HAPPY NEW YEAR

It's New Years Eve party time! Everyone have a safe and fun filled holiday and a fabulous New Year.

Watercarrier

Time for another Allan Houser sculpture from the exhibit at the Desert Botanical Garden. This one is called "Watercarrier".

New Sikh Community Center

At the northern edge of Phoenix stands this beautiful new Sikh Community Center, tucked right at the base of one of our urban mountains. I spotted it from a freeway one day and knew I had to go back to take pictures. Enlarge it for a better view.

Midtown View

Here is a view of the midtown area of Phoenix taken from an office window. You can see several buildings that I have feature in the past. The 3300 Building is in the glass building in the center and the Phoenix Fiancial building is that curved building that looks like it has no windows. This view is looking north along Central Avenue.

More Fall Colors

This is a rare sight in the Phoenix area. We don't often see leaves that turn red. They usaually turn yellow and then fall to the ground. I took this and yesterday's photos about a week ago. Since then, we've had a rain storm with a lot of wind. When I pass this tree now, it's almost bare.

Fall colors

A week ago I started noticing that a lot of trees were finally diplaying their fall colors in the Phoenix area. Here is one brilliant example.

Merry Christmas!

To all my readers who celebrate Christmas, have a very merry and fun filled day! A special note to my sister Judy, Happy Birthday!

Santa is Coming

You had better be good!! Taken in the depths of my Christmas Tree!

More Shopping

Holiday shopping, American style; in the ubiquitous shopping mall.

Phoenix Shopping

Holiday shopping, Phoenix style! A special note to my sister in Missouri, Happy Birthday!

Dialogue

Here is another sculpture form the Allan Houser exhibit at the Desert Botanical Gardens. This one is called "Dialogue".

New Mosque

It's a new mosque under construction in north Phoenix. As you can see from the construction materials in the foreground, it's not quite ready to open.

New Construction

There is a new building under construction and I like the lines and patterns. Tomorrow I'll show you the whole building.

Sorry for the late post today. I have been having some cable modem issues lately.

Spirit of the Mountain

It's time for another Allan Houser sculpture from the new exhibit at the Desert Botanical Garden. This one is called Spirit of the Mountain. I took the top photo the night I was there for the Luminarias event.

The small photo shows a daytime view!

Amaryllis

Every time I see one of these flowers or hear its name, I think of the movie "The Music Man" and Amaryllis, that little piano student who was Winthrop's nemesis. "Amaryllith, Amaryllith." Poor Winthrop, he had such a hard time with that name! Ron Howard has come a long way since that movie was made, hasn't he?

This beautiful plant is blooming in the office window of a work colleague.

Christmas Dragon

I don't believe I've ever heard of a Christmas Dragon, but here you see one and his reflection in a backyard swimming pool!

Real London Bus.com

Yes, I'm still in Phoenix. Last Friday night I joined friends for a tour of holiday lights on a real London bus. It was fun riding on top and seeing all the light displays as we drove by. It seems some chaps have purchased an old London bus and started a business driving it around for parties and other occasions. Check out their web site for more information.

Tis the Season

This beautifully decorated hallway was the first thing I saw as I entered the hotel. In fact, those are the doors at the end of this view of the hall. The Ritz Carlton has done a wonderful job of decorating their elegant hotel.

The small photo was taken in the wing of the hotel where the meeting rooms are located. It was certainly a beautiful place to hold a December meeting and a holiday party.

Christmas at the Ritz

Last Thursday I attended a meeting followed by a holiday party at the Ritz Carlton Hotel and I was enamored by their beautiful holiday decorations. This is the hotel lobby with the big tree in the center and the holiday trim all covered with twinkling lights.

As you might have guessed, this is where I spotted yesterday's chandelier. It wasn't difficult to find, there were at least a dozen of them scattered throughout the hotel.

Come back tomorrow and I'll show you the view that stopped me in my tracks and made me grab my camera.

Special note to my dear friend: Happy Birthday David!

Chandelier

There is nothing quite like a lovely crystal chandelier to make one feel elegant.

I'll tell you more about where I found this beauty in the next day or so.

Bee at Work

I love it when I see one of those wonderful little bees doing their very important work. You go Bee! Have a great weekend everyone!

Desert Oasis

My readers must think that I spend all of my free time at the Desert Botanical Garden because I feature so many photos from that location. I find the garden to be a peaceful place to walk and think, but the main reason I have such an abundance of photos from there is the many varied events that take place there every year. There is quite literally something there for everyone and during every season. There are concerts, lecture series, art exhibits, and seasonal festivals and parties. Combine all of that with the beautiful surroundings and the rich plant life and you might be able see why I'm drawn to such a place. Today I feature a photo from the Desert Oasis area of the garden. It is a desert water hole that might appear in the the rugged desert of the American southwest. I featured this area last April when the Chihuly exhibit was in full swing. I even added a photo of a frog that was sitting on the edge of the water. Click to link to see it. If I knew someone who had just moved to the Phoenix area and was looking for something interesting to do, I'd recommend a membership to the Desert Botanical Garden. It would be one of the smartest investments they could make in thier new home.

Migration

Another abstract piece that I liked is called "Migration" and it is located in the heart of the yucca forest at the Desert Botanical Garden.

Cerrillos

This sculpture is firmly implanted in the abstract phase of Allan Houser's career as a sculptor. The piece is called Cerrillos. I'm not always a fan of abstract, but I do like this one.

When I was at the garden last Friday night for the luminarias event, I photographed this sculpture using the floodlights on the piece and my flash.

Abstract Crown Dancer

Here is a another sculpture from the Allan Houser exhibit. This one is called "Abstract Crown Dancer". The name of the entire exhibit at the Desert Botanical Garden and at the Heard Museum is "Tradition to Abstraction" and it celebrates Allan Houser's work as it evolved from the more traditional pieces like "Homeward Bound" that I featured two days ago, to a gradual change into distinctly abstract sculpture. This piece combines a little of both worlds. Tomorrow I'll show you a piece that is truly abstract.

Las Noches de las Luminarias

Every year at the Desert Botanical Gardens there is an event called Las Noches de las Luminarias. The garden is open at night with twinkling lights on many of the trees and all of the paths lined with luminarias. Friday night I attended a members-only event with good friends and in spite of the cold, we managed to walk many of the beautifully illuminated pathways. I should probably put that comment about cold in perspective. It was around 42 degrees (5C), not terribly cold by some standards, but to us desert dwellers, it was bone chilling.

There were 10 musical groups performing throughout the gardens. The Dickens Carolers pictured above were one of the lucky ones in warm constumes. Some of the others were working hard to stay warm.

There was even an ice skating rink available. No, it wasn't cold enough for ice. They used some type of sythetic material. I think it worked pretty well judging from all of the skaters using it.

My favorite part is follwing the golden glow of the luminarias along all those familiar pathways.

Homeward Bound

Another sculpture from the Allan Houser exhibit at the Desert Botanical Gardens. This one is called "Homeward Bound" and depicts a young woman walking toward her home with her sheep and her little dog following behind. I love this one and I like the way they bridged it over a shallow arroyo. I still have more sculptures to show and I'll fit them in throughout the next few weeks.

Pomegranates

Lovely pomegranates right on the tree!

A little wind

While at the Desert Botanical Gardens on Sunday afternoon, a storm rolled in and the wind started to kick up. As I was leaving the garden, I spotted the flags flapping noisily in the wind through the opening in the shade canopy at the entrance. I thought it would make an interesting photograph.

Monarchs

Sunday was the last day for the Monarch Butterfly exhibit at the Desert Botanical Gardens and what a treat it turned out to be. The temperature stayed below 70 degrees making the butterflies seek the warmth of the sun. They all clustered on one tree decorating it like delicate, festive holiday ornaments. It was quite a sight to see. Click on the photo to enlarge it and get a better view.

I even got some great close up shots like this one, just because they were so still and quiet. They seemed to be posing for a portrait.

Theme Day - Waiting

Last winter, these two hummingbirds buzzed around me and hovered in front of my face as if to say "it's time to fill the feeder." As soon as I took the feeder inside, they perched themselves in a nearby tree and waited patiently for their nourishment.

Click here to see how others have used today's theme.

Central Towers again

The mostly glass office building that is located across the street from Central Towers has a courtyard with a very interesting water feature. There are little pools of water with the sculpted glass block walls that you see in the foreground of this photo. I bet there is some type of fountain effect working here, but I must admit I'm just guessing. I've never seen it working.

Central Towers

The Central Towers on Central Avenue in Phoenix are twin office towers. I guess by today's standards you couldn't really call them "towers" because they aren't really that tall. I tried to find when they were built but didn't have any luck. If I had to guess I'd say sometime in the 60's. Tomorrow I'll step back a few yards and show you the same view from the courtyard of the office building that is casting that reflection across the Central Towers sign.

The Old Man

This cactus is commonly know as "the old man" or "Mexican old man" because of the shaggy grey hairs that cover it. Its technical name is Chephalocereus Senilis. I kind of take offense at that "senilis" part of the name. A few grey hairs don't make us senile.

Cactus Wren

While I was enjoying the new sculptures at the Desert Botanical Garden, this little cactus wren landed on a plant just a few inches from me. He obligingly sat there while a snapped a few pictures. Wasn't that nice of him?

The cactus wren is the state bird of Arizona and it makes its nest in cactus so the Desert Botanical Garden is an ideal spot for it to make its home. Sometimes they nest in holes in the large saguaros and other times in the crook of the arms of saguaros, chollas or even yuccas. They eat mostly insects and they tend to forage on the ground under cactus and other plants. The cactus wren is a bit bolder than some birds which explains why this one seemed perfectly content sitting so close to me while I pointed a camera in its direction.

Happy Thanksgiving

Today is Thanksgiving in the United States and everyone will be gathering with friends and relatives to celebrate with a fabulous meal while giving thanks for our blessings. Last year on Thanksgiving, I went to the Grand Canyon with my sister Judy (Prescott Area Daily Photo) and her husband Chet for a wonderful meal at the El Tovar Lodge. You can see the table setting in the above photo.

I remember that day very well because it started to snow as we were driving toward the rim and the fog was so thick you could only see little slices of the canyon. The small photo is an example. I wonder if it will be snowing up there this year.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American readers! Have a joyful and delicious day.

Let it Bee

My morning at the Desert Botanical Garden wasn't just about the Allan Houser sculptures. There was plenty of nature to observe and enjoy. The bees were busy in the wildflower and herb garden buzzing from plant to plant.

Mountain Echoes

This sculpture by Allan Houser sits in the shadow of the giant Cardon Cactus and is called "Mountain Echoes".

The size of the cactus makes this sculpture look very small, but it is actually about 6 foot (2 meters) tall including the pedestal it is sitting on.

Warm Springs Apache Man

Another one of the sculptures by Allan Houser and on display at the Desert Botanical Garden was this one called "Warm Springs Apache Man". What a beautiful face basking in the warm Arizona sunshine. This exhibit is scheduled to run through May 30, 2010.

Though cast in bronze, his eyes still seemed to be full of expression.

Spirit of the Wind

The Allan Houser sculpture exhibit opened at the Desert Botanical Gardens on Saturday and I spent four hours there viewing the sculptures and enjoying the beautiful weather. Allan Houser is one of America's best known artists, known world-wide as a sculptor, painter, and teacher. His work can be found in museums and collections around the world. The above photo is of a sculpture called Spirit of the Wind and it was one that could be viewed from all directions with subtle changes at every angle.

I added the small photo to give you a different perspective.