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Web-Writer International Headquarters
Ranch House View from Office deck
Saguaros are the "Grandfathers" of the
Sonoran Desert
OK, Bunnies maybe but Clients? No way!
Ranch House Surrounded by Brittlebush in Bloom
Petroglyphs, Indian rock carvings have unknown meaning
Board & batten walls are covered with rusty relics
Mule deer graze just outside the window
Indian Fortresses dominate the mountain peaks
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The Web-Writer offices,
located in
beautiful New River, Arizona, overlook some of the most pristine upper Sonoran desert
remaining today. It is difficult to image a place more conducive to
inspiration and creativity then the expansive views offered here. I never grow tired of
these views and they never
seem to look exactly the same. When you can see such an expanse of
Nature it is humbling and it forces you to think beyond yourself; I
find it rejuvenating and "grounding".
Our "new" facility
is loaded with high tech gear but was created to resemble an aging barn
utilizing recycled materials whenever possible.
The rustic exterior matches the
ranch house and combined, these structures take on the look of
an 1880's mining camp. In my mind, the most vernacular architecture
possible for this historic mining area. As the buildings naturally weather and
darken they visually merge into the desert that surrounds them.
Rusty relics found in the desert or purchased from New River yard sales
are nailed to the board and batten walls and add additional texture and
history. Although it was not a conscious desire the Songdog Ranch is
evolving into a museum of sorts of New River's past and present.
We have many wonderful
neighbors here in New River. They can roughly be split into two
categories; those that you will want to see as much as possible and those that
want to be left alone. The same can be said about our animal neighbors
which include
coyote, javalina, mule deer, bobcat, rattlesnakes, road runners,
scorpions, great horned owls and the occasional mountain lion.
Living here is not for the faint of heart but it is just the ticket for
those with a heart for Nature.
A short walk from the
office or home
reveals that this desert abounds not only with wildlife but long ago
bustled with human life. The focused eye can barely see the outlines of
the fallen walls of pit-houses and the faint parallel lines of rocks that
terraced their gardens. The remains of their culture are so subtle you
begin to wonder if you're imagining them. Then a pottery sherd is discovered. It is buff colored without adornment and it's
color blends in perfectly with the surrounding dirt from which it came. There is no
question about it, these things were made by man.
Through these broken pieces of worked clay and etched rocks that were last touched around 1250 A.D.,
I get a
feeling that connects me in some way to these ancient people, the Hohokam.
As one climbs the hilltops here, the subtle pithouses within the valley give way to massive
structures with towering 4 foot thick walls that were obviously built for
defensive purposes. These stone fortresses usually have line of
sight access to other hilltop forts and it is surmised that they had a
network of visual communication between these centers possible using smoke
or fire as the medium.
Today, Web-Writer is helping clients
communicate in ways that would have been unimaginable for our previous
residents.
I hope you found this
short glimpse of life in New River interesting. If you did, drop me
a note, I'd love to hear from you.
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