Thursday, December 29, 2011

I live in a rose colored double wide with a 3 legged dog

I live in a community with several names. It is known as Mayer by the postal service. Cordes Junction by the people who stop at the truck stop on I 17 heading north or south between Phoenix and Flagstaff, Cordes Lakes by the developer who created this community back in the 60s. It is a community best seen by moonlight.

The community is unincorporated by choice. There are a lot of people who live here who want to remain anonomous and untaxed by such things as a town hall, mayer, city council, etc. Some are world reknown artists.

After 40 years of existence we have dining at the truck stop which includes a McDonalds, Subway, Noble Pizza and a cafe at the RV park/Motel. We have a small public library, a fire station, two small corner markets, paved roads, some stop signs and no street lights. We border a national monument and a couple of ranches - one of which raises deer.

There is poverty here, most of the children under 18 receive assistance. There is wealth here - you can see it in some vehicles and homes. The air is incredibly clear and it is quiet except for occasional vehicles that pass or the sound the children passing.

North of us is a very famous place called Arcosanti. It was founded in the 1970s by Paolo Soleri who studied with Frank Lloyd Wright for a while after coming to the USA from Italy. He is now in his 90s and just retired. Onsite is a bronze foundry where beautiful bells are created that support Arcosanti, a conference/educational center, restaurant and places to stay. There is a two mile dirt road that visitors need to take to get to this place. Several times a year there are musical and cultural events held at Arcosanti. I have met people from all over the world that at some time took training courses or student internships there.

Out of the thousands of cars that pass our community every day, few stop for anything more than a bathroom break, McDonalds or gasoline. Arcosanti, the wilderness and our community pretty much remain unknown. Some of us like it that way.


1 comment:

  1. I would say so.... Love to come and visit some time. Leslie

    ReplyDelete