The Ismaili Center is Houston’s latest architectural marvel. It’s the cultural and spiritual home to the Shia Ismaili Muslim community. It is also serves as the 7th “ambassadorial” building. These 7 Centers are “not only places for spiritual search, but also spaces for broadening intellectual horizons and fostering an appreciation of pluralism“. As the architect,…
For some the holiday can be very depressing. Some of my so-called friends have alleged that it’s because they’ve been living in fear that I would update and publish a new version of A Visit From St. Clickolas again this year. It’s my remake from a photographer’s perspective of the classic Christmas poem, A Visit…
Taking a walk in the woods is fun no matter what time of the year it is. You get some great exercise and it’s always a joy to see natural beauty up close. Also, you can’t discount the solitude of a simple stroll through the woods. This all adds up to be a wonderful way…
Seduction in a glimpse refers to the phenomenon of a brief look, a glimpse, piquing our interest in an object or person. Often, this interest is greater than if we saw the subject in full. Sometimes, less really is more. This is the so-called “glimpse effect”. The glimpse excites our imagination and curiosity. This, in…
The Moody Center for the Arts at Rice University is an eye-catching building. The lower floor is clad in floor-to-ceiling glass. The upper floor dominates the lower floor. The large windows and brick cladding on the upper floor grab your attention. The cantilever of upper floor also minimize our view of the lower floor. However,…
Anthony Chapel is a nondenominational wedding chapel in Garvan Woodland Gardens. The chapel is arguably as popular as the gardens. They host over 250 weddings per year and most of the couples are from out-of-state. Additionally, most people visiting the gardens also stop by to take a look at the chapel. The construction of the…
Garvan Woodland Gardens is a simply gorgeous garden in Hot Springs, Arkansas. This beautiful 210-acre botanical garden and woodland garden is owned by the University of Arkansas. It is part of the university’s Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design that uses it is as a “living laboratory”. Like most botanical gardens, Garvan has areas…
Hendrix College is a liberal arts college in Conway, Arkansas. We recently visited there somewhat by accident. We finished our visit to Petit Jean State Park by mid-afternoon. Since it was raining intermittently we decided to look for an indoor place to visit. Art museums seemed like a good solution. We considered driving to Little…
Petit Jean State Park in central Arkansas is a beautiful little park. So, when we were looking for some places within driving distance that would have cooler weather Petit Jean was a good choice. It is basically a park at the top of a mountain keeping in mind it is not a mountain of the…
