45 miles outside of Phoenix a lush mountain retreat rises high above the dust of the desert floor. Superstition Mountain, part of a 160,000 acre preserve in the middle of Arizona’s Sonoran Desert, is one of the wildflower wonders of the state. Home to a staggering array of desert flora, the mountain is a blaze of color all year round.
Campers, hikers, and horseback riders eager to escape the congested streets of their hometowns flock to the brilliant Superstition wilderness. Tiny lilac flower clusters dot the emerald hillside. Giant saguaro grow sky high, their ribbed upward curving branches bursting with white funnel shaped flowers. Sporadic clumps of pale yellow grass grow haphazardly across rolling hills.
Visitors entering the Park on the east side should make their way to the Treasure Loop Trail. The first leg of the 2.4-mile trek is a gentle climb, allowing hikers the chance to take in the scenery as they walk. Palos Verdes line the path on either side, shining in coats of canary yellow blossoms. Ocotillo boast plumes of burnt umber, their branches slightly bent with the weight of their load.
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Published at TravelPostMonthly.com. August 2008.
This June something extraordinary is happening in the world of art. In a rare alignment of events, four of Europe’s premier contemporary art exhibitions will open within days of one other. This once-in-ten years occasion has been dubbed “The Grand Tour,” an homage to the 17th century tradition where elite youth would travel through Europe’s greatest capitol cities in quest of heightened cultural knowledge.
The Tour opens in Italy June 10 with the 52nd Biennale di Venezia. To increase the rate at which modern art is disseminated throughout the world, the Biennale has constructed 30 permanent national pavilions in Venice’s historic city centre. This year debuts a new pavilion dedicated entirely to Italian culture. The Biennale will also premiere a large exhibition hall that will house a themed demonsration by the show's Director, Robert Storr. This year’s theme is “Think with the Senses - Feel with the Mind. Art in the Present Tense.” Storr believes that since the existence of Plato philosophers have divided and compartmentalized human consciousness pitting one faculty against another - mind versus body, thought versus feeling, etc. He suggests the challenges to understanding this reality exceed the power of theories and definitions to contain them. “Think with the Senses - Feel with the Mind” is based on the concept that art is the means by which humans are made aware of the whole of their being. According to Storr “to make sense of things in given circumstances is to grasp their full complexity intellectually, emotionally and perceptually.”
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Published at BarbaraBalkin.com. June 2007.
LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
Dear Historic Preservation Partners:
On behalf of the Arizona Preservation Foundation’s Board of Directors, I would like to thank you for attending our 6th Annual Historic Preservation Conference. Since its inception in 2003 the Conference has been an invaluable tool to the community. By bringing together planning officials, preservation advocates, and citizens interested in urban and rural revitalization we are creating a catalyst to take the preservation movement in Arizona to the next level.
This year’s theme, “Preservation on the Line”, is a nod to the border towns of Santa Cruz County. Surrounded by lush mountain ranges and the pristine beauty of the Sonoran desert, this region offers a remarkable blend of the big city, quaint suburb and rustic small town. Surrounded by Patagonia Lake in the north, the Atascosa Mountains in the west, San Rafael Valley in the east, and Mexico to the south, Santa Cruz County offers a diversity of landscape and culture hard to find elsewhere. This intermingling of modernity with the ranching traditions of the Old West creates a cultural richness that makes the site an ideal location for this year’s Conference.
Areas like Santa Cruz County identify us to the world and to ourselves. By attending this Conference and showing your support for our state’s history, you are helping preserve Arizona’s legacy and cultural identity. What we do today determines the community, state, country, and world that we live in tomorrow.
Sincerely yours,
Greg Michael
President, Board of Directors
Published in the 2008 Historic Preservation Conference program for the Arizona Preservation Foundation. June 2008.
For many of us, the New Year marks a time of renewed vigor and enthusiasm for the year ahead. Here at the Arizona Preservation Foundation, we also look forward to what lies ahead and have no doubt that this year in preservation will be even better than the last. But, before we forge ahead, let’s take a moment to reflect on a few accomplishments from the last months of 2007.
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Published in the Arizona Preservation Foundation newsletter . January 2008.
96TH ANNIVERSARY OF ARIZONA'S STATEHOOD
Thursday February 14th marks the 96th anniversary of Arizona's Statehood. In a region comprised of such diverse culture and breathtaking landscapes, what better way to pay tribute than by celebrating with a visit to a local landmark. A plethora of parks and monuments, recreation and wilderness areas, are right outside your door. Use this Thursday as an opportunity to take in the sights around you and commemorate the beauty and grandeur of Arizona in the process.
Published in the Arizona Preservation Foundation newsletter. February 2008.
The city of Tombstone has long been touted as the rip-roarinest, wildest, gun-totin'est town in the Southwest. With a reputation that preceded it, Tombstone gained notoriety as the roughest mining town of 19th century America. Adding to its allure was the rapid expansion that occurred there in the 1880's. Unrivaled by any other U.S. city at the time, this desert town was a true economic phenom. Tombstone remains an area of interest even today and its legacy lives on as the town celebrates its heritage with a very special anniversary.
October 26, 2006 marks the 125th anniversary of the notorious shootout at the OK Corral. Tombstone commemorates this anniversary every year with a five-day celebration that attracts nationwide attention. Visitors travel from all over the U.S. to attend. This year, I am one of them.
I arrive on Saturday at 10 a.m. and the town is already in full swing. This is the fourth day of the event and there are still new visitors arriving. It would be an understatement to say that the scene is a madhouse. Costumed men and women overflow downtown's covered sidewalks, spilling into the dirt streets. Horse drawn carriages whisk passengers from one sight to the next. Every shop, bar and restaurant is filled to capacity. Tombstone has a thriving tourism industry and receives visitors year round, but this is a special occasion and the turnout is suitably stunning.
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Published in the Arizona Preservation Foundation Newsletter. October 2006.
El Camino del Diablo, or the Devil's Highway, is one of two roads spanning the distance of the Cabeza Priesta National Wildlife Refuge. Located between Ajo and Yuma, the Cabeza is home to the greatest diversity of plants and animals of any desert in North America. 92% of the 60 mile territory has been declared wilderness and is home to Sonoran pronghorn antelope, bighorn sheep, and 40 foot saguaro cactuses. The Refuge borders the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, has a selection of campgrounds, and offers magnificent views of the night sky and desert.
To read the full article, click here. March 2008.
45 miles outside of Phoenix a lush mountain retreat rises high above the dust of the desert floor. Superstition Mountain, part of a 160,000 acre preserve in the middle of Arizona’s Sonoran Desert, is one of the wildflower wonders of the state. Home to a staggering array of desert flora, the mountain is a blaze of color all year round.
