pack your bags

When we are children, the field trip is that exciting time when we leave the everyday school environment and go out exploring. One of my most memorable (and favorite) school field trips involved a trip to the Crayola Crayon Factory in Easton Pennsylvania. I remember walking through the large open warehouse floor, seeing all of the large vats of colors being mixed and poured. They had every color imaginable … I was in color heaven!! (Bob Borson from Life of an Architect may have a similar view on crayons judging from his Crayola Crayons – a love affair post…)

As a designer, my job is filled with “ field trips” (a definite perk!); from weekly construction meetings to impromptu visits to the city (Malibu, Los Angeles, Santa Monica …), not all of them are pleasant…. This past weekend, I had the opportunity to go north for an initial site visit to begin master planning and schematic design on a large property in Carmel Valley California. I spent my Friday morning driving north on the 101, drinking my extra large coffee and dragging my very sleepy husband in tow as my “design assistant” for the weekend (we left rather early in the morning to make the 5+ hour drive). The air was crisp and clear, the roads were winding and the views were spectacular.

My husband and I spent the weekend on-site in one of the cottages. All day Friday and Saturday morning was spent in the crisp cool weather taking hundreds of photographs, walking the site with the owner, sketching and taking measurements of buildings on the property. Once business was complete there was some time to go site seeing and wine tasting (did I mention that this was a valley filled with wine… a completely different kind of heaven!!). We explored Carmel Valley Village with its quaint galleries and simple tasting rooms, Carmel-by-the-Sea, and Carmel Beach. On our way back to the “city”, we took a little detour and checked out some Santa Barbara wineries (you have to love the movie Sideways!!).