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November 19, 2007
The church is still under construction in Carefree, Arizona. This is a northern suburb beyond the city of Phoenix where the nearest Sydney equivalent would probably be Kurrajong. It is well travelled by people on their Harleys, and in their sports cars, seeking to escape the city and head up into the scenic foothills before hitting a touristy saloon for a beer and a nice meal.
This is another church that looks like a mix between an office building and a local resort. The only real architectural cue that it is a church is the cross on the large concrete pillar. It is interesting that they chose to place their church at the base of a dominant out-cropping of rocks.
The scenery in Carefree is quite stunning as it is the first foothills before the Sonora desert plains rise up into the cooler cattle country of central Arizona.
Saguaro cactii are numerous along the hills and roads leading into and out of the town. The local economy is based on tourism. The pubs are called saloons and have 'cowboy' type touches. There is a tonne of them one after the other, with large numbers of motorbikes and convertible sports cars parked in-front of them. The local Indian and Cowboy cultures are traded in on as well. Indian rugs, furniture and cowboy hats are sold everywhere.
It appears that Carefree was originally a bedroom community for retirees but that has been eclipsed by tourism and a bohemian art culture for local aspiring middle-class artists and collectors from Phoenix' northern suburbs. There was an art show and tour on while I was there which was blocking the roads and causing traffic problems.
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Cam,
and no doubt the:
would be taking photographs of their experiences as tourists.
What is Carefree's bohemian art culture for local aspiring middle-class artists like? What sort of work are they producing?