South Carolina...almost winter:)

Folly Beach, South Carolina is just outside Charleston. The sound of the ocean can make and the almost winter sky can make anyone forget their worries. The school of Building Arts is an amazing place where students learn "the trades." They are truly artisans.

Traveling Solo

I am having a tough time after 3 weeks of traveling. It is hard to find hostels and hotels and somehow I ended up in Italy rather than France after the apartment in Nice fell through. I wanted to post some positive photos from my trip. I hope to head back to France tomorrow if I can find a train to Annecy or somewhere that I can speak the language.

This is one of those times where I question adventuring all around the world yet I still do encourage people to try it...perhaps convince someone to go with you- best to all of you.

5AM Freak out - French style:)

The plans got changed...it happens all the time except oh my gosh...not so easy for us Americans with our perfect work schedule and our 24 hour news cycle. (The apartment folks where I was supposed to rent this month decided not to rent the place and I would have to find othere accomadations.) It was either find a way to fly home or make a new plan after 5am when they left to fly back to the States. About 3 hours ago I was watching all the drunk people go home from their night out and I was writing in my journal..how did I get here??? Why did I choose this? Am I actually just a homeless person?...oh that's right I am "traveling"...and then the sun came up and I realized I am headed for Bologna. I looked around me and realized that I can easily exist with just the a few things. It is VERY TOUGH to plan more than 4 weeks in the high season in Europe with a budget of $1500 (that's because I got a frequent flyer ticket)...but I think that the beauty of the buidlings and the Sea and the COFFEE make it worth it...i think.
Perhaps it is because I am now sitting in the very very clean (possibly the cleanest I have ever seen)...McDonalds with my laptop...and there is a family next to me from Australia that are on day number 450!!! The girl was just writing that in her journal! (They worked some in England but they just told me that they are bummed they can not spend more time in France)...and they are off for three weeks in Spain. Laptops - people skyping other countries and many, many travelers here.
Highlights of this week for me were...volunteering for the Ironman race, SWIMMING in the Sea in Antibes and Nice...(so great to just jump in somewhere away from the tourists)...Seeing Lance Armstrong at the time trials of the Tour de France, the beautifulness of people watching and sketching at a cafe. Nice has been very different than what I had anticipated this year , but I am learning again to appreciate these opportunities. (I find it hilarious that even here I am craving a serene cabin somewhere...so true that the grass is always greener...but that would be a different type of trip for sure.) Out of my comfort zone..for sure..but very, very blessed.
Oh...and I can't remember if I mentioned the Kandinsky exhibit in Paris about 10 days ago..but it rocked my world

The $50 Laundry Room- France begins

It seems that it can only be a few days after something odd happens that it becomes funny...well kinda funny...well at least funny for ya'll who were not there:) After almost 30 hours of flying and zooming around Paris...(I walked from my Hotel to the Louvre, Tuillerie Gardens, L'Arc de Triumph and BACK!!!..it is no Ironman, but I figure it is about 10 miles)...I literally collapsed into my lovely bed at my lovely expensive hotel (well $75 per bed is expensive for me when one SHARES a room with another traveler but that is another story.)
Anyhoo...I was awakened by our lovely French Hotel owner telling me that she had "lost" my reservation for a second night????!!!! So?? Her option for me...because I had been a previous client (10 years ago when it was $35 dollars per room!...) was to stay in the laundry room on a mattress. She assured me it would be "no problem"...(for her!!!!) but she had to charge me $50 because "it is PARIS!!!!"...After crying in the beautiful garden for a few minutes...I accepted so as not to miss my second day in Paris.

So...as I said ...some things only become funny after a few days.

Onward and upward (Southward)...the weather in Nice is superb...yet of course, there is more to the story for the next post.:)

California in May:)

I am getting ready to leave for France again..yeah! But I wanted to post some wonderful pictures from when I visited Santa Monica and UCLA campus. I think it would be so fun to live near a Coast! Any ideas?? I will take suggestions from the Peanut Galleries.

An appreciation of home

Everyone is working. Working, workinG...and WORKING. We are trying not to lose our jobs. We are trying to do the best job we can. We are blogging, chatting, skyping, avoiding work and working to avoid the inevitableness of the outcomes. I find it all fascinating. We stopped sending postcards years ago and yet I figured out this morning...(insomnia is not fun)...that even those of us with perhaps a little less money than others (..and I am by no means complaining about my fortunate life) can most likely experience the sunrise and sunset right by walking outside. Time and experience is becoming the thing that grounds me. Thankfully, not even the economy can take away the tempo of the day or of the seasons.

Although if you live in Cleveland, I hear the city is going to take the sunsets down to halftime. Apparently, the sunrise has survived the the budget cuts. (Go Cavs!)

This post the photos are of dawn in Mexico and dawn in Niwot within days of each other. The snow plows were my return to reality. Below is a random picture of snowshowing in Keystone this season and a kick-ass construction photo outside my office at CU. (cranes rock.)

Architecture and Art in the AZ desert

At the beginning of March I had the opportunity to spend the better part of two days at the winter home of Frank Lloyd Wright. Visiting Wright's campus that he built in Scottsdale (Taliesin West) allowed me to become re-inspired and I remembered why I became an Architect.

(I am not allowed to post photos of the tour within Wright's home...yet if you sign up for one of my classes you can see the full lecture! (Educational purposes only allowed for those photos.)

Therefore, I posted the top 2 photos on this post are of Wright's own design and the 3 photos that appear more modern is because they are! This design was built in 2000 as a "Shelter" (Victor Sidy's design.)

Wright's students and the current students of Taliesin West build their own Shelters in the desert for a budget of $2000. They are incredible! There will be a full exhibit of the Shelters in AZ (..I think there about 20) will be at the Guggenheim this summer.






Also enjoy the Desert Botanical photos with the Chilhully Glass exhibit there, as well.

Sketches from Mexico

I had a great time talking with small Art Galleries and restaurant owners on Isla. The art world has not taken off so much on Isla...however there was some interest in larger canvases of my sketches. I draw the art work at 4" x 6" with color pencil, ink, and conte. Recently in Boulder I have started using watercolor pencils. I also have just started printing the 4"x6" drawings on large canvases (2 sq feet of canvas although the image itself is a bit smaller.) These stretchable canvases look great and I am going to start experimenting with painting over the image, as well. If you like any of these images...I am selling them now for $100 + shipping. (The Mexico sketches are having difficulty loading onto this blog site, yet if you want to order any Europe sketches on canvas...you can see these images at www.oharainfrance.blogspot.com) You can email me at oharaintheworld@gmail.com with any questions you may have regarding travel or the artwork. Also, 3 1/2" x 5" note cards of the Cinque Terre print are selling for $15 for a pack of 8 with envelopes. (A lot going on...but it's all good stuff!) Have a great day.

6 days of Bliss

My cousin Jo and I have not traveled together before. We both realized that we have been through a lot the past few years. We have both lost our fathers and 4 grandparents in recent years. These things are to be expected at our age, perhaps...but up until 4 years ago we maybe spoke with each other twice a year. These days we talk on the phone all the time (that's an understatement)...and we were able to share a $22 a night hotel room on Isla Mujeres. (Yes..we are going to upgrade the next time we go but...to have airfare, lodging, and food for under $600 for 6 days...we wanted the bragging rights.) As you will see from our pictures...we did not want for anything. Fresh ceviche and amazing sunsets each day...the sound of the birds and the water...even I woke up to enjoy the sunrise. ...And did I mention that I was able to sleep on this trip..what a great thing that whole sleep thing.