My Favorite House in Los Angeles

No Place like Holmes

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Everyone needs a place that restores their faith. Not only in a religious sense -- a place that restores one's faith in humanity, in rightness and balance. A place that makes the unseen become momentarily visible. Some people find their place in church, nature, or fellowship. And some people's faith is restored when they stand in the presence of great art. There is something truly special when the place itself is art -- the art that grows from one pair of hands crafting a vision. Places like the Watt's Towers and Nitt Witt Ridge, where one person has painstakingly made their home a shrine, shard by broken shard.

Hidden away in Los Angeles lies one of the most beautifully detailed homes of its kind. The broken shards are arranged by shape, adding another dimension to the artistry. The use of florist's glass is unusual and makes the hillside sparkle in the sunshine. Some of the tiles bear sayings, tributes, and possibly memorials. One man has been working on this garden for fifteen years. He devotes one day a week to the work, and he says he will keep working on it forever.

Photography is not allowed. But when the artist saw how truly touched I was, he gave me his permission. I asked him if the photography ban was to keep the crowds away, and he nodded. I swore to him that I would never reveal his home's location. And I know that you won't either.