From Canned Fish to Seafood Watch

The highlight of Cannery Row for me is the world-class Monterey Bay Aquarium, which highlights the vibrant life of the bay it is built by. I did have the chance to visit this magnificent marine museum the first time I … Continued

Sardine Capitol of the World – Monterey, California

“Cannery Row in Monterey in California is a poem, a stink, a grating noise, a quality of light, a tone, a habit, a nostalgia, a dream. Cannery Row is the gathered and scattered, tin and iron and rust and splintered … Continued

A Magnificent Edifice – Stanford’s Memorial Church

In 1891, Stanford University opened its doors. The university, sometimes ranked along side the Ivy League, was created as a tribute to Leland and Jane Stanford’s only son who died of typhoid as a teenager. After visiting the Hanna House, which … Continued

Hexagons and Architecture – the Hanna House

A professor and an architect with much in common paved the path for one of the architect’s most comprehensive and unique residential commissions. The professor was Paul Hanna at Stanford; the architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Though the Hanna House or … Continued

Nature’s Cathedral – Muir Woods National Monument

When we talk about ancient things, generally they aren’t living. However, in California you can find trees that have lived longer than the oldest buildings in North America built by the Ancestral Puebloans of the Southwest. Visiting a grove of … Continued

Bridging the Hills with Graceful Arches: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Marin County Civic Center

Just north of the Golden Gate Bridge you’ll find Marin County, which until 1937 when the bridge was complete was a relatively isolated region of the bay area. Once the bridge connected the city to the county people began moving … Continued

San Juan Bautista Mission and State Park

San Juan Bautista Mission and State Park Over the past couple of years, my brother-in-law has visited all 21 Spanish missions in California along historic El Camino Real. Two years ago when I visited we admired the Carmel Mission. This … Continued

History, Architecture and Nature: A little bit of everything in Central California

History, Architecture and Nature: A little bit of everything in Central California Last week I took a vacation to central California where my sister lives with her family. Over the week we visited three National Historic Landmarks, two beautiful houses … Continued

How to Live in the Southwest – The David and Gladys Wright House

How to Live in the Southwest – The David and Gladys Wright House I’ve had two opportunities in the last couple of months to revisit this fabulous home designed and built by America’s greatest architect. It is just one of … Continued

Working in an Architectural Masterpiece

Working in an Architectural Masterpiece Five months ago I switched jobs. I no longer work at an art gallery in Old Town Scottsdale. Instead, I have a great job at a National Historic Landmark, which also happens to be the first … Continued

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