Grand.

We’d booked rooms at El Tovar, the hotel on the south rim of the canyon and judging from the reaction of the chap in the Sedona Visitors Centre, we were in for a treat.

Hmm.

Our stay here has provided many stories for the journal, anyway, from the multi-faceted confusion over the table we booked for dinner (for three?  I have a table booked for seven…) to the reaction of her colleagues to the delightful Mary-Ellen’s chatter with us about England, The Other Boleyn Girl and how to pronounce Wriothseley (or whatever).  We’ll leave all the other details to Trip Advisor and the rest!

It’s hard to know which of the many, many photographs I took today to upload here.  Of course, none of them do the canyon justice – it’s just too big, too overwhelming and the colours and light are changing all the time. 

The reality is so different from the numerous publicity shots which are printed in all the leaflets and on the posters, which have been photoshopped and colour managed.  For a short while, we feared a Taj Mahal moment (we were a little underwhelmed, sad to say, having seen so many perfect images over the years, the reality was not quite as we’d hoped…)  But fortunately, as we stopped at the various viewpoints and spent time standing and staring, the magnitude of what lay in front of us overcame any other thoughts.

Putting it into perspective, we stood at the viewpoint right outside our hotel, looking down on that trail.  Only after gazing for a few minutes did we see the people walking on it…this picture is taken with no zoom or anything, so way, way down there, those little dots gave me cause to think…oh my.  It goes quite a long way further down than that, too.

Much of our day was affected by the people who were there too.  For the most part, they were charming; very friendly and curious about where we came from and where we were going next.  They too had their stories, and so we traded thoughts and ideas, opinions and experiences.  We heard a huge variety of languages (English, naturally, but also a lot of German was spoken) and when we were standing on the viewpoints – very secure, well maintained, no fear of falling! – it was noticeable how respectful people were of each other, because after all, we were mostly after the same pictures!

Mind you, there was always the odd surprise.  People standing in places where I wouldn’t have dreamed of going.

Of course, there was always a show off catching the attention of others around him, too.  Crazy. It’s noticeable how most of the warning signs are aimed at young men, the “invincible”, who seem to be the most likely to find themselves in need of assistance.

The whole experience was superbly managed. Once again, the National Parks have done a great job in ensuring that everyone is able to get the most out of their visit.  The park is very well maintained, there are clear tracks and viewpoints and yet the experience doesn’t feel too packaged.

We called into the Visitor Centre to stamp my sketchbook, of course.

Returning to El Tovar, we found ourselves a quiet spot with rocking chairs and a swing on the verandah, to do a great bit of people watching as the world and his wife walked right by us.

Meanwhile, the Hopi tribespeople were putting on a great performance just along the way.

And with a margarita (blended, with salt please), we sat and watched the sun go down.

What a great day.  What a grand place!

The heat is on

Those who warned us that the rain wouldn’t last long were correct.  This morning, we woke to blue skies and stepping outside was somewhat of a surprise, however much we were expecting the warmth.

We were headed for Taliesin, Frank Lloyd Wright’s house and school of architecture, on the outskirts of Scottsdale.  We’d driven up here yesterday, having been incorrectly led to believe by our guidebook that it was open.  Today, we strolled in around 9.15 am, securing our places with the slightly dippy woman selling tickets.  Slightly dippy could be an understatement – not only did she warn us against travelling around England on an American Express tour because of “the terrorists who are waiting to blow it up”, she also claimed to remember Mary from an ice cream parlour at Warwick Castle…  We paid our money and having corrected her misconceptions about the threats to tourists in England, moved swiftly on.  We still wonder if Mary has an evil twin in Warwick

We joined the obligatory guided tour, fortunate in having Sue as our guide.  She set off at a good pace, allowing us time to gather in the scant shade available before going into the house itself.

From the terrace of the house, the view was clear over the desert.  Sue explained that the cacti take around 70 years before they grow their first “arm” so some of those in view are hundreds of years old.

We are all very fond of Frank Lloyd Wright’s work and admire his attention to detail and the clever way in which he trained his staff.  However, we were rather surprised to see the rough finish here at Taliesin West – the whole construction was created from a mix of local stone and a dryish concrete mix.  These same, rough walls were the interior surface too but the lines of the structure, the framed views and the overall effect was such that the rough finish seemed perfectly fitting.

The woodwork was roughly finished too, the doors hanging from simple hinges and hung directly on the stone without a frame.  Very “spiky” throughout, this was a structure of few right angles and the doors were interesting shapes!

We loved hearing of his skill in designing a building which works perfectly.  Here, we sat in the semi-basement theatre and marvelled at the way the shape of the room managed the sound so effectively.  What a clever man!

We learned of how the school of architecture works to this day, working through the Winter here at Taliesin West and throughout the summer at Taliesin, in Wisconsin, because this was never intended to be a year-round base for FLW and his team – far too hot!

Craving ice cream, we left in search of a”Cold Stone”, following google directions as far as the HQ building before realising that we were not likely to find and actual ice cream there.  We quickly rerouted to a shopping mall where we found what we were looking for!

It was interesting to see the misters along the street of this upscale area, too.  Living in this climate must present so many challenges.

Our afternoon destination was the State Capitol – or rather, the grand building which is now a museum, having been replaced by a more modern, functional structure down the street.  The copper dome shone in the afternoon sunshine as we ventured inside, adding another capitol building to our collection.

Inside was a series of rooms full of dusty bits and pieces, though a couple of questions were provoked for future research – in particular, we wondered what happened to the California Box Car full of goodies sent by France in 1949, seeing the contents of the Arizona one displayed here.  Most of the other displays didn’t detain us long, though I rather liked the US Fleet in a nutshell in the picture above.

Linking nicely with this morning, however, was FLW’s speculative design for a new State Capitol.  A room was devoted to a few of his plans and for a scale model of the building – a rather futuristic design drawn from local themes and interpreting the landscape in a somewhat abstract fashion.

The model was detailed and offered a better insight than the drawings, though for me, it’s the artwork which holds the most interest.

Another structure with few, if any, right angles in place, these drawings were done in response to a simple rumour that a replacement capitol was needed.  Sadly, the depression and economic hardships of the time meant that it was never really given serious consideration.

Although some of the elevations and impressions look attractive and reveal what was probably a well thought through and workable building

the overall design is somewhat other worldly and it’s hard to imagine it here in the city today.

Time then, to return to Scottsdale, to write up a few journal notes before I forget, to cool off a little and relax before dinner.  Our last night here before moving on, we look forward to moving on to Prescott tomorrow.

The heat will continue, I believe.

Would you believe it?

Having left behind a month’s worth of rainy days in favour of a destination in the desert, where the temperature has been into the 100s in the last few days, we woke this morning to cloudy skies and a coolish breeze.

Aah, said the residents of Scottsdale, how lucky you are to have a cool day here.  Make the most of it because it won’t last long.

It being the 4th July, we expected some places to be closed for the holiday, but in Old Town Scottsdale, most places were open – not that there were many customers in evidence.

We decided to take the self-guided walking tour.

But really, we didn’t find it terribly inspiring and many of the goods on sale in the stores in the old town weren’t quite what we had in mind.

After peering in a few jewellery store windows and shops selling Native American Art, we ventured inside the shop selling light reactive things where we bought a couple of bottles of colour changing nail polish.  By now, the dark clouds were gathering but even so, the chap in there assured us that it wouldn’t rain – no, not here.

But not long afterwards, there was a drop or two on the windscreen.  Those few spots soon became more than a few and shortly after that it was pouring with rain.

Hmmm.  There were we, suitably equipped for strong sunshine and high temperatures, with extreme factor sunscreen in the bag along with our hats and dark sunglasses.  Did we have an umbrella?

Actually, it didn’t matter.  We spent the afternoon with friends Sue and Ivars, celebrating Independence Day with their family at their home, sitting by their pool and actually agreeing with whoever-it-was who remarked that a drop of rain was better than extreme temperatures.  As we drove back to our hotel this evening, the sky looked more settled and the forecast for tomorrow is for fine, more usual July weather.  Fireworks have been lighting up the sky for the last fifteen minutes or so and it sounds like the grand finale is drawing the celebrations to a close.

Good night from Scottsdale, Arizona!

On Arizona time

We’re here.  In Scottsdale, Arizona, that is.  It’s been quite a day.

As we drove to the airport, the Goodyear airship sailed by.  We hoped for a more comfortable ride for our journey, needless to say.

As if by magic, our wish was granted.  We checked in as normal and whilst I went shopping for a new pair of sunglasses, my hero texted me to tell me we’d been upgraded.

Woohoo!

To First Class, no less.

Woo-double-hoo!

So, we took the advice of the British Airways staff member on the desk in the business class lounge and hot footed it to the Concorde Lounge instead.  After a spot of lunch, we sat either side of a small coffee table with a lamp on it for quite some time before I noticed the lampstand…  Amusing, n’est-ce pas?

Sitting up there in the aerie of Terminal 5, watching the world go by and our 747 over there opposite, awaiting our arrival, the time whizzed by.  As much as I’d like to say that the ten hour flight to Phoenix went equally quickly, I’m afraid it didn’t.  Though, we were treated to excellent service, top notch food and super-comfort – what luck!

I watched Salmon Fishing in the Yemen and the Marigold Hotel before snuggling down to listen to Michael Macintyre on Desert Island disks (and falling asleep).

Anyone else read the book of the Marigold Hotel before seeing the film?  Your thoughts?

We landed in Phoenix at 5pm, half an hour before we were scheduled, and the temperature was 38C.

Mary was there waiting for us, having just got there herself.  We picked the car up from the largest Avis lot that ever there was and here we are.

Let the 2012 Road Trip begin!!

Last day in Boston

Tradition has it that we leave one place outstanding for the morning we’ve packed and checked out of the hotel and in Boston, that usually means a stroll up to the Museum of Fine Arts, one of our all-time favourites.

Today was no exception and we were able to get there just before it opened, in time to take a photograph of what I now think of as Jordi’s Native American!

The first eyecatching exhibit was…well, of course, it ought to have been that enormous reproduction of one of the Degas Nudes but actually, it was Dale Chiluly’s Lime Green Icicle Tower!

Positioned in the new atrium area of the museum, where it catches the light and everyone’s attention, it is a truly magnificent piece.

It invites a closer look, of course and the glass shimmers in both natural sunshine and the spotlights which feature it.

The reflections in the highly polished base are interesting too.

After that little excitement, I’m sorry to say that we didn’t really take the Degas exhibition to our hearts – something about the voyeuristic nature of his work, most probably.  Stunning pastels and of course, wonderful observations.  But ultimately, we both felt that the process was more captivating than the product – especially the monotype prints where he had begun with a completely black inked plate and worked backwards, as it were.  I also love his quickly formed sculptures of the dancers, standing in awkward poses and admire the fine lines of the body, the solid stance and slightly unfinished nature of the things.  So, we brought away a few positive thoughts and left the bulk of the sketches of brothels behind…

 

For a while, we pottered about visiting our favourites.  The black and white photography of the 1930s, the Tiffany glass, the delightful portraits of the “Boston School” and the large Singer Sargeant portraits which we both love to see every time we come here.

Of course, there is always the chance for an unexpected delight and standing in front of a pair of black double doors, we wondered if we should go in.  What was in there?  The Clock?  Christian who?  Marclay?  Never heard of him…

The decision to allow our curiosity to take over was the best one of the morning!  Probably all you tuned in, culturally aware readers will have known all about this from the BBC News report from this time last year.  We knew nothing.  this had completely passed us by.

 (If the embedded YouTube video of a BBC news report doesn't seem to be working,  Click here)

We sat and watched, not realising at first that the time in the film was the actual time but as it gradually dawned on us that we were watching something in real time, both of us became rather anxious about what might happen at noon, which was rapidly approaching.  But 12 o’clock came and went and still we sat, captivated by the whole experience, the emotional roller coaster, the nostalgia of seeing familiar faces and clips from films we recognised.  Eventually, we had to summon up our senses and leave…because we could have stayed there for hours.

 (If this embedded video doesn't seem to be working, you can watch a clip of the Clock here)

As it happens, this is part of the piece we saw – Colin Firth appearing twice and Steed looking terribly young.  These three minutes give a good impression, I think and perhaps offer some kind of explanation as to why we found ourselves returning to the subject time and again for the rest of the day.

Marvellous.

But it really was time for us to go.  We returned to our favourite Legal Seafoods and enjoyed a late lunch before going to the airport and checking in for our flight home.  Quite what lies in store for us tomorrow, with the strikes and all manner of chaos threatened in the immigration hall, who knows?  Hopefully, the stars will be in alignment, the wind in the right direction and we’ll sail through.

Fingers crossed.