection at Musical Instrument Museum

  While numerous instruments are local adaptations of standard instruments (drums), there are unique examples also. The museum has a saying: “Music is the language of the soul”. The exhibits demonstrate the universality of music and the enjoyment and the ritual needs it fulfills. The first floor has a rotating exhibit room (currently a new exhibit is being set up), displays of instruments and related videos of famous musicians from around the world, a display of mechanical music, and an experience gallery where guests can play instruments similar to those on display. We spent two hours here and could have easily been here two or three times as long. Highly recommended.

  We said our good-byes to Lou and Joyce and headed to the airport where our flight got us home at 11 PM. A very enjoyable 18 days and 2200 miles of Arizona exploration-with a plus of family time.

  Ed and Chris. Saint Paul June 4

2015 Trip 1, March 3, Florida in Winter

Ruskin, FL Tuesday March 3

A day of contrasts. An American genius, Frank Lloyd Wright, and then low brow entertainment with pig racing.

Annie Pfeiffer Chapel designed by Frank Lloyd Wright at Florida Southern College in Lakeland FL

Traffic was tied up on the Interstate this AM so we took back roads to Lakeland, FL, Population 100,000. The roads passed through citrus groves, cattle farms and phosphate mines. Florida is the leading U.S. source for phosphate, a primary ingredient in agricultural fertilizer. On one road, an abandoned phosphate mine has been recycled into a state park with highly rated off-road biking trails.

Roof line of Watson Fine Administration Building, Florida Southern College

Why Lakeland FL? Well, Frank Loyd Wright of course. When thinking of Frank Lloyd Wright, Fallingwater, Taliesin East and West, Spring Green WI, or Chicago’s collection of Wright houses might come to mind. But in Lakeland FL is the largest single concentration of Wright designed structures, his only planetarium, his only built village, his only domed water feature, only theater in the round, and his last stained glass window.

Stained Glass in Danforth Chapel, Florida Southern College

How did this happen? In 1938, Wright was at the peak of his notoriety. He had just completed Fallingwater and the Johnson Wax headquarters. He was on the cover of Time magazine. He was 70 years old and Dr. Ludd Spivey, President of Florida Southern College contacted him. FSC was a small, religious based college and Spivey was looking for a way to differentiate his school. He challenged Wright to design and build a truly unique American educational institution, not one that copied European institutions with red brick and ivy. Spivey had no money but Wright accepted the challenge after visiting the site in Florida. (At this time in Florida history, central Florida was still pretty much Hicksville.) Over the next 20 years, Wright and the college collaborated on building 12 of the 18 structures Wright designed.

We took a fantastic 2.5 hour guided tour of the Wright portion of the campus; the residential portion is not Wright designed and there were a few traditional college buildings present when Wright started his work. His first thought was that the buildings in existence would have to be demolished to give his work a clean slate; but relented saying the comparison would better show off his buildings.

Sky view through Watson FIne Building

Interior lines of Watson Fine Admin Building

I do not know how much you know of Frank Lloyd Wright and we are certainly not experts. He is a colorful character and his biography would make for interesting reading, if you are so inclined. The American Institute of Architects declared him the greatest American architect of all time. He designed buildings and their interior furnishings. He expected to have complete control over the design and building. He originated several design theories and was famous for making the building suit the land on which it was sited, rather than the reverse. He also was autocratic and his buildings are known for leaky roofs.

A portion of the esplanades

Support column designed to resemble an orange tree

View looking out from the Ordway Arts Building

During the tour we saw such buildings as the Theater in the Round with great acoustics; the original library which was built by female students during WWII (the college instituted a program in 1939 for free tuition in exchange for student labor to construct buildings, 3 days of class and 3 days of work, in WWII all the male students were gone so the women continued the building); the mile long series of esplanades that connect buildings in which the supports resemble orange trees and are trimmed in copper to provide a green tone; and finished at the Usonian House, a recently constructed example of modern American living that should have been faculty housing in 1939 but it was unable to be completed until now.

Interior and furnishings designed by Wright but just completed in Usonian House

I could go on and on about the design and building process. If you are interested in reading further, the website http://www.franklloydwrightatfsc.com has detailed information.

After lunch, we drove to Plant City FL. Plant City is the home of the Florida Strawberry Festival. The Plant City area is known as the capital of the winter strawberry crop in the U.S. The Florida Strawberry Festival draws 500,000 people during its 11 day run. Numerous people had recommended to us that we attend this festival. Now, coming from Minnesota with an 11 day state fair that draws over 2,000,000 people, we were initially hesitant. Plant City is almost directly in the path we would take back to Ruskin, so we gave it a shot.

Strawberries on sale

The Festival was a pleasant experience. It is a large county fair in our opinion. Lots of kiddie rides, the horticulture exhibit pales in comparison to other fairs, it has the standard vendors selling food, jewelry, trinkets, home nutrition aids, etc. We encountered a vendor who also attends the MN State Fair; they sell electric switchplates that are made in West Virginia. There are several tents with free entertainment and one large stage with bigger name entertainment. Strawberry shortcake and milkshakes are for sale at numerous stands.

Pig racing at the Florida Strawberry Festival in Plant City FL

There were two unusual forms of entertainment that we tried to see; lamb jumping and pig racing. Our time at Florida Southern meant we missed the lamb jumping so I can not tell you if the lambs jump fences or if people jump over lambs. We did make it to one of the pig racing exhibitions.

Four young porkers are lined up and enticed with Oreo cookies to run around a small track. The winner gets a whole Oreo cookie; the other three have to share a second Oreo. There is the usual audience cheering for their favorite pig. For an encore, four other pigs come out, jump into a pool of water, swim to the other end and then race back to the starting point. We can attest that while pigs may not fly, they can swim.

A long day but one filled with interesting contrasts.

Ed and Chris March 3 9:30 PM