14APR, Thursday, was an uneventful drive from Ajo, AZ, to the Good Life RV park in Mesa, AZ (a suburb of Phoenix). We have been here before back in November of 2010. The reason for our stay this time is the same as last time. Dan has to fly out on a short business trip & Corrie would like a comfortable place in Dan’s absence. If you read our below BLOG entry about the last time, you will note that the park was just beginning to fill up with snowbirds. Now it is almost a ghost town because most of the snowbirds have “flown” north! Apparently there are only thirty or so full timers that are willing to endure the Arizona summer. Upon arrival Corrie took off on a grocery run, while Dan checked out happy hour.http://theryanrvexpress.blogspot.com/2010/11/06-16nov10-phoenix-az-red-stick-la.html
As noted in our NOV10 BLOG there are a ton of activities offered by the membership association. But Friday, Saturday & Sunday we spent most of the time lying around the pool. Friday night we did try our luck on BINGO; & Saturday morning we visited two local flea markets.
Sunday morning we jumped into the Toad & took off to Tortilla Flats on AZ Highway 88, which follows the Apache Trail through the Superstition Mountains. Tortilla Flats is at the end of the paved road & was the primary staging area for the construction of the Roosevelt Dam (Teddy not FDR) on the Salt River between 1905 & 1911. The Flats is a group of buildings constructed in a faux western style known for their barstools made out of saddles & their prickly pear ice cream (pretty good). Since the drive is very scenic, the restaurant & bar have become a “destination” for bikers & car enthusiasts. Beyond the Flats AZ 88 becomes 25 miles of treacherous dirt road all the way to the dam. The road is supposedly two way traffic, but many portions are only wide enough for a single vehicle! It was one of the most scenic drives we have taken, in spite of a few close calls.
http://www.tortillaflataz.com/After getting back on paved highway we stopped by the Tonto National Monument. This National Monument preserves the remains of two cliff dwellings built by the Salado people. While reviewing the exhibits a quote from the Park Superintendent’s monthly report of March 1953, caught Dan’s eye – “On a busy Sunday afternoon, a pair of ladies briefs were found adorning an ocotillo branch right on the main trail. If this proves anything, it shows that the trail needs more careful observation.”
http://www.nps.gov/tont/index.htm
Monday, 18APR (tax day), Dan flew to Baton Rouge for business, & returned Wednesday evening. Thursday morning, 21APR, we took off for a tour of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West in Scottsdale, AZ, & upon arrival purchased tickets for the “Insights Tour”. The original Taliesin was (& is) located in Spring Green, WI. At some point Wright’s doctor advised him to “avoid” future winters in WI. Having visited the Scottsdale area a few times, Wright purchased a very remote piece of land & began creating Taliesin West. From 1937 until his death, Wright spent the winters in Scottsdale, & the summers in Spring Green (the first snowbird?).
From pictures we have seen of Taliesin West, we mistakenly believed it was similar to other Wright structures; ie substantial walls made of local stone, interior walls & ceilings made of local woods, & large amounts of glass to bring the outdoors in (& vice versa). Turns out we were somewhat mistaken. The walls are made of local stone held together with cement; but these exterior walls only supported a lightweight structure of wooden beams & a canvas roof system. Since the canvas leaked at the seams, Wright had to device a system of interior gutters to carry the infrequent rains away. And the floor to ceiling window openings were not covered by glass, but by canvas panels or canvas covers when needed. It took a few years for the third Mrs Wright to convince her husband that glass was a good thing.
How he built Taliesin West is another amazing story! For many years at Taliesin in WI, Mr Wright had “interns” that paid Mr Wright a yearly tuition to learn from Mr Wright. When he decided on Scottsdale as the location for his winter home, he loaded all the interns into several cars he owned & headed south. (Later in his life, he had all his cars painted the same bright red! It must have been quite the sight as a caravan of red cars filled with Wright & entourage spent multiple days crossing the USA?) Upon arrival the only accommodations they had were eight foot by eight foot shepard’s tents, & no onsite water (let alone electricity). During their six month stay Wright would sketch out his designs & the interns would build it. It took four years before they had permanent water, a decade for power, & the phone service came after Mr Wright died.
The interns were also expected to prepare all meals, create center pieces, serve the meals & do the dishes. Once a week everyone dressed in formal attire (we’re talking tuxedos & dresses) for a formal dinner followed by musical or theatrical entertainment provided by the interns! This tradition continues to this day, but on a monthly basis. Today’s modern interns still follow a “snowbird” pattern while paying $30K in annual tuition. Not a bad price really when you consider this is for a full year not just two semesters, & includes room & board; with six months in AZ & six months in WI. And today the interns are expected to build their own “abode” in the surrounding desert; or if you have seniority you can claim an existing structure & modify/improve as you see necessary. So there are a few interns still living in 8x8 tents!
Almost all of Taliesin West was built with local materials or items Wright salvaged at little or no cost. A prime example of this is what appears to be old Chinese ceramic figurines depicting scenes from various Chinese Operas. They were used by Wright to delineate between different spaces & areas both inside & outside. When you see them you can tell they were found in fragments & pieced back together; & you assume they were antique (ie expensive) artwork Wright collected on his Asian travels. NOT! Turns out these were cheap items mass produced by the Chinese in the 1930s for sale by the Gump Dept Store in San Francisco; & Mr Wright learned that Gump had boxes of broken ones they want to get rid of. He had the entire lot shipped to Scottsdale & told an intern to put them back together; a task that only took three years!
A fascinating tour of beautiful structure, while learning about a fascinating American icon! Now we need to include Wisconsin in our RV adventures so we can tour the first Taliesin.http://www.franklloydwright.org/fllwf_web_091104/Tours.html
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