Sunflowers, Large and Small

 

I see lots of these small sunflowers growing at the Desert Botanical Garden.  They tend to be scattered among the wildflowers.

In the Phoenix area, we see more of these small ones than any other kind.

However, every now and then I'll see one of these jumbo sized sunflowers.  I saw this one at a local plant nursery.  No matter what size they are, they always catch my eye.  They make a good photography subject.  

Copper Cluster

 

I was attracted by this cluster of copper colored pottery when I was at the Desert Botanical Garden.  I found them decorating a quiet little corner near the herb garden.  Those three pots together were complimented by the copper-like wall in the background.  It makes a lovely scene with a warm glow.

Things I Don't Understand

 

I heard a lot of noise outside yesterday morning so around 10:30 AM I decided to investigate.  I discovered that trees were being cut down on the street behind where I live.  One was already gone.  You can see the trunk to right in the photo above.

The second tree was in the process with a man up the tree taking off the branches.

By 1:00 PM, here's what it looked like.  Two perfectly nice trees gone.  I simply don't understand it.  We live in a desert city where shade is of utmost importance.  Why cut down perfectly healthy trees?

I'm going to have to do some investigating to see if I can understand what is going on.  I hate seeing our trees treated this way.

Desert Plants

 

The desert will be heating up later this week.  We've had a tiny bit of a reprieve these last two weeks with temps in the 80's and 90's but by Saturday it's supposed to top 100 again.  

One last walk at the Desert Botanical Garden so I can admire the beauty of the desert.  Above is an ocotillo bloom that looked especially nice against a blue sky.

To the left is a patch of prickly pear cacti surrounding a tall cactus.

In this photo we have three nicely shaped agave plants tucked into a patch greenery.  The desert has its own way of surviving the heat.

Memorial Day!

 

I saw this piece of art in the window of a gallery that was closed at the time.  It appears to be a combination of paint and scraps of wood.  Shadows are clouding the image but you can still tell that it has a certain patriotic theme going on.  I thought it would be a perfect image for Memorial Day.  After all, all things political and patriotic are a bit of a jumble these days here in the U S of A.  What's right and what's wrong have been twisted into a knot.  Here's hoping we can untie that knot in future days.

The Dog and The Rose

 

My friend Glenda was dog-sitting for her neighbors two weeks ago so when I visited her I got to spend some time with Pepper, this friendly little pup.  

Behind Pepper are my friend's three Desert Rose plants.  I mentioned a few weeks ago that she was feeling bad that none of her desert rose plants had bloomed yet.

Well, it finally happened!  She got one tiny pink bloom on this  plant just this last week and you can see a bud for one more.  

Her patience paid off!  Maybe it will encourage the other two plants to start producing blooms.

"Phoenix" and "Le Saxiphoniste"

 

When I was at the Musical Instrument Museum last Wednesday, I took the opportunity to get a photo of this sculpture simply called "Phoenix".  The artist is Louis Halleux.  It's a stylized Phoenix Bird turned into a musical instrument.   I remembered seeing it from a distance way back in 2009 when I first visited the museum.

I also found another interesting sculpture called "Le Saxiphoniste".  This one is the work of Jean Claude Lecouflet.  I found it in a small, enclosed garden near the Music Theatre.  

Mid-Week Concert

 

I did something a little different Wednesday morning.  I drove out to north Phoenix to attend a concert at the Musical Instrument Museum.  It was the Phoenix Symphony chamber musicians playing a selection of pieces by American composers.  I need to do this more often because the auditorium at the MIM is a perfect setting for smaller concerts.  As you can see, the seats are tiered with each level a lot higher than the next.  Being on the short side, I appreciate getting a better view over the heads of others.

I hadn't been to this museum in a long time so it was nice to familiarize myself to its setting and architecture.  It's an attractive building, inside and out.

Happy Sighting

 

I'm always happy to see cute little cactus wrens out and about.  They are such busy little birds and they aren't shy when a camera is pointed in their direction.  This one was happy to sit still and pose for me.  

Downtown Phoenix

 

I was in downtown Phoenix for the symphony last Saturday evening.  I happened to exit symphony hall on the opposite side of the building and I snapped these two photos along the way.  

To the left is that great sculpture that sits in the lobby of the convention center and just outside symphony hall.  I've featured this sculpture before.  It's by Louise Bourgeois and is called "Art is a Guaranty of Sanity".  

Above is a photo taken from across the street and you can see this sculpture through the windows.  To the left, right behind that vine covered wall is the little garden outside symphony hall where I took this photo earlier this year.

There are lots of patterns included in the architecture of the convention center.  It makes for great photo ops.  

Museum Employee Art

 

As I mentioned yesterday, here are three more employee art pieces that were on display at the Heard Museum.  

The one above is three individual round canvases painted by Sylvia Richardson a sales support specialist.  It's called "Messengers: Cicada, Butterfly & Dragonfly".  They were painted in acrylic paint.

To the left is a piece called "Airborne Worm Dance II" by Jay Payestewa - Daugherty who is a shop associate and buyer. This one is a mixed media piece.

This last one is painted by Rebeka Peshlakai who is the Institutional Giving Coordinator.  It's called "Hi Dad".  Her message said it was a painting of one of her dad's favorite fishing spots.  I particularly love the way she painted the clouds and cliffs in this one.  

I'm always impressed by the amount of talent that makes up our world.  

The Lecture Room

 

I took this photo in the room at the Heard Museum where the Artful Mornings lectures are held.  You can see the beaded bag and the soft sculpture I featured yesterday on the table.  About once a year, this room is filled with art works that are created by members of the Heard Museum staff.  You can see three of them behind the speaker.  

Here are two closer views.  The one above was painted by John Bulla (deputy director & COO) with help from Laura Beckman.  I know it looks like it might be composed of beads but it's actually acrylic paint.  That must have taken hours and hours of work. It's called "Baxter Jax - Sun Dog".  

I really like the one to the left also.  It was painted by Nolan Lightfoot (security officer) and it's called "The Hunt".  If you look closely in the bottom left corner, you will see a figure in a red shirt among all that yellow.  It made me think of someone making his way among a forest of aspen trees.  

I'll show you a couple more tomorrow.  

Artful Morning

 

Yesterday morning, I was at the Heard Museum for another Artful Morning lecture.  This time it was about artist Jamie Okuma.

Ms. Okuma has been working with beads since she was 4 years old and her artistic career has evolved into fashion and what is called 'soft sculpture'.  

She created the outfit and the beaded bag to the left.

Here is an example of a soft sculpture.  It also contains a lot of beaded work.

She created this beaded bag for the 2025 Heard Museum Indian Fair and Market.  The whole thing is carefully beaded.

Here's a view of the other side.  More beading this time in a pretty floral design.  

You can see more of her incredible work and designs here.  She has some beautiful designs for both men and women.  

Tall Eucalyptus Tree

 

There is a very tall eucalyptus tree located in the courtyard area of Biltmore Fashion Park.  It's been standing there since the beginning of the mall which was 1963.

Just recently, I notice a little plaque on the side of the tree.

On closer look, I discovered it was a memorial plaque to someone named Ruben Mendez. I tried to find out who this was but could find no link of someone named Ruben Mendez and Biltmore Fashion Park.

I might take a wild guess that he might have been a landscape gardener or grounds keeper.  

It's an interesting little memorial.  I have no idea when it was placed on the tree.

Dog Lover?

 

Something tells me that the owner of this Jeep is a dog lover.

What a cute spare tire cover!

All Lined Up

 

The last time I visited this spot at the Desert Botanical Garden, someone had taken everything off of this shelf.  I've mentioned before that I enjoy seeing how the shelf gets arranged with plants and water buckets throughout the year.  On my most recent visit to this spot, there were two plants on the wall along with a row of water bukets.

Someone did a careful job of lining up those buckets in a nice, neat row.  I look forward to my next visit to see how the line-up changes.

Fast Forward...

 

My new passport arrived last week and it prompted me to take a look at all my old passports.  As you can see, I now have 50 years worth.  If you want to get a "fast forward" look at yourself aging over the years, just take a look at the photos on all your passports.  It's a sobering experience.  

17 Years Ago

 

17 years ago I did several posts about a little enclave of homes built where a date farm used to exist.  The buildings at Palma Viva at one time belonged to the Phoenix Date and Citrus Company.  Some of the buildings housed workers while others were business offices.  Today, they have all been converted to homes. 

Last Sunday, I took another look around the place.  All those years later, it looks very much the same.

The place has remained well-kept and shaded by those very tall palm trees and the many old eucalyptus trees that dot the area.  

There is only one entrance into this enclave and that entrance is through a very narrow opening in a wall.  It's not a place you happen drive through.  You have to make the effort to find the entrance.  That gives this place a sort of isolated feel even though it's right in the heart of the city surrounded by busy streets.

Art Challenge Fun

 

My art challenge group met on Saturday night to reveal our creations based on the challenge "Ornamentation".  My mixed-media piece is above.  I used a photo I took of a unique looking twig on the ground and I trimmed the photo and placed it on a painted canvas so that it would look like a large piece of driftwood or tree branch.  Then I used some sparkle paint to add the "ornamentation." My original photo is to the left.

The architect in our group created tis homage to architecture using a little inset of different architectural styles and then mimicking the shapes, lines and curves in a sort of Calder-like collection.  I like it!

One of the joys of this little group of friends and artists is the variety of art pieces created.  Our group produced watercolors, silver work, creative jewelry, and ceramic tiles with beautiful designs.  Our get-togethers are always so much fun!

This was our 85th art challenge.  If you want to see more of the creations from the past, click the "art challenge club" label below.  

Shades of Purple

 

On my afternoon walk at the Desert Botanical Garden, I found some things blooming in shades of purple which happens to be a favorite color of mine. Above is an artichoke thistle showing off with its lavender blooms.

The blue potato bush was also sporting some purple blooms.  According to Google, this is also called a Paraguay Nightshade.

There were a lot of purple daisies scattered around the garden.

I hadn't seen any lemon beebalm in the garden for a number years so I was happy to see a few of them making an appearance.

Purple flowers always make me happy.

More Butterflies

 

There were more butterflies in the Desert Botanical Gardens butterfly pavilion besides all the malachites I posted yesterday.  There were quite a few white peacock butterflies playing among the greenery.

I only saw this one great southern white butterfly.

I did see only this one monarch butterfly in there too.  That was a bit of a surprise because we usually don't see any monarchs in the pavilion until the fall series.