Taliesin West in Scottsdale: Inside Frank Lloyd Wright’s Desert Masterpiece

Where Architecture Meets the Desert: Discovering Taliesin West

You know how some buildings just sit on top of the land? Then there are the rare places that look like they actually grew right out of it.

Set against the rugged backdrop of the McDowell Mountains in Scottsdale, Taliesin West feels less like a standard building and more like a quiet conversation between architecture and the desert. Sunlight slides across angled walls. The wind moves through open courtyards. Rough desert stones turn golden at sunset. Everything about the compound suggests that it belongs exactly where it stands.

This was Frank Lloyd Wright’s goal from the start. When he arrived in Arizona in the late 1930s, he wasn’t looking to force his architecture onto the…

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Ghosts, Gold, and Mystery: The Spooky Secrets of the Superstition Mountains

For many, the Superstition Mountains, located just east of Phoenix, Arizona, offer breathtaking views and rugged natural beauty. But for others, these mountains hold secrets, legends, and stories of hauntings that have lingered for generations. These ghostly tales are as much a part of the landscape as the towering cliffs and winding trails, weaving an intriguing tapestry of history, mystery, and superstition.

Just east of Phoenix, the Superstition Mountains rise from the desert floor like the backbone of some prehistoric beast. To most weekend hikers and tourists, they're simply a beautiful backdrop for Instagram photos. The mountains have earned their name a thousand times over.

For generations, people have ventured into these mountains, drawn…

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Visiting Lake Pleasant Regional Park in Peoria, Arizona

We recently had friends in from Illinois and I couldn't wait to show them our hidden gem, Lake Pleasant Regional Park. Many people don't realize that Arizona has lakes, and some are an hour or less away from the greater Phoenix area. I've taken my friends to Canyon Lake when we visited Tortilla Flat (one of my favorite double-decker boat rides). I've also taken them on a boat tour of Saguaro Lake in Mesa. But this was our first group trip to Lake Pleasant in Peoria.

My husband and I took our first trip a while back since I was studying hiking trails and where to see wildlife. I read about the wild burros at Lake Pleasant so we took a trip when my son was out visiting and we saw a herd down on a dry waterway. We even got kind of close to a family of…

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Out of Africa Wildlife Park - Camp Verde

I’ve already written a post about my son and my first visit to Out of Africa Wildlife Park before it moved to its new location in Camp Verde, Arizona. On our first visit to the new digs, they had just moved and were still building. I loved it when it was a little dumpy-looking attraction (from the exterior, before we went in) in Fountain Hills and it’s even better now in the new Camp Verde location. It is so much bigger and what a difference for the animals!

Every time we have newcomers to Arizona we ask them if they'd like to visit Out of Africa Wildlife Park. This time my family was in for Thanksgiving from California. I was happy to introduce them all to Out of Africa.

Feeding the giraffe

We always try to get on this tour as soon as we get…

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Montezuma Castle National Monument

Right before Christmas 2020, we visited Montezuma Castle National Monument in Campe Verde, AZ. This was my 2nd trip, but none of my other family members had ever been there.

I remembered the castle vividly from my first trip, but I didn't remember that there was water there.  I don't think we walked on any trail to the Montezuma Well.  The well trail was closed and I don't know if it's because of construction or Covid.  That will give us a reason to go back when friends visit that have never been there before.

Why is it Called Montezuma Castle?

That was a mistake made by early American settlers, who thought this ancient monument was built by the Aztecs for the Aztec emperor, Montezuma.  That was proven untrue, and it's highly unlikely…

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Carefree, AZ Desert Gardens

Jimmy and I decided to do something fun today, but it was getting late on a Sunday and we know how quickly many places close.  Out of a few ideas, we chose to go to Carefree, Arizona, which we're very close to.  Our purpose was to really see the Desert Gardens.

We've been to Carefree multiple times, but this time we were going to focus on the Desert Gardens.  I tried explaining to Jimmy that the gardens were in the town square and we'd been there before.  But for some reason, he was expecting something else.

I knew that it was a small area (I did my homework).  But when we've gone there prior we really didn't take our time.  It was always just a quick walk-through.  The last time we went was to visit the post office and the resale shop in the…

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Out of Africa Wildlife Park

I wrote this post on a Wordpress site many years ago and can only find one of the original photos, so this is an updated picture I took from one of my many visits to their newest location.

Before moving to Arizona, my son and I took a trip to visit my Mom in Mesa. One of our most memorable daytrips was to visit Out of Africa which was located in Fountain Hills, before its move to Camp Verde. At the time they were much closer to my Mom’s house in Mesa, AZ.

We’re animal lovers

My son Chad and I are true animal lovers. My Mom had mentioned Out of Africa Wildlife Park so without knowing what it was all about, Chad and I decided to make a day trip. It was 110 degrees that day and although the sweat was dripping down my back, I turned to Chad and…

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My First Impressions of Arizona

My parents had been living in Mesa, Az. for many years (10-15) before I finally visited them. When my boyfriend Jimmy (now my husband) heard I had never been there he insisted on taking me. My parents were very excited to finally be able to show me their home and their new state of residence. This would have been around 1999-2000.

I was finally excited to be going. As I've mentioned in a previous post, Arizona was not calling my name.

After departing the airplane I noticed that the Phoenix Airport seemed small and more congested than our two Illinois airports. Not impressed yet.

Driving from the airport to my parent’s house didn’t instill much excitement in me, either. I did notice that things seemed cleaner from my highway view. I enjoyed…

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