Category: Architecture

Posted on

Ancient Ones in Colorado Plateau

16-10-16-colorado-plateau-060
Canyonlands NP Needles district house in the cliff was a 10-mile round trip hike.
16-10-17-colorado-plateau-063
This was a short hike near Combs Ridge south of Blanding, UT.
16-10-18-colorado-plateau-064
A nice little tower on the ridge from our hike to Jail House Runis and Perfect Kiva.
16-10-18-colorado-plateau-066
This is the Perfect Kiva which we hiked up to see closer.
16-10-18-colorado-plateau-069
View from the Perfect Kiva looking back across the valley.
16-10-18-colorado-plateau-070
It is a BLM site and had a nice booklet describing so many of the features and artifacts found there. Fascinating!
16-10-20-colorado-plateau-073
Natural Bridges National Monument was the first National Park in Utah. It is quite spectacular.
16-10-20-colorado-plateau-078
We took the trail to the Horsecollar ruins.
16-10-20-colorado-plateau-079
It had a one log ladder to climb up – not so bad but going down I was glad to have a good companion.
16-10-20-colorado-plateau-081
This is a gorgeous bridge on a gorgeous day.
16-10-20-colorado-plateau-083
This is our “Million Dollar View” campsite that we had stayed at before. We were here five nights this time. The dark skies and stars were spectacular.
16-10-20-colorado-plateau-084
House on Fire ruins – if visited when the sun is just right it appears to be in flames. who came up with that?
16-10-20-colorado-plateau-087
Before Hovenweep NM we hiked around this canyon to see other cliff dwellings.
16-10-20-colorado-plateau-089
Beautiful craftsmanship.
16-10-20-colorado-plateau-093
Sunrise over Sleeping Giant from our campsite at Hoovenweep National Monument.
16-10-20-colorado-plateau-094
Morning loop hike at the monument to see these treasures.
16-10-20-colorado-plateau-096
The spirit raven was watching.
16-10-20-colorado-plateau-097
The wood supports in these buildings are original.
16-10-20-colorado-plateau-102
The sites on the rock ledges are such interesting selections of places to build.
16-10-20-colorado-plateau-106
There is a house tucked under that large boulder.
16-10-20-colorado-plateau-110
The cliff partially collapsed but the dwelling stayed attached to its foundation.
16-10-20-colorado-plateau-107
We wore ourselves out with a bunch of shorter hikes and the day kept getting hotter and hotter.
16-10-20-colorado-plateau-112
We sat and enjoyed this for a while – really detailed and intricate brick laying.
16-10-24-colorado-plateau-118
Early morning at Lowry Pueblo in Canyon of the Ancients.
16-10-24-colorado-plateau-119
It felt really special to be able to experience this lighting.
16-10-24-colorado-plateau-121
Mr Fox even had to check out the photographer. That is Sleeping Ute Mountain in the background.
Posted on

Historic Sights In Illinois

16-07-20 -285
In Moline, Rock Island Army Base had an interesting Arsenal Museum and Corp of Engineers Waterway museum at the Mississippi Lock. We were lucky to see this 2-part barge and tugboat going through.

The historic bridge pivots to let the tugboat through after the two barges reconnect. We were thrilled with our timing to see this during the hour we were there.

16-07-20 -288
Further down the road we stopped at Hennepin Canal State Park to see the locks on this historic canal.
16-07-20 -287
The bridge had a 4-ton limit so we were good for crossing!
16-07-21 -290
We parked overnight along the canal with this picturesque view.
16-07-21 -292
Pullman NHS near Chicago is a new addition to the Park System but the community has been working on conserving it for many years. This factory will be the future visitor center.
16-07-21 -294
It was a factory town but constructed to entice people to be a part of the community.
16-07-21 -295
A variety of housing styles.
16-07-21 -296
They used different bricks on each home to provide individualism.
16-07-21 -297
There is awesome community spirit. Most of the homes have been restored by their owners.
16-07-21 -299
Indiana Dunes national Seashore provides a view of the distant Chicago skyline.
16-07-21 -301
The bog area adjacent to the Dunes has been preserved as well.
16-07-21 -304
St Joesph Harbor Lighthouse was our chosen spot for our evening stop.
Posted on

Fraser – Rocky Mountain National Park

16-05-26 Fraser-Rocky Mtn NP -004
From our friend’s condo, we hiked from the Red Gate down to Hideaway Park in Winter park to ride the bus back home. Still snow on the ski runs as you can see.
16-05-26 Fraser-Rocky Mtn NP -006
We hiked along a creek, stopping for lunch to enjoy this view.
16-05-26 Fraser-Rocky Mtn NP -010
Shadow Mountain Lookout Tower in RMNP was a beautiful destination. Notice the chipmunk in the foreground.
16-05-26 Fraser-Rocky Mtn NP -009
This is classic CCC architecture.
Posted on

Tumacacori National Historic Site and Anza Trail

15-12-31 Tumacacori NHP -001
The Mission is on the Juan Batista de Anza National Historic Trail – we had visited here last year but did not hike any of the trail. This year after our trip to Tubac and hiking some of the trail there, we focused on this part of the history.
15-12-31 Tumacacori NHP -002
Such a beautiful detail against a pure blue sky.
15-12-31 Tumacacori NHP -004
The Anza trail is between here and the mountains. It enters the USA just south of here around Nogales and goes all the way to San Francisco as he set up the Mission there. There is an Anza Borrega State Park South of Pam Springs we visited.
15-12-31 Tumacacori NHP -003
Another view with an interesting sky against the Tumacacori mountains.
15-12-31 Juan Bautista de Anza NHT -007
I did not know the origins of the name Arizona! The good oak tree is hard to find.
15-12-31 Juan Bautista de Anza NHT -001 Pam
Here is the section of the Anza trail behind the Mission’s orchard.
15-12-31 Juan Bautista de Anza NHT -002
A large flood plain as the river changes depending on the water flow.
15-12-31 Juan Bautista de Anza NHT -003
We chose this spot to have our picnic lunch. The water is moving quite rapidly and we watched the sandy bottom shift its ripples.
15-12-31 Juan Bautista de Anza NHT -004
These riparian ways are really known for their birding opportunities. We hear a lot of different songs but they are hard to capture with our camera – however this lovely one kept us company during our rest. A huge flock of raven circled overhead making quite a racket – wonder what all that was about!

Here is the blog posting from our visit last year

http://tealsky.com/2014/12/29/tumacacori-national-historic-site/

and from Anza Borrega State Park http://tealsky.com/2011/01/20/anza-borrego/

 

Posted on

Green Valley, Arizona

15-12-16 Saguaro NP East Garwood Dam - Greg, Terry, Henry, Marcy, Roger
We met up with friends, 2 couples we had met last year, for lunch at El Molinito restaurant followed by a hike to Garwood Dam in Saguaro National Park East.

Our hikes to this area last year

http://tealsky.com/2014/12/21/sagauro-national-park-east-in-tucson/

http://tealsky.com/2014/12/26/saguaro-aational-park-east-garwood-dam-trail-again/

15-12-22 Hacienda de la Canoa—Docent Tour -001
We organized meeting for a docent led tour of this ranch that had once encompassed all the land in Green Valley.
15-12-22 Hacienda de la Canoa—Docent Tour -003
A view towards Madera Canyon and the Santa Rita mountains.
15-12-22 Hacienda de la Canoa—Docent Tour -005
A detail of the historic fence and refurbished gate. There is also a blacksmithing shop on site.
15-12-22 Condo Lunch Marcy Greg Henry Terry Roger
Our picnic lunch at our casita in Green Valley. A great afternoon as all hung around through wine o’clock. We were well sugared with donuts and hand baked goodies but that balanced the salads and chicken.
15-12-19 Green Valley Sunset -002
A beautiful sunset a short stroll from the casita.
Posted on

Fun Kitchen Remodel

In October we helped our neighbors remodel by removing the wall between the dining room and the kitchen. This let light and views into the living and dining rooms. This remodel makes the house ready for a party!

Kitchen Remodel - Before
View of the Kitchen Entry from Dining Room prior to Demolition / Construction
Kitchen Remodel - Demo
Kitchen / Dining Room wall in progress of being demolished
Kitchen Remodel - Concept Sketch
SketchUp rendering showing the proposed new open kitchen
Kitchen Remodel - Final View
View of virtually completed Kitchen remodeling with the relocated cabinet, new open shelf end cabinets, and new granite countertops.

 

Posted on

San Diego

We had a very nice evening in Poway where my uncle Ken fixed a great salmon meal while Hilary sat on the patio entertaining us. My cousins Kevin and Sheri joined us for dinner making it a very memorable evening. In the morning, we went on Ken’s daily walk around the neighborhood, as he pointed out the various landscape projects he was coordinating. Good visit –

Henry scheduled us for the noon architectural tour of the Salk Institute (Jonas Salk was the discover of the Polio Vaccine). We were lucky to be a bit early as the parking was chaotic, there being the Torrey Pines golf tournament with Tiger Woods playing that morning. But Louis Kahn‘s building has held up well and we enjoyed the leisure time to look at the details. Yet another beautiful January day.

Plaza of the Salk Institute looking towards the Pacific
Salk Institute research offices from cafe

It is only a three story building but there is a floor between each usable floor that is for building systems, so Louis designed the first floor to be garden level. The stairwells have a public viewing, informal meeting area between each of the scientist offices allowing all to have access to the sweeping views of the Pacific.

Looking out stairway across plaza of Salk Institute

We spent the next day with my aunt Annie, exploring Cabrillo National Monument among other locals. She also took us to the harbor at night to see the large sculpture and the aircraft carrier. Casey joined us for many meals and after 20 years, it was nice to be reacquainted. Thanks to both for another nice visit.

Low Tide at Cabrillo National Monument
A Beautiful Sea Star in the tidal pool

Guess it is time for us to say good bye to California…thanks for the memories!

The Spanish Market in Balboa Park