Marianne's Three Favorite Things: October 2018

As we progress further into Fall our surroundings continue to change with the season. The architecture of the deciduous forests gradually appears and the earth begins her winter rest. It is a wonderful moment to celebrate the final harvest of the year and take one more glorious hike in the mountains before the first snow arrives. This beautiful time of transition provides us with some time to reflect and prepare for the upcoming holiday season.

ART: Annie Morris

I have a great love of remote places with profound natural beauty. Two of my favorites are the desert areas of the Four Corners in the United States and the North Kohala Coast of Hawaii’s Big Island. I have hiked hundreds of miles over the years in these places and the trails and paths are often roughly marked by cairns: odd shaped rocks that miraculously stack one on top of the next to make an unlikely tower defying gravity and guiding the hiker on their unmarked path. Annie Morris’s work reminds me of a colorful ode to these sculptural wonders. Click here to read about her current exhibition.

Design: Denny Substation

Throughout the last year I’ve been driving by and watching the Denny Substation construction site evolve into a peculiar shape. It has provoked thoughts of Area 51 in New Mexico: low to the ground, unusual shape and very asymmetrical. It wasn’t obvious just what, exactly, this building was supposed to be. The project is nearing completion and it turns out to be a combination of genius design and cutting edge technology, wrapped into a wonderful space for the public to enjoy. Read more about the project.

Botany: The Hidden Life of Trees

The New York Times bestseller The Hidden Life of Trees is a life changing read. You will never be able to take a casual walk in the forest and view it the same way again. A German forester takes you on a 30 year journey of discovery through his conservation of a particular forest in his homeland. Read more about this incredible book here.