My first visit to a desert. One of the only typologies we don’t have a small sample of on the east coast.. Which is a great testament to this country, we have one of almost every land type.
A dear friend, two actually, got married in a magical ceremony in Tucson on the back of a soft mountain. Cassandra is a painter and visual artist, her husband Greg is a photographer and both were actually the premier artists showcased when I launched Metro Craft.
I’ve been to a couple weddings so far in my life but never one were I had a strong independent relationship with sides. Cassandra and I hosted art classes together, and Greg and I worked on building and having photo shoots. On top of that depth, a bunch of cool cats and friends from Brooklyn also converged on the city which made the entire trip even more special.
When I travel, I like to go in with absolutely no expectations. It leaves room for me to find and be surprised, which is the best part of traveling. As we were flying into Phoenix, where we stayed for the first three nights, I saw something miraculous.. The softness of the desert.
How unexpected it was.. I always thought a desert was harsh, rough, unloving.. There was a flat plane we had been flying over for some time as I looked out the window hundreds of feet above the deep orange land. There were barely any roads or towns that I could see, and as we continued flying the ground began to depress in issues and large cracks, opening to a lower level floor which had to be hundreds of feet in difference. Fissure after fissure started breaking up this higher plane we were now passing and I could see a constant lower floor with a perimter. Eventually the lower floor was the constant and periodically a mountain could be seen. Instead of protruding OUT from the ground like all others I’ve seen these mountains were the remnants of the OLD floor level that had not yet been eroded. It really shocked me to have my understanding of a mountain presented in reverse.
The mountain was soft. Gently molded with erosion, bubble and round. How incredible! Once in Phoenix the next surprise was waiting for me… As we got to our spot the street lights came on.. and there were barely any! The streets were dark and it did not feel dangerous, if felt soft!
Phoenix itself felt like a quite town though, not much going on. I was fortunate enough to drive over to Scottsdale and see the legendary Taliesin West of Frank Lloyd Wright. Space after space has the exquisite touch of a scale, detail and magic that Wright is known for. With a bit less environmental concerns (no heating season) his planes and forms could expand freely into the landscape.
A short drive south brought us to Tucson where Cassandra was born and raised. A vibrant small city where people actually walked on the sidewalk unlike Phoenix. The wedding was on a gentle mountain that held us as the desert sunset towards our back for the opening ceremony. In the distance as the city itself, another soft mountain, cactus of all sizes and the unending sky.
The group has a blast doing an impromptu photoshoot since everyone is naturally so stylish. If I visit Arizona again I will certainly put time aside for more nature tours and explorations. I’ve even heard people do hikes during the full moon at night which sounds magical.
