Seeing Stars

 

When I was at the Wrigley Mansion for brunch two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to do a little exploring in that grand old building.  I've had posts from this place several times.  In this one I have a photo of the whole place from a distance.  On this latest visit, I ventured upstairs to see the private dining rooms. Long ago when this was the winter home of the Wrigley's, these rooms were bedrooms.  

In this particular room, I was struck by that great chandelier with the many stars.

My friend Dave actually snapped this one with his cell phone and sent it to me.  He captured the chandelier and its reflection in the mirror on the wall.  Clever shot!

A Touch of Italy

 

I had dinner Friday night at an Italian restaurant that I had not been to before.  I met some friends there who told me that it is small place that has excellent food.  And, they were right.  The food was great.  When we were leaving, I had to stop and snap a photo of the mural on one of the walls.  I liked the modern or stylized take on a classic Venetian scene.  The signature on it was Manuel Gomez but, I couldn't find any other information about the artist.

Taking part in Monday Murals.

Friday Morning Excitement

 

I was waiting patiently in the waiting room at my eye doctor's office for my 9:00 AM appointment when suddenly the fire alarm sounded with its usual ear-piercing scream.  Everyone in the office exited the building to stand outside and after a short time, the fire department arrived.

My doctor is located at an eye clinic where eye surgeries are performed.  While I was standing outside, I wondered what might have been happening in the surgery center.  It wasn't until I looked at these photos and cropped down to the people standing outside that I realized there was a patient there surrounded by doctors and nurses.  I am certainly glad that didn't happen when I had my eye surgery.  As far as I know, there was nothing serious wrong.  I never did hear how the alarm was set off but the firemen reset everything and we were once again inside.  Lot's of excitement for a Friday morning.

I have a new post on Sharon's Sojourns.  I'm continuing my stroll through the V & A.  

Framing the Shot

 

I snapped a photo of this agave plant with my cell photo and then compared it to the real thing.  Then I snapped a photo of the comparison with my camera.  Camera in one hand and cell phone in the other, I wasn't sure if it would work but it did.

Here's the result!  I actually took almost the same photo with my camera but, in this case I liked the cell phone shot better.  

In Disguise

 

Yesterday I showed you the blooms on the top of a giant saguaro cactus.  Today I'm showing you a saguaro the will never bloom.  That's because it's not a real saguaro.  

Do you remember when I had a photo of a fake pine tree that was actually a cell phone tower?  Well around my neighborhood, the cell phone towers come cloaked as saguaro cacti.  If you look closely at the very top, you will see the outline of a little door so it can be serviced if necessary.  The little holes at the bottom I'm sure serve some other purpose.  

I've seen the palm tree towers and the pine tree towers many times, but it took me a while to spot the cactus towers.  I wonder how many other disguises those towers use.  

More Cactus Flowers

 

While many of the smaller cacti have already bloomed for the year, the mighty saguaro is just now hitting its peak.  I can see these tall fellows crowned with white blooms wherever I go.  

However, I can still find blooms of some of the smaller cactus when I look closely.  

These are all from my walk at the Desert Botanical Garden last weekend.

Tiptoe Through the Tulips

 

I bought a bouquet of tulips over the weekend and I've so enjoyed watching them open up.  So much so, that I keep snapping photos as they progress.

I'll see them in different light and grab my camera again!

They've been a joy to watch as they bend helter-skelter in every direction.  I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a bunch of flowers this much!

New Experience: Dining Out

 

I dined out - inside a restaurant - twice this last weekend!  It felt new and a bit strange.

Friday night I had dinner with two friends and I have to admit I did feel a bit nervous after stepping through the restaurant door and seeing all those people inside.  However the restaurant was spaced carefully and they used plexiglass partitions in some places.  After being seated, I started to relax a bit.

Side note:  The businesses creating plexiglas barriers have certainly prospered over this past year, haven't they?

On Sunday I had brunch with friends at the Wrigley Mansion, pictured above and to the left.  

Since it was Mother's Day on Sunday, the restaurant at the Wrigley Mansion had quite a few special tributes to mother's everywhere.  This little arrangement was placed just inside the door.  The little bottle to the left isn't perfume, it's hand sanitizer.  Another sign of the times.

Epic Rides

 

A few weeks ago I posted a photo of a mural I found at a Tucson Shopping Center when I was down there at the beginning of April.  You can see it here.  It was painted by an artist named Joe Pagac.  Little did I know that I already had a photo of another one Joe's murals in my photo files.  I took this one in November of 2017.  This one was commissioned by "Epic Rides", a business that organizes mountain biking events.

I found a web site for Joe Pagac and I learned the he has many murals in the Tucson area and one I've seen before here in Phoenix.  He was born and raised in Tucson but has traveled the world pursuing his art.  

Taking part in Monday Murals!

Music for the Dogs!

 

After posting about my last walk at the Desert Botanical Garden yesterday, I had the urge to go again.  I made my reservation and went yesterday morning.  I didn't realize when I made the reservation that Saturday was going to be one of the garden's Dog Days.  When I arrived and saw all those dogs entering the garden, I thought it might be a fun day.  Then I was surprised again to hear beautiful music.  I saw this group of musicians from the Phoenix Symphony performing and there were lots of dogs an owners stopping to listen.  These gentlemen are all from the Phoenix Symphony's Education and Community Outreach team.  

I enjoyed seeing all the dogs on my walk.  I thought this rather elegant looking poodle and its owner made a cute couple as they took a little photo break.

And this handsome fellow came dressed in this butterfly wings for the occasion.  

Today is Mother's Day here in the U.S. so I want to wish a Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there.  Have a wonderful day.

I have a new post on Sharon's Sojourns today.  It's about a historical exhibit that is in transition.  

Quail on the Table

 

The last time I was at the Desert Botanical Garden for a walk, I stopped and sat for a while at the outdoor cafe where quite a lot of quail were wandering about looking for scraps to eat.

They made themselves right at home jumping from chairs to tables looking for any tiny scrap that someone might have left behind.

They were fun to watch scampering around from table to table.  The garden is always a source of entertainment no matter where I go.

Five Years of Garden Tours

 

When I was filing away all the photos I took on this years Phoenix Home & Garden Tour, I noticed that I have been going on these tours for five years now.  It would have been six if last year hadn't been the lost pandemic year.  I started attending the tours back in 2016 when I visited this lovely garden.  It was a lot like visiting a park.  I posted about it here.

In 2017, the tour included the garden at this house which was full of a lots of plants more common to the southwest.  I posted about this one here.

In 2018, we enjoyed a tour of this house, both inside and out.  The back garden for this one was my favorite.  I posted about it here.

In 2019 one of the stops was at this house that is located in Paradise Valley on the north side of Camelback Mountain.  This was a very modern house surrounded by desert landscape and a pool with a view.  I posted about this one here.  

The 2021 tour had this surprise garden that I just recently posted about.  This one was nothing like anything we had seen before on any of these tours.  

I've enjoyed all of these tours over the years.  It's fun to get to see places you would never see normally.  

Small Celebration

 

Yesterday was Cinco de Mayo (May 5th), an unofficial Mexican Holiday that we Americans celebrate mostly by eating lots of delicious Mexican food and drinking one or two Margaritas.  In the past, I've always joined a group of friends for a fun evening of good food and lively conversation.  Last year, I was only able to think about it and remember celebrations past.  This year, I actually did make it to a Mexican restaurant with just one friend and sitting on the outside patio.  Not quite the same as years past but it's a start.

I went to Los Sombreros and this time I tried the enchiladas mole.  They were fantastic.  Fingers crossed that next year it can be back to a group event.

Modern, Inside & Out

 

Today I'm showing a few photos from inside the house I featured yesterday.  The house was staged with furniture so that any future buyer could get an idea of how it would look.  There was a definite black and white theme in the furnishings.

The living area in the top photo was adjacent to the den or game room.

The master bedroom continued the black and white theme.

The master bathroom was huge with a bowl-like tub and a very fancy shower with two shower stations.  

There were a total of four bedrooms and one of them was dressed out as an office space.  There was a little private garden space just outside those windows.  

The price for this home is a whopping 6.3 million dollars.  We had a little guessing game about the price and I was way off.  I said around 3 million.  It actually makes little difference to me.  I'm not in the income bracket for any of the homes we toured.  Luckily, I'm quite happy with much smaller and more modest accommodations.  But, it is nice to have a look around.  

The Last House on the Tour

 

The last home on the Phoenix Home and Garden tour was what is called a "spec" home.  This home was built specifically to sell and has never been lived in yet.  

This was a very modern home with lots of glass in every room.

The landscape included a big saguaro cactus placed right at the entrance with a large hole in the porch ceiling so it can grow out through the hole.  

The back of the house faces the mountains so there will always be a spectacular view to enjoy.  You can see some blooming Palo Verde trees just over that attractive garden wall.

Behind the seating area was a lovely gas fireplace.  Perfect for those chilly winter nights in the desert.  

The pool was interesting with a little path way across it near the windows.  I didn't attempt to cross it but I saw many people who did.  One lady did it in very high heels.  

Tomorrow I'll show you some photos from inside.  And, I'll reveal the price.  

Gift Wrapped

 

I made a stop at a nearby grocery store and as I pulled into the parking lot, I saw this car all wrapped in wrapping paper.

Now this is something I have never seen before so of course I had to stop for a quick photo or two.  I can't imagine what the occasion was for wrapping this car up in such a variety of wrapping paper.  Maybe it was going to be a gift to someone and to keep it secret, it was decided to park it in a parking lot. I like that idea.  I think I'll go with that thought.  I hope it was just what they wanted.  

Sunday Roses!

 

I thought a good way to start the month of May was with a variety of roses.  Roses just seem like the perfect flower to represent May.  The pink one above was growing in a rose bed in old town Scottsdale.  The shaded background made it stand out.

This one was also growing in that same rose bed.  The background on this one was not quite as shaded as the one above.  I do love finding perfect rose buds.

These two were growing next to a home in east Phoenix.  I couldn't resist capturing them with the yellow blooms of the Palo Verde trees as a backdrop.  

This last one was growing at one of the homes I recently visited on the Phoenix Home and Garden tour.  I had to use the telephoto to get this one.  It was in a spot near the back of the garden.  It looks like it is a perfect bloom!

I have a new post on Sharon's Sojourns today.  I'm making a visit to Montezuma's Castle.