busy is as...

busy was.

We got back from Phoenix on Monday afternoon, quite unwillingly. Three days in that city was simply not enough.

Other than some rotten beds at the hotel, it was blissful. We were able to visit the Heard Museum, Phoenix Art Museum, and Taliesin West on Saturday and Sunday. All three were impressive in differing ways. The Heard Museum, which is supposed to be one of the finest Native American museums in the nation, was just gorgeous and downright vast. The collection of both ancient and modern vessels, paintings, weavings, etc. was mindnumbing. It would take a good three days to take it all in. One wing that impressed me was the Sandra Day O'Connor room, which housed their intricate collection of kachina dolls, including one unreal piece that depicted multiple dolls in a ritual; the whole thing was carved from a stump of wood. Talk about 'wow.' Outside was almost as nice as inside - there are a couple very peaceful plazas with benches and an open air cafe that were perfect for just whiling away a lazy day.

The Art Museum, although under major renovation, had two really excellent photo exhibits. The first that we saw was a 150 year overview of photography, covering everything from daguerrotypes to 21st century digital imaging. Some of the black and whites from the 30's were especially striking. There's something about black and white photos from the depression era in the U.S. On an emotive level they affect me more profoundly than the most powerful photojournalistic endeavors today. Maybe it's the change of photochemicals over the past 70 years...maybe I'm just weird too.

Anyway, after traipsing around the second floor, which wasn't that great, we returned to the ground floor and stumbled upon a Barry Goldwater exhibit. I had no idea that this Republican senator from Arizona, who was known more for his conservatism, was a phenomenal photographer. Apparently, Goldwater was interested in much of the natural and cultural beauty of his state, quite evident in the stunning shots of Navajo weavers and geologic formations. It's good that he used slide film (back then) because the colors usually last 50+ years minimum.

brb