"Taliesin West and Frank Lloyd Wright"

In northeast of Scottsdale, Arizona there is a living memorial to a great American architect. Nestled in the foothills of the McDowell Mountains and surrounded by the spectacular Sonoran Desert lays a sprawling 600 acre complex called Taliesin West. It was designed and built by Frank Lloyd Wright and is a National Historic Landmark. As an architect, he longed to be freed from the existing architecture designs and materials, and instead to do site specific construction where form and function were one. When one looks at the Taliesin complex, one quickly sees how Frank Lloyd Wright combined nature into the design of his construction. Looking closely at the photos, one can see an up close photo of the use of local rock and then see how it was incorporated into the different buildings. Also notice how the buildings become one with the backdrop of the hill behind. Today, the Taliesin West site is open to tours and also hosts a school of architecture that was founded in 1932. In addition, Taliesin West also houses the archives of Frank Lloyd Wright.

"Grandchildren planned birthday breakfast for their mom!"

This morning, Desert Princess and Piano Man planned a beautiful birthday breakfast for their mom as Baby Iris and Baby Petra looked on. Their mom was so surprised with everything, the flowers, the chocolates, the words shared, and the wonderful breakfast. Grandpa was delighted and so proud of their hard work and appreciation for their mom.

"Desert Princess and Piano Man perfect their golf skills"

Part of my activities on this beautiful Sunday was to watch my two older grandchildren practicing their golf skills on the driving range. Even though I see both Desert Princess and Piano Man almost every other week, I must admit that they seem to growing all the time, just like the summer corn in Iowa. It makes me remember an earlier time when my parents would pick my grandmother up at the train station for her yearly visit during the holidays. I can still remember how she would always say, "My child you have grown." She probably didn't know, but inside I just beamed, because I wanted to be tall someday, just like Dad.

"The Fascination of Butterflies!"

Have you noticed how young children are so fascinated with Butterflies, many adults too? Butterflies belong to that order of insects called lepidoptera or scaled-winged insects. These insect beauties have a world of fascinating attributes. The first, is their life cycle which is called metamorphosis and the second is their notable mass migrations each year.

Butterflies, in the eyes of some, are the most attractive and aesthetically pleasing of insects. Some associate butterflies with things that are gentle like icons of peace, delicate flower petals, or reverent classical music.

Nevertheless, butterflies are anything but fragile, but are inherently resilient due to incredibly reproductive capabilities coupled with adaptive self-defense mechanisms such as mimicry, camouflage, and their large population size. Only the destruction of their habitat is a concern for their long-term viability and welfare.

Here are some pictures of Butterflies that I took recently at a butterfly exhibit here in the Southwest.

"The beauty of the Sonoran Desert"

The Sonoran Desert covers over 5000 square miles in Arizona and Northern Mexico. The Sonoran is rich in plant and animal live and is one of the most beautiful in the world.

Many people who have never seen the desert in bloom have no idea that cactus plants actually create flower blooms. And there are a variety of blooming cactus plants which are quite beautiful. There are a wide variety of blooming cactus plants, and just as wide a variety of how and when they each bloom. Many blooming cactus will only show flowers for a brief period of time in February for instance, while others will only open their blooms in the middle of the night. Still others will not bloom till the hottest months of July or August. A good place to see these cacti on display is at the Botanical Gardens in Tucson and the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix.

Captured in these photos is a small selection of these cacti including the many wild flowers that bloom in the spring.

"Dr Benjamin Lewis, coach, teacher and friend"

I'm sure that all of us have had a person or two in our life that we would consider special because of the influence and impact. Benjamin M. Lewis, is one such person, who certainly had a great impact upon my life and many of my fellow tennis team members. We all attended Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota during the years 1960-65 and all came to affectionately love and respect this man. Many of us called him "Doc" to his face, but behind the scenes, many of us referred to "Doc" as "the Wizard," because many tennis fortunes, records and championships came our way. For us "Doc" was a reserved, dignified man who always demonstrated the qualities of honesty and integrity and he etimoinze sportsmanship as our coach. As my good friend, Bruce McKinnon, who is in the above picture, noted,

"Ben was clearly a man of academic accomplishment and always conducted himself in a professional manner. While seemingly quiet and laid back, he was articulate and demonstrated sensitivity coupled with a disarming sense of humor. He consistantly showed great wisdom and leadership (by example and action). He genuinly cared about each team member regardless of player rank. Dr. Lewis was respected and admired by every member of his tennis teams without reservation. He was clearly a man of unquestionable character and a genuinely first class human being."

"In his coaching Ben combined the perfect mix of organization, structure, quiet motivation and knowledge of the game of tennis as our coach. He was deeply involved in the success of his men – as individuals, students, players and most of all – as a team. Consequently, his players worked hard to be good representatives for Hamline, the sport and the team -- given the very nature of Ben’s example. While VERY knowledgeable of the mechanics of the sport (he was also a good tennis player), his coaching focused on supporting his players in a watchful and quiet way. When Dr Lewis occasionally made comments about a players tennis skills (or lack there of), his observations were always perceptive and articulated in a thoughtful and positive context (or humorous at just the right moment -- one of his uncanny strengths)."

Dr. Benjamin Lewis truly made an impact on all of us while at Hamline, and that impact has lasted a lifetime. Thanks "Doc" for everything. "We love you."

Freezing Temperatures hit Southern Arizona!

On February 4th, Tucson had some of the lowest temperatures on record, even down to single digits in the evening, lasting over three nights. According to reports, these temperatures and their length were the coldest temperatures on record in 101 years. Now there is a record, if I have ever heard one!!

These very cold temperatures were so severe that pipes ruptured, fountains froze, crops died and sensitive vegatation like my cacti came to be casualites. Here are some photos which I took today in my yard.