I found this mural inside an Italian restaurant in downtown Phoenix. It's clear to see that this is a woman with her hair in rollers and smoking a cigar. What is not so clear is why. Maybe it's just a conversation piece.
I couldn't see an artist's name.
Taking part in Monday Murals.
I was at my friend Glenda's house last Thursday evening and we took advantage of the mild weather to enjoy our drinks on the patio. We noticed that some mockingbirds were busy going in and out of these shrubs that grow along the garden wall. We decided that the birds must be building a nest inside those vines.
I only had my cell phone with me so I snapped a few shots hoping I'd capture something. I cropped these photos to bring the bird closer. Here is one of the birds heading into the bushes with sticks in its mouth.
And, here he is heading back out to gather more twigs. We were out there for a little over an hour and there was a constant stream of activity. They didn't seem bothered by us sitting near by but they were bothered by a couple of other birds who got too close. They chased any other bird that flew too near the wall of greenery.
The desert spiny lizard in the top photo was a paparazzi favorite at the garden last Wednesday. There was a crowd of 7 or 8 photographers pointing a variety of fancy lenses his way. This fellow was loving the attention. He was still posing there when I finally walked away.
At another location, these brilliant pomegranate blooms were looking especially attractive in full sun.
When I was at the garden on Wednesday morning, I made a point of visiting that orchid exhibit one more time. It's scheduled to end on May 11th and I wanted to make sure I saw it once again.
So today I have an abundance of orchids to show you. There were so many varieties it is a bit of an adventure trying to identify them all.
There are large blooms and then there are tiny blooms. If I had seen these yellow ones blooming by themselves I would never have guessed they were orchids.
I took an early morning walk at the Desert Botanical Garden yesterday morning. I hadn't done that in quite a while. I was hoping I'd see some cactus blooms but I only saw one on this trip. However, the birds were busy finding great spots to take in the view. This woodpecker was calling out to a friend somewhere near by.
My friends Julie, Dave and Glenda all got together to dye some Easter eggs last Saturday evening. None of us had done it since childhood. Glenda supplied the dyes and stickers and other clever things for creating patterns most of which didn't really work. It doesn't matter. We had fun.
This was one of mine. If you are thinking that my plan was to create a rabbit on this egg, you would be wrong. The spot that sort of looks like a rabbit was a complete accident.
I had better luck with the one I just dyed green and added some stickers. I did use a wax marker to put my initial on it before dropping it in the dye.
Here are the results of all our efforts. When you look at them all together, they look pretty darn good. 😁
P.S. They became tasty deviled eggs for Easter's feast at Julie and Dave's house.
Today is Earth Day, a day we should be demonstrating our support for environmental protection. I think individually we are all doing our part to protect and preserve. However, our leaders seem to be going in the opposite direction. It's frustrating to see environmental regulations knocked down without any thought of the impacts to the planet. It simply makes no sense at all.
Sorry for the short rant. When I saw that Earth Day was on the horizon, I just couldn't stop thinking about all the changes being made that will impact the air we breathe, the water we drink and the storms we will endure.
I pulled the photo above out of my archives. It was taken in southwestern Colorado. It is land that needs to be enjoyed and preserved.
I went to the Phoenix Art Museum on Saturday and discovered they had a beautiful new mural over the visitor's desk. It's a truly stunning piece created by Eamon Ore-Giron who was born and raised in Tucson Arizona. The mural is called "Tomorrow's Monsoon" and was inspired by the vast panorama of the Arizona landscape. The painting is a tribute to the desert that he loves. It offers a note of hope for the rains that bring relief and life to this dry land. I love it!
Taking part in Monday Murals.
Happy Easter! I found this cute balloon when I stopped at the grocery store yesterday. I was actually looking for a nicely decorated cake to photograph but I didn't seen one.
Here are some pretty pink lilies to add to the holiday spirit. I found these growing next to a rustic building when I was in California last summer.
Here's hoping your day is full of sunshine and love....and maybe a bite of chocolate.
Every now and then I roam around the Camelback Mountain foothills looking for interesting houses to photograph. This one is certainly interesting. It's built on a sloping lot and instead of leveling the lot, it's building hanging over the slope.
A little further away and higher up, this massive house appears to be built right into the mountain. This house is HUGE. I wonder what they do with all that space.
I recently noticed some new plants blooming in the front of the complex where I live so yesterday morning I made a point of getting some photos. These yellow bells with the red centers really stood out. I didn't know what they were called so I did a Google search and was surprised to learn that the plant is a hybrid created by a professor at ASU by combing both yellow and red Tacoma plants. It is called "Sparky" which also happens to be the name of the ASU mascot, Sparky the Sun Devil. The blooms certainly do wear the ASU colors. They also look a bit like an Arizona sunrise or sunset.
While I was admiring the new plants, I saw that the Bird of Paradise plant had a new bloom. I decided to take a photo of it too. With the exception of that touch of purple, it's wearing those same colors.
I over-indulged in reading the news yesterday so when I was getting ready to post something for today, I decided I needed something pretty and uplifting. I found this photo taken on this day exactly 10 years ago. Here we have a Pipevine Swallowtail butterfly who is thoroughly enjoying a yellow Columbine bloom. The photo archives always come in handy when I'm in need of a little inspiration. A nice dose of natural beauty is just what the doctor ordered.
Today is World Art Day, a celebration of the art that makes this world a better place. I decided to post two more photos from the recent Scottsdale Ferrari Art fair.
Above is a painting by Noel Dobranes called "Warrior Woman".
On the left is a sculpture by Gedion Nyanhongo, a sculptor whose work I've admired over the years at the Celebration of Fine Art. This new piece is called "Visionary Man".
We are all artists in our own way. Be sure to celebrate some art today.
I found this mural in a residential area with houses on the other side of that wall. There was no signature on the mural so I can't attribute to an artist. Those skeletal dogs look very playful and I love the background of colors. I hope the neighbors around there like it.
Taking part in Monday Murals.
Last weekend I had lunch at a favorite French Bistro in Scottsdale called Zinc Bistro. I usually get the crepes when I'm there but this time decided to try the steak salad. When they placed this dish in front of me I wondered how I would eat it all. I made a good job of it. It was delicious as well as pretty to look at.
My friends and I decided to have dinner at Pizzaria Bianco and while we were waiting for our table in their little bar, I snapped a photo of the antique shelf that hangs behind the bar.
Then I noticed a crate full of freshly baked bread so I took a photo of that too. When we got to our table, we were served some of that great looking bread along with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It was delicious as is all the food at this Phoenix favorite.
The habit of taking photos happens everywhere I go.
It's the time of year when the palo verde trees bloom. Since those trees are all over the Phoenix area, we are seeing yellow everywhere we look. It's an impressive display.
These two shots were at the Desert Botanical Garden.
I just realized that I had only posted one photo from this year's Celebration of Fine Arts. I attended on March 21st, that weekend that was so busy with all kinds of events. Let me show you some of the beautiful works of art that I saw there.
First above is an artist whose work I always enjoy seeing. She is Gabriela Aguilo. She calls her work abstract inner landscapes. I love them.
To the left is a work by Martin Blundell. He does landscapes using bold colors.
I took this photo when I was at the Desert Botanical Garden in the evening a couple of weeks ago. I liked the look of those saguaros in silhouette against the evening sky. The more I looked at this photo, the more I noticed. Do you see that teeny-tiny white dot in the middle of the mountain? That is actually a hole in the mountain. It's a popular place for people to climb when visiting Papago Park which is just on the other side. Looking up, I see bird perched on the top of one of the saguaro's arms. And, all the way to the left and just above the horizon, I see an airplane on landing approach going into Sky Harbor International Airport. There are lots of things to see in this simple photo.
My good friends Julie and Dave, hosted a fund raising event for the Phoenix Symphony on the patio of their home in Paradise Valley last Sunday. It was a wonderful afternoon event with music provided by a string quartet from symphony performers. The weather was perfect for this outdoor event which you can tell from the reflection of the mountains in the window behind the musicians.
As you can see, they had a pretty good turn out for the event. There were more people behind me. I think everyone had a good time. I know I did.
