Where's Rob?

I stumbled on this "Improv Everywhere" mission posted on Color Me Katie's blog and on YouTube. It's about a guy who is purportedly lost in the arena during a professional basketball game. It is very funny ~ Enjoy!

Where's Rob?

Field Trip

I'm fascinated with the life and work of architect Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959). We have a gorgeous luxury hotel in central Phoenix, which is the only existing hotel in the world with a Frank Lloyd Wright-influenced design, The Arizona Biltmore. It has been an Arizona landmark since its opening on February 23, 1929 when it was crowned "The Jewel of the Desert." The resort was designed by Albert Chase McArthur, a Harvard graduate, who had studied under Frank Lloyd Wright from 1907 - 1909 in Chicago. Several presidents and many celebrities have stayed here.

Perhaps the most obvious and dramatic design link to Wright is the use of indigenous materials that led to the creation of the "Biltmore Block." The pre-cast concrete blocks were molded on-site and used in the total construction of the resort. Designed by McArthur and sculpted by Emry Kopta, a prominent southwestern sculptor, the "Biltmore Block" features a geometric pattern that is said to represent a freshly cut palm tree.

A bit of trivia for you: Did you know that the famed song composer Irving Berlin penned many tunes, including "White Christmas" while sitting poolside at the Arizona Biltmore?

I recently read a book about Frank Lloyd Wright and one of the loves of his life. It's called "Loving Frank," by Nancy Horan. Here's the synopsis from amazon.com:
I have been standing on the side of life, watching it float by. I want to swim in the river. I want to feel the current. So writes Mamah Borthwick Cheney in her diary as she struggles to justify her clandestine love affair with Frank Lloyd Wright. Four years earlier, in 1903, Mamah and her husband, Edwin, had commissioned the renowned architect to design a new home for them. During the construction of the house, a powerful attraction developed between Mamah and Frank, and in time the lovers, each married with children, embarked on a course that would shock Chicago society and forever change their lives. In this ambitious debut novel, fact and fiction blend together brilliantly. While scholars have largely relegated Mamah to a footnote in the life of America's greatest architect, author Nancy Horan gives full weight to their dramatic love story and illuminates Cheney's profound influence on Wright. Drawing on years of research, Horan weaves little-known facts into a compelling narrative, vividly portraying the conflicts and struggles of a woman forced to choose between the roles of mother, wife, lover, and intellectual. Horan's Mamah is a woman seeking to find her own place, her own creative calling in the world. Mamah's is an unforgettable journey marked by choices that reshape her notions of love and responsibility, leading inexorably ultimately lead to this novel's stunning conclusion. Elegantly written and remarkably rich in detail, Loving Frank is a fitting tribute to a courageous woman, a national icon, and their timeless love story.

A couple of weeks ago, when my aunt and uncle were visiting from Colorado, we toured to Talesin West, the compound in North Scottsdale that Frank Lloyd Wright built from 1937-59. It features his living quarters and a prestigious design school. It was fascinating to get a peek into this brilliant and eclectic man's life. The sculpture garden included a bronze of an archer, which was interesting to me since I live with a bowhunter. Talesin means "Shining Brow" in Welsh, which is FLW's ancestry (mine too).
This last picture of a spire is Frank Lloyd-Wright inspired and sits at the corner of Scottsdale Road and Frank Lloyd-Wright Blvd in North Scottsdale, at the Promenade Shopping Center. We lunched here to complete our FLW-themed day.

For more pictures of his architecture, go to this page:
http://architecture.about.com/od/franklloydwright/ig/Frank-Lloyd-Wright/

Incoming

I was out of town, working in Las Vegas for a week (a bit of a challenge to do in a party town that never sleeps) and I came home to lots of great mail. Several postcards, handmade 45 record with song from Postcard Jim (a very talented art student in England, http://postcardjim.wordpress.com/), fabulous envie crafted from a record cover (vintage Della Reese) from Bianca in Australia, and two packages from my dear friend in Japan (not pictured but goodies included cheesecake mix, pasta, chili spice and cinnamon).
My Postcrossing (now penpal) friend from Finland also sent a photo (in the top center) of her daughter, who is a member of a hunting club and they're packing their deer out. The postcard with the cloud in the shape of a whale was sent to my niece and I from a Postcrosser in Maine.
I also received a stationery order from an etsy store: http://www.etsy.com/shop/wevegotpaper and I am so pleased!
I tried to get a closeup picture of this Finnish stamp, which has Braille on it:
Today I'm sending out postcards, a sympathy card, a protest letter to my Credit Union because they're closing two branches and working on several letters. Heading to Alabama tomorrow for a quick trip.

Weekend finds and fun!

It's finally cooling down here in the Valley of the Sun ~ we've had the windows and doors wide open, letting in the cool air. There are a ton of tag sales this time of year, so I hit some estate sales, garage sales and a church rummage sale with my mum, sister and niece this weekend. My best find was paying $4 for a bag of stamps (mostly used/cancelled), which I can use for art, but there was also about $10 worth of unused miscellaneous postage stamps in there and some old coins and a bank note from Nicaragua (good stocking stuffers).
Our motorcycle club, Star 393 of Chandler, had a picnic at Falcon Field park and it was a "Fiesta" theme, with Mexican food and decorations. Nesto and I were in charge of the pinata for the kids. It's a popular game in Latin America and the Southwest U.S. A colorful cardboard or paper mache' container holds candy and small toys and is suspended by a rope from a tree. We blindfold the kids one at a time and let them swing a bat to try and break open the pinata. I stuffed a witch's head (Halloween theme). Once the pinata has broke open, the kids scurry to pick up the candy ~ fun!

Miniature food art!

Our friends at "Cupcakes Take the Cake" posted about a talented miniature food artist in Paris. You will not believe the level of detail that Stephanie can do with this wearable and/or collectible art! She's posted pictures on Flicker, has a shop on Etsy, and a blog. Enjoy and bon appetit!

Summertime in Northern Arizona

Many people from the Phoenix area gravitate to Northern Arizona throughout the summer, or as we call it, "Up North." We love the towns of Payson, ShowLow, and Flagstaff, and the White Mountains area. The elevation is higher, so the temperature is typically 20F cooler, and there are pine trees and mountains. Arizona is very arid (dry) with low humidity, as are many Western states, like New Mexico, Colorado and Utah. Many people escape the desert region and the heat by going up for day trips or camping. It's anywhere from two to four hours by car.I am surrounded by sunflowers at an area called Mormon Lake, Arizona.
Mormon Lake, Arizona. The yellow is a sea of sunflowers and lots of elk hang out in this area in the summer.

Nesto and I have gone fishing several times this year, even taking one trip on the motorcycle. We purchased the collapsible fishing rods and packed a small tackle box and lunch on the back of the bike! We had one great fishing day, and caught several rainbow trout, as you can see from my "Fish-in-a-bag."
I like taking short hikes and enjoying the wildflowers and wildlife. Here are some Columbine flowers, which is actually the Colorado State flower.We have seen deer, skunk, elk, bald eagles, lizards, red cardinals, blue jays, duck and chipmunks that will eat from your hands! The bald eagle is the national emblem of the United States and it's always exciting to see them in the wild. We saw some swoop and dive down to the lake at Woods Canyon and catch a fish for lunch. They fly so fast I could never get a picture, so I found one photographed by Bob Paty.

If you love letters...

I found a neat website called:

http://www.allthisismine.com/

Sugene has a unique selection of stationery and also a cool "pen pal pack" that has an assortment of cool stickers and envelopes. I have never read a "zine" before (which is an inexpensively produced, self-published, underground publication) but the issue #12, "The Letter Writing Issue" seemed intriguing, so I received it today and read it cover to cover. It's like it was written just for me! Anecdotes, envelope-decorating, fountain pens, letter folding, and some great vintage information from correspondence from years ago. You should check it out.