Fall is finally upon us and how nice it is to be outside again and enjoying Arizona. Sitting around the firepit, cocktail parties on the lawn, friends over for a barbecue, and the kids can finally be outside all day. I love October – it’s my favorite month. Great weather, football, World Series, fall color, parties – I love it.
This month’s blog is a bit of a hodge-podge and is more of an overall update on things going on. First and foremost, it is exciting to see some life out there. We have definitely seen things pickup over the last 30-60 days so that is very encouraging. Credit is still very tight and at least in our corner of the world we haven’t seen nor heard of any of this so called stimulus money out there. Perhaps its time to start the Cash for Clunkers program for all the foreclosures. Seems like doing this instead of giving the 700 catrillions to the banks might have done more to get the economy going. Nevertheless. deals are happening and hopefully, the worse is over.
Many things are happening at Candelaria Design. Several very interesting projects getting started including a new house near McCall, Idaho whereby our goal is to make the house as self-sustainable as possible, through the use of geothermal, hydroelectric, and solar. It’s a project for an old high school and college buddy so that is really going to be fun. We have a number of new houses we are just getting started on and several incredible houses on the boards, many more in the field. I believe last count we currently have 12 houses under construction in Paradise Valley alone. We currently have three houses featured in national publications and we are working on a TV spot so there are some great things going. I really feel our projects, clients, and work just get better and better each year. My team has held in there through these tough times and I cannot imagine having a better crew to work with than what we have at Candelaria Design. It would be great if the government didn’t take so much of my profits whereby I could actually maybe hire someone.
One very exciting project we have underway is the El Chorro Restaurant on Lincoln in Paradise Valley. We are working with such great team, including Jacquie Dorrance – our client, Desert Star Construction, Berghoff Design, Creative Designs in Lighting, Vallone Interiors, Tim & Kristy Moore, well the list can go for a while….. Be watching for details and check out the website at http://www.elchorro.com . I’m sworn to secrecy about what the new El Chorro will be like but I can assure you it’s going to have the Old El Chorro flair and feel and yes the sticky buns will still be baked each day.
We were also awarded an 2009 Excellence in Masonry Award last weekend for a beautiful house we designed and had constructed by Schultz Development in Horseshoe Canyon ~ Silverleaf, Scottsdale, Arizona. The masonry work was done by Sutter Masonry. The home has been featured in the November 2008 issue of Phoenix Home & Garden Magazine and will be featured in a new book we have coming out this fall.
The 2009 Italy trip has been pushed back to 2010 due to the economy – but we have a good list started for 2010. So I am hoping the added time allows everyone to save their money for this great trip. Perhaps we’ll pay for the trip in Euros now and by the time we go the trip will be free. Anyway, the trip is set for September 29, 2010 and returning on October 10, 2010. The trip runs between $4500 - $5000 depending upon if you go single or double. That includes your round trip air fare, rental car, transfers, hotels in Florence and Rome and your accommodations for the farmhouses and chef we arrange in the Umbrian countryside for the balance of the trip. Many other great highlights to this trip so email me if interested. I plan to take no more than 12 people and I know with this much time we will get it filled out.
Coming up on Sunday, November 8th is the Free Arts of Arizona and Phoenix Home & Garden Magazine 15th Annual Palette of Homes Tour which we will be having one of two of the homes on the Deluxe Dream Tour. The fundraiser benefits Free Arts of Arizona which is a non-profit organization that brings the power of creative arts to abused, neglected, and homeless children by partnering with over 100 group homes, treatment centers, and shelters in Maricopa County. This is the third home we have been fortunate to have on this tour and we thank our clients for opening their homes up to this truly wonderful program that really makes a difference in many children’s lives. If you need tickets, you can call our office at 602-604-2001 or go to http://www.freeartsaz.org/index.php/volunteer/poh . Tickets start at $100 for the basic tour and go up to $250 for the Deluxe Dream Tour. The house we have featured is truly spectacular and one you do not want to miss. 14000+ square feet on 2+ acres showcasing some amazing work by several of the Valley’s best craftsmen and artisans.
That’s about it. In two weeks I head out for the Scottsdale Chorro Ride down in Tubac, Ariona. Four days and three nights on a horse with about 150 other urban cowboys. This will be my fourth ride and I always look forward to the ride and hanging with the guys. More on that in blogs ahead.
Speaking of blogs ahead, we will be featuring some fun topics in the month’s ahead, including wine and wine rooms – maybe a wine trip, more cooking and kitchen topics, Going Green and LEED items, of course architecture and design, and some features on some of our clients and what they are doing. Check out our Facebook Fan Page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Candelaria-Design/147697373192 for daily updates, videos, etc. All exciting! Enjoy the fall weather - time to get back to the drawing board!