Gone Fish'n

This little girl is taking advantage of the warm, sunny spring days to do a little fishing in the lake at Steele Indian School Park.

I love Spring!

The cactus are starting to bloom.  It's only going to get better from now until the end of May!

They're Back!

The butterflies are back at the Desert Botanical Garden!

The spring butterflies are so delicate!

Attention CDP bloggers:  To get information about City Daily Photos's theme day, use this temporary LINK.

Yellow Shade

Standing under this flowering tree in the shade of it's yellow glow, I noticed the web like patterns of the branches and thought they were quite picturesque.

Baja Fairy Duster

When I snapped this photo of the bloom on a Baja Fairy Duster plant, I had no idea that a bee had snuck into the frame.  It looks like it is hovering like a tiny helicopter over there in the corner.

More Mediterranean Style

I attended a meeting at the Montelucia Resort (I featured yesterday) and adjacent to the meeting room was this lovely little sitting area that I thought was extremely attractive and certainly in keeping with the Middle Eastern and Mediterranean decor throughout the place.

Out of view in the above photo is this doorway that leads in and out of this little sitting area.  Being in this room kind of makes you think you are in Morocco!

Kasbah

The Kasbah is one of the pool areas at the Montelucia Resort and Spa on the border of Phoenix and Paradise Valley.  The whole resort has a Mediterranean feel to it so they tend to use some exotic names to describe the features.  If you click on the link above, you will see a gorgeous photo taken overlooking this pool with the head of Camelback Mountain in the background to frame it.

The patio bar right next to the pool area certainly has a Middle Eastern look to it!  I've heard from some that  this resort has a fabulous spa.  I may have to treat myself one of these days.

Wildflowers

Wildflowers are showing up everywhere and the rain we had last Sunday has been a big help!

Hello Kitty

It's a Hello Kitty car!

Desert Beauty

One more shot from stormy Sunday.  This yucca was perfectly placed to line up with the Chihuly sculpture.

Desert Storms

I mentioned on Monday that we had a day of stormy weather last Sunday and yesterday I featured some geese posing for me at Papago Park.  The reason I went to Papago Part was to see if I could get a photo or two of the clouds that were swirling overhead.  This one turned out pretty good.  All day long, the sky was constantly changing with dark clouds followed by white clouds and then more dark clouds.  It was fun to watch!

Why did the geese cross the road?

These fellows were just strolling across the road when I drove through Papago Park on Sunday.  I stopped my car and they stopped to look at me.   So, I took their picture.  After that they moved on so I'm thinking they recognized me and wanted to be featured on Phoenix Daily Photo!

Rainbow

Sunday in Phoenix saw a huge change in weather patterns.  We went from over 80 (26C) degrees to 48 (9C) degrees overnight when a winter storm moved into the valley.  The folks in the mountains got hit even harder with lots and lots of snow.  Late in the afternoon when I stopped at a friend's house I was met with this beautiful rainbow.  Sorry about all the power lines and poles.   There was no other way to capture the moment.

Ready to Celebrate

Yesterday afternoon I was driving toward home when I spotted this fellow standing at a bus stop.  I made a u-turn and went back to take the photo.  What a splendidly handsome fellow! He said he was on his way to the big celebration at Rosie McCaffrey's Irish Pub.  Now here is the embarrassing part.  Even though we introduced ourselves, by the time I arrived at my house, I realized that I had forgotten his name.  Shame on me!  Even though I can't share his name with you, I can truly say that he was the highlight of my St. Patricks Day.

Lunch Time Challenge #5

For lunch on Friday, I took a walk among the tall buildings located at 24th Street and Camelback Road.  I found hidden gardens that you never see from the street and green courtyards between the buildings.  This building even has greenery on the roof top.

I got the added bonus of peeking inside the elegant lobby for this building.

So, this is the last in my lunch time series but, I enjoyed it so much, I'm sure I'll be taking more lunch time photos along the way.

Lunch Time Challenge #4

Lunch on Thursday was a special treat.  My friend and I went to Lon's at the Hermosa Inn which is very close to my office and yet I hadn't been there in ages.  We sat on this wonderful patio and enjoyed a fantastic meal while surrounded by the most gorgeous garden I've seen in a long time.

Just look at all those flowers.  They created a riot of color around the grounds.

I'll have to treat myself to a lunch like that more often.

Lunch Time Challenge #3

At lunch time on Wednesday, I headed to a quieter part of town and ended up passing the Paradise Valley Town Hall Complex.  I saw some art work on the grounds so I pulled in to check it out and I am glad I did.  I found this fabulous statue called "Bear Tracks" by Dave McGary.  What a gorgeous statue with so many great details right down the the beaded moccasins on his feet.

The back of the cape also had some wonderful details.  I'm really glad I found this one!

Tomorrow I'm having lunch with a friend so we'll see what I can find to photograph then.

Lunch Time Challenge #2

I drove over to the food court at the Scottsdale Fashion Square Shopping Center for lunch on Tuesday and noticed that this lady and her child are still sitting here by the fountain.  This bronze sculpture has been at the base of the escalators for many years now and it makes a pleasant piece of art work for a mall location.  There is no plaque or sign to tell me who created it though.

The food court at the mall gets quite busy at lunch time.  I'll find a quieter place for tomorrows lunch adventure.

Lunch Time Challenge #1

I'm giving myself a little challenge for this week.  The weather is so nice right now I think should get out of the office for lunch this week and I've challenged myself to take a blog photo at lunch every day this week.  Above is Monday's picture.  Not very far from my office, I spotted this statue in someone's yard.

It is formed from a variety of salvaged pieces of metal and items that have been discarded.  There was a signature on the piece that looks like it says Carla Cola 09 however, I can't find any information to confirm that name.

I can't wait to see what I find tomorrow.

Yucca

The Yucca are blooming!

Dome

Back in June, I posted a photo of a church being built with a huge dome on the top.  You can see it here.  The dome is now covered with this shiny material making it really stand out for miles away.  It is located very near interstate 10 running through the heart of Phoenix so anyone traveling on that highway can't help but see it.

So for yesterday's post, I took the above photo and worked a little magic with it to create that chrome and black sky look.

Starship?

It looks as though a giant starship has landed in Phoenix. 

Tomorrow I'll explain!

Opening Day....

This weekend, the Tovrea Castle opens to the public for tours.  This morning a few of us took the Mayor of Phoenix there to see the displays and learn how our tours are going to work.  On Saturday and Sunday, I'll be playing the role of tour guide for the scheduled tours.

A lot of hard work went into getting this ready for the public and the big day has finally arrived.  If you live in the Phoenix area, you can schedule a tour by clicking here.

Mid-town Phoenix

A view of the high-rise office buildings along Central Avenue in the mid-town business area of Phoenix.  This is my neighborhood and I love seeing those buildings from my back yard.  I said they were all office buildings but, I must correct myself.  That one way down on the end is the One Lexington condo building that I've featured on this site many times before.

Another colorful room

Here is another one of the colorfully painted rooms at the old motel I've featured on Sunday and Monday.  When I was just a little kid, I'm sure I stayed in places that looked much like this on the many travels with my parents and sisters.  My dad planned a road trip every summer when we were all little.  The family had visited all 48 states (not Alaska or Hawaii) by the time we were all in high school.  I can't tell you how much I enjoyed those trips!  It was my summer adventure.

Wicked!

I went to see "Wicked" for the third time last Sunday afternoon and I noticed that many of the members of the audience really got into the spirit of the play.  One whole family was dressed as characters from "The Wizard  of Oz" and there were many ladies with striped stockings walking about.  It is one of my favorite musicals but, I must admit I've never felt the urge to mimic the characters from the play.

A sign for weary travelers

This is the sign that stands in front of the motel I featured yesterday.  A welcoming sign to lure in the traveler who needs a good nights rest.  I can tell that someone has been maintaining this property.  You can see in the lower right of the sign where graffiti has been covered up.

The Old Highway

There are many places in Phoenix where the old highways used to pass where you can find old abandoned motels that are no longer in business.  I found this place on east Van Buren and it is one of the better maintained places I've seen.  It almost looks as though someone is using it for storage but, I know for sure it's no longer a motel.  I'll show you more photos from here in the future.  It's an interesting spot.

Just Passing...

....Overhead

Nectar

Taking a sip of nectar from the agave blooms!

Theme Day: Electricity

It takes a lot of strange looking contraptions to transform electricity into something we can use.

Once it gets to our homes, all we have to do is flick a switch.

I found this interesting switch at a local restaurant.  I love the one that does "Nothing".