Taliesin West

Taliesan West
Originally uploaded by shermans.

Rick and Sharron (Mom and Dad to those in the know) left today after five days in the heat. Besides doing the foolhardy (golfing in 110 temps) and the obvious (going swimming in the pool), we went to Taliesin West.

[we will reconvene after a brief recess as Ciela has just decided to awaken and alter my plans for a blog entry]

Okay, so back in the saddle.

Visiting Scottsdale in July means more planning than usual. One can't just up and go for a nice walk during the afternoon as melting is a viable threat. J., C. and I hadn't been out here long enough to know of obvious indoor alternatives to the heat. Plus, we feared that July 4th would find a number of attractions--museums, historical sights, etc.--closed. And our plans for a day trip to the slightly cooler Sedona were scuttled because the wildfires threatened to close I17 all weekend. On hindsight, the whole weekend was a fine example of just how complex existence is in the desert. Even in the midst of this megalopolis, the sun, heat and fire still exercise a determining influence.

With this in mind, we elected to challenge nature in the most blunt and obnoxious way imaginable: we rented a room at a luxury spa and resort.

Resort rates are lower during the summer, for obvious reasons, and we live a five minute drive from one of the poshest: the Hyatt. With its 27 championship holes of golf, ten swimming pools including one with an actual beach, and promise of seeing the young, the rich and the surgically altered, it seemed the perfect way to give nature the finger.

Mind you, I went into this with eyes fully open. I recognized the subtle devastation of such luxury in the middle of such a harsh environment. But I also take a perverse pleasure in milling about such monstrosities--after all my dissertation did feature the ur-monstrosity Disney World.

[break number 2: time to put Ciela to bed]