Saturday, January 16, 2010

My Funny Guggenheim

So we just got back from Arizona, where hubby goes to golf every year after the holidays. He goes to Casa Grande and meets up with some other guys, mostly guys from Minnesota who want to escape winter in the great white north. I went with him two years ago and, while he was golfing, I went up to the Grand Canyon and took a bunch of pictures. Last year I didn't go, but this year I decided I would tag along again.

One day, while he was golfing, I took myself up to Phoenix to visit Taliesin West. This is where Frank Lloyd Wright built his second Taliesin home, the first being in Spring Green, Wisconsin. He also established a school of architecture and the winter campus is here. Me being the FLW freak that I am, had to see it. I started out with a 90 minute guided desert hike, to see the landscape that inspired the design of the house. Also, the students design and build their own 'shelters,' where they live while they are going to school here. Pretty fancy shelter, if you ask me.



After the hike, I had another 90 minute tour of the house and school. If I had to sit down and dream up one of the best days ever, it would have been close to this one. Wonderful hike, perfect weather, actually being in a FLW structure, getting to see all of this up close and personal. Yup, nearly perfect. Then I went into the gift store and the perfection was complete. I have to say I spent a semi-obscene amount of money in there, which I VERY rarely do. I have enough coffee mugs and T-shirts, but I had to have one of each. I found some beautiful FLW inspired earrings for Jessica, and some placemats for my dining room table (which will be removed before anyone eats there). But the coolest thing I found was a Lego set of the Guggenheim museum in New York City. I love Legos, I was disappointed when the kids were old enough to put theirs together themselves. So here is the original in NYC . . .



. . . and here is my own little Guggenheim, which I spent the last hour assembling.



Sometimes I'm such a geek. I have to say, though, I'm kind of kicking myself for not getting the Falling Waters Lego set also.