A Hummingbird From the Past

 

I found these hummingbird photos when I was going through my Desert Botanical Garden photo file from 2012.  Back in those days I was using my Sony DSLR A200 with a 75-300mm zoom lens.  All the photos I took with that camera have a different look to them.  I'm not sure how to explain it except to say they are slightly darker or more intense in their color and depth.  

It looks like I was focused on this little hummingbird sitting in a tree.  This little bird looks so sweet sitting in the tree with one eye on me to make sure I don't pose a danger.

After the little rest in the tree, it was back to work gathering nectar from these blooms.

I might show a few more of these old photos taken with that Sony camera.  I like the look of them.  I still have that camera.  I need to get it out and clean it up and maybe take some new photos with it.  It's heavy so I probably won't want to take many but I should at least give it a try.

Desert Wildflower Towers

 

I haven't posted photos of these beauties in a while so I thought it was about time to revisit them.  The Desert Wildflower Towers are at the entrance to the Desert Botanical Garden and they were created by renowned glass artist Dale Chihuly.  The towers were acquired by the garden back in 2009, the first time that Chihuly did an exhibit at the garden.

If I position myself just right, I can get two of the towers together and create an explosion of green glass.

I recently sorted all the photos I've taken of these sculptures into one folder and discovered I have 197 photos of them.  I need to take 3 more and make it an even 200.

Making An Effort

 

It is not a good time year for flowers to be blooming in Phoenix but this canna lily in front of my complex is making the effort.  You can see that it is getting a little "crispy" around the edges.

It was 115 degrees (46C) last Sunday and the high has been hovering around 110 (43C) all week long.

It's the time of year we tend to stay inside.

The Light Bloom Left Behind

 

It looks like the Desert Botanical Garden acquired one of the Light Bloom sculptures that were on display in 2024 and 2025.  This will be pretty when it's lit up at night.  You can see my photos from that exhibit here and here.

I used a photo editing technique on one of those older photos and gave it a pastel look that I think turned out very well. That color combination is pleasing to the eye.

Toothpick Cactus

 

There are several very large toothpick cacti growing at the Desert Botanical Garden.  They bloom all year longs so I can almost always find a bloom on one of them when I visit.  This one is right next to one of the trails and it has grown so much that at times it has arms reaching over the trail.

It has been trimmed several times to tame those overhanging branches.

Just like a tree, those cuts leave some scars on the cactus.

A Most Unusual Cactus

 

I took this photo when I visited the garden on the unusually pleasant day last month.  I've seen cacti that look like this one many times and I've never been able to identify them.  This time there was a sign.

I cropped the photo to get a better look at this very unusual looking cactus.  The sign says it's a crested whortleberry cactus.  The word "crested" indicates a cactus that grows with fan-like shape.  It is said to be caused by a rare growth mutation.  

I love it's rumply-bumply look.

The Brain and The Eye

 

When I was driving to the Desert Botanical Garden a few weeks ago, I spotted this sign on the side of a building.  I drive this route every time I go to the garden and I hadn't noticed it before so I decided to pull in to find out what it was all about.

It appears to be a clinic that specializes in eye conditions that are caused by problems in the brain.  That is my very simplistic way of describing it.  If you are curious, you can check their "about" page on their website.  There is a list of types of services they provide that is full of very long words that I don't understand.  The doctor who operates this clinic is a Neuro-Ophthalmologist.  That's a pretty big word too. Now when I see that brain on the wall, I'll know why it's there.

Theme Day: Purple

 

Most City Daily Photo bloggers post a photo based on a chosen theme on the first day of every month.  The August 1st theme is "Purple".  Since purple is a favorite color of mine, it was easy for me to find an abundance of pretty purple flowers to share.  I especially like this gorgeous waterlily.  I have lots of photos of purple waterlilies.  Whenever I see one, I can't resist another photo.

This cluster of lobelia is also very nice and very purple.

The purple globe Amaranth above also fits the theme as do the pretty petunias to the right.  

So much purple to choose from!

I bet you might find some more purple on other blogger's sites today.  Click here to see.

In the Same Spot for Years

 

I took the photo above back in 2012 and the one to the left just two weeks ago when I took that surprise walk at the Desert Botanical Garden.  

This ceramic vase has been sitting in this same niche in a wall for many years now and you can see a bit of wear that it has endured.  

I did some photo editing to see if I could spruce it up a little bit.  It looks good in this marble look.

A brass exterior looks pretty good on it too.  

The garden is doing some work very near where this ceramic pot is located.  It will be interesting see if it remains in that same spot.

Too Soon!

 

I made a short visit to my local Anthropology store over the weekend and was surprised to find a display of Halloween items for sale.  I know these things tend to show up early but, July just seems way too early.

So if you are in need of Halloween dishes and decorations, I know where you can get them.  

The Rattan Bicycle

 

Here are two more observations from my recent visit to the Phoenix Art Museum.  I loved seeing this bicycle covered in basket weaving. It's called "Cicloviaerea (Aerial Velodrome)" and the artist is Jarbas Lopes.  It's a beautiful piece and it actually looks like someone could ride it.  

The other piece that caught my eye last week was this one by Louise Nevelson. It's called "Royal Tide V".  I've seen this piece around the museum before but for some reason, on this day it made me think of a piece I put together for one of our art Challenges.

Here is that piece.  The challenge subject was "Masks, Mannequins and Marionettes".  I actually posted this photo after the art challenge back in 2016 so some of you might remember it.  I still have this piece that I made.  It's currently sitting on my balcony.  

Photographing Mercury

 

Last November I did a post about the Florentine Baroque exhibit at the Phoenix Art Museum.  The exhibit contained some impressive paintings and some equally impressive frames for many of them. In fact, I mentioned in that post that the frames were also works of art.

The exhibit also included this statue of Mercury in his most common pose.  The statue was inside a glass case and against that very "busy" wall so it was difficult to get a good photo of it. I think this is the best one I got.

When I was at the art museum last week for the mini symphony concert, I decided to try taking another photo of that statue.  I decided to try the "stage light" mode on my iPhone to see if I could get the image without that busy background.  This was the result.  It managed to get rid of the background but it picked up reflections in the glass case.  I believe that is a face from one of the paintings on the opposite wall.  It certainly gave Mercury a ghostly look.  

Instrument of Troubled Dreams

 

There was one more exhibit at the Phoenix Art Museum that I needed to experience.  It's called Instrument of Troubled Dreams and it was created by artists Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller.  The couple is known for creating interactive audio installations of all kinds.  This one had a replica of a 1960 Mellotron that had every key wired to play a specific musical piece or voice track.  Participants can compose their own film-like soundtrack.  It was fun to play with and to listen to others play.

Proper Driving Attire

 

We can't go driving in those new-fangled cars that were so creatively depicted in some of the posters I posted yesterday without the proper driving attire.  The Discount Tire exhibit at the Phoenix Art Museum also included some examples of clothes needed to drive around in those old Model T's and Duesenbergs.  This motoring duster from 1909 fits the bill perfectly and those goggles would be a necessity.

For the ladies, a motoring hat would be needed to go with the more stylish motoring duster.  

I bet my grandparents might have seen some clothes like this back when they were driving the roads back in the 1920's.

Modern Treads

 

There was one exhibit at the Phoenix Art Museum that I was looking forward to seeing.  It is called "Modern Treads: The Discount Tire Poster Collection".  The Discount Tire Company is headquartered in the Phoenix area and they are strong supporters of the arts communities in the valley including the Phoenix Art Museum.  Their collection of vintage posters from between 1900 and 1930 are on display at the art museum for all to enjoy.  

The Goodrich poster almost looked familiar to me.  I wonder if I saw one when I tagged along with my dad to the auto shop. 

I found the poster above rather intriguing.  It represents Fifteen Fisk Boys.  The Fisk Rubber Company's mascot was a pajama clad child and this poster shows fifteen of those. 

Of course the show had to include "Bibendum", the Michelin Tire man.  

He was also on display in his metallic armor.  

I also like this poster from the Excelsior company.  They made precision seals and gaskets for pneumatic thermostats and pneumatic actuation systems.  

This certainly brought back a few childhood memories of the times I went with my dad to a local auto repair shop and saw our car up on those tall lifts and the mechanics doing their work beneath it.

Music at the Art Museum

 

I got an email from the Phoenix Symphony listing some upcoming summer events and one of the events listed was a 30 minute brass concert at the Phoenix Art Museum early Wednesday evening.  I decided to check that out.  The symphony players were part of the brass quintet and they played in one of the galleries with lots of museum goers as their audience.

Each one of the pieces they played had some reference to art such as two movements from Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition.  It was a perfect little diversion from a heat filled day.

Of course, while I was there I wandered around a bit to see some art pieces that weren't on view the last time I was there.  

This untitled sculpture by Robert Therrien caught my eye because it was looming over the musicians in the first photo above. The piece is untitled but is described as a flagpole.  Apparently Therrien is known for turning everyday objects into larger-than-live depictions.  

The Light Lounge

 

Here is another new feature I found at the Desert Botanical Garden last weekend.  This sign enticed me to check out the Light Lounge, a place to cool down and enjoy some more features that play with lights.

The room is full of all kinds of interactive features along with places to sit and relax and soak up the cool, air-conditioned air.  

I enjoyed making shadows on the shadow wall.

This spot will give some welcome relief from our hot days and nights.

Garden of Lights Extended

 

Back in April, I did a post about the Garden of Lights feature that had been set up at the Desert Botanical Garden.  It was designed to encourage evening walks at the garden.  That feature has been extended with some additional light features and some changes in operating hours.  The garden is open at 6:00 AM  and until 10:00 PM for these summer months.  

I spotted these trees that have been enhanced with colorful lighting.

I also saw this wall covered in reflective circles.  There were spot lights aimed at this wall so I'm guessing that at night, those lights do some kind of magical lighting feature.  I need to do another evening walk to check this out.

I Was Charmed

 

On my summer walk at the Desert Botanical Garden last weekend, I found one spot that was full of those bright yellow flowers that resemble a small version of sunflowers.  They were past their floral prime and were now a feast for the birds, especially the goldfinches.  It seems that goldfinches can't resist snacking on the blooms.  As I stood there, I realized that I was surrounded by goldfinches, lots and lots of them.

They were hanging onto the flowers centers and picking their way through the seeds inside.  There were so many that the flower stalks were swaying and sagging with the weight of the birds.

I snapped multiple photos trying to capture the birds as they swung from the plants.  In the photo above, I managed to capture four of them in one shot.  They blend in with the background so much that it's hard to make them out but if you look closely, you will see all four.

I asked Google what a group of goldfinches is called and found out they are called "a charm" of goldfinches. I found the whole situation very charming indeed so I think that's a fitting name.