Bottom line is this, Leonard wanted everybody to know that "God is love." Some people would say it in church or a book, write it in letters or a song, maybe even paint it in a picture. Leonard built a mountain in the desert. Unbelievable. Over a hundred thousand gallons of paint (we brought him three more) went into the sculpture/structure. He mixed his own adobe with mud and hay that he found nearby, old tires and other castoffs from the desert helped him build his complex.

Jim Bowsher, philosopher, artist and teacher, has dedicated not only his 1-acre yard and his life to creating this weighty symbol of tolerance. The hundreds of tons of rock have been intentionally laid, creating a jaw-dropping stone wonderland. He loves local history. He loves having it come alive for people, and not just being some stuffy thing in a book. That's part of why he built what he calls the Temple of Tolerance in his backyard. Well, actually, in three backyards that he purchased to make room for the giant glacial rocks that stand at the heart of it.

At one time, motels in this country were built with a little more character than they are today. Back in the 1930s, long before Super-This-and-Thats and Thumbelina-sized "free" cups of coffee, Frank Redford had a vision of Americans traveling the open road, stopping at night to sleep comfortably in his wigwam motels.

Soaring towards the clouds for some 16 stories in all, it's made from stone; hand selected, hand carried, hand lifted and mortared into place by, you guessed it, hand. Jim Bishop's hands. He's been working the site for nearly 50 years now

This jaw-dropper is the oldest complete folk art environment in the United States, creating a creative epicenter in this rural Kansas town. OK, it's not exactly the exact Garden in the Bible, but Samuel P. Dinsmoor began pouring forth his vision in 1907 when, at the age of 64, he completed his Log Cabin Home, built from native limestone. Then, using the newest building compound of its day -- concrete -- he spent the next 18 years surrounding his house with a narrative sculpture garden.

When you see one of Vollis Simpson's whirligigs adorning the front lawn of a museum, you know it's no ordinary place. This is indeed the mecca for those who appreciate work by self-taught, outsider or visionary artists. AVAM features three full floors of art displayed in long-running shows that cover a specific theme like "aging" or "war and peace." Their permanent collection contains a number of works by Ted Gordon, Howard Finster, Gerald Hawkes and the Baltimore Glassman, Paul Darmafall.