Of the 532 buildings Frank Lloyd Wright designed in his lifetime, just over 400 still remain today. The David and Gladys Wright House in Phoenix, Arizona, is one of only six Wright homes in the Valley, and one of those still standing- for now.

Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for his son, David, in 1950, it was sold in June 2012 to 8081 Meridian, a developer who submitted plans to tear down the home, and build two new houses on the newly subdivided lot.

Add your voice. Let 8081 Meridian and the City of Phoenix know why you feel this unique structure, inspired by the Guggenheim Museum in New York City, should be saved!

www.facebook.com/groups/WrightHouseAZ/members/

After my wife’s ankle surgery last summer, I was forced to pursue my love of strenuous exploratory hiking without her. But there was a bright side to this, since she has never been as keen for climbing as I am. Last spring, I was able to spend just about every Sunday morning at the the top of one of the many small mountains near my house.

I brought along my camera to keep me company. But an hour after sunrise, Arizona skies are bright and hot and the shadows are deep and dark. Getting a correct exposure under such high-contrast conditions is a challenge. While it’s usually best to let the smart machine in my hands make most the decisions, I still have to know how to help it along if I want to avoid white skies and crushed shadows. There’s only so much I can fix in post-processing.

I have to say I made a lot of progress working under these conditions. But one of the many skills I’ve not yet mastered is how to shake off my early-morning exhilaration long enough to really capture the magic of a mountain-top vantage point. I took hundreds of photos, but only a small handful of shots really give a sense of the terrain’s sparse beauty. I hope this selection manages to convey the quiet extremes of the desert landscape.

Alas, you can short-list a bad picture, but its not so easy to cull Paradise Valley’s rampant population. Who knew that the top of Camelback Mountain is as crowded as a shopping mall at 9AM on a Sunday? On the other hand, though it’s surrounded on all sides by expensive, well-patrolled private residences, the expansive summit of Mummy Mountain is nearly desolate. Hopefully, once the summer abates, I can continue my exploration before all the remaining open space is fenced off.