The Salk

Last weekend Jean and I were in San Diego visiting Jean's brother and family. I took photos of two subjects while there: one, the beautifully white and horizon-framing Salk Institute which we visited on our second day in town, and pictures of the equally lovely child-scenery! Jonathan, Alex, and little Elisabeth are delightful these days. I can see why people love San Diego--there seems to be so much landscape beauty in every direction from the city. I was most taken with the canyon that drops away right behind Karen & Ben's apartment. Due to the spring rains, it's now filled with flowers and fluffy green shrub-growth (it's more typically yellow & brown) and the walk across the canyon is a total delight. Although as Ben learned the hard way, one has to keep one's distance from the poison oak growing in the bottom of the canyon.

Here's the Salk Institute, which we visited on the cliffs in La Jolla by bicycle.



The laboratories and offices are arranged around a plaza with the western side open to the cliffs and oceanview. The plaza is paved in a very pale travertine and the building are clad in precast concrete panels, which do something really beautiful in the bright sunlight.





There's also a much-photographed linear water feature that bisects the plaza and appears to run off into the horizon.





The architect who designed the complex, Louis Kahn, is one of my very favorites. Don't know if any of you saw the movie "My Architect", which was a documentary about Kahn and his work made by his son, but it's pretty good.

Here's Jean, looking very prime in his sun-protective gear!



Despite the socks, goggles, hat, & scarf, we BOTH got our first mini-sunburn of the season in San Diego, which was actually kind of fun after all this winter stuff back east.

And here are the three little wildebeasts, savoring their weekly ration of Sesame Street (K & B are of the same ilk as my own parents when it comes to tv-watching!)



Click on their picture for a more pictures on these three.