Office in a Historic Neighborhood

I recently discovered this interesting office building located in the heart of a historic neighborhood in Central Phoenix.  It houses a Law firm specializing in personal injury and medical malpractice.  I wonder who gets that round office.

It's actually two buildings joined in the center by this lovely covered walkway.  The buildings fit into the neighborhood perfectly.

California Dreamin'

I just returned from a fabulous long weekend in California so I thought I'd sneak in one shot of the beautiful Pacific Ocean.  This is one of many amazing views from a park in Laguna Beach.  Ahhhh....it was a great break from the desert heat.

Wrigley Manison

The Wrigley Mansion sits atop a 100 foot (30m) knoll with spectacular views of the city and the mountains.  It was built by the chewing-gum magnate, William Wrigley Jr. between 1929 and 1931 and  was the smallest of many homes owned by Wrigley.  At 16,000 square feet (1500m), just imagine how big those other home must be.  These days, the mansion is now the Wrigley Mansion Club a restaurant, bar, and party facility.  If you would like to see what the inside looks like, check out their website.  There is a great video showing the inside rooms and talking about the great food served here.  I've had the brunch and it truly is a feast for the eyes and the palate.

Another Midcentury Marvel

About a year ago, I told you about a book I had called "Midcentury Marvels" about commercial architecture of Phoenix between 1945 and 1975.  I posted my favorite 'marvel' here, a bank building that was one of many bank buildings inspired by Walter Bimson, the visionary President of the Valley National Bank.  The bank has of course, been gobbled up by bigger banks but many of those original branch buildings still remain.  This is one of them.

The architects were Fred Weaver and Dick Drover and they used stone and glass to create a building that blends well with the outdoors.

The geometric patterns of the columns on this walkway are reminiscent of Frank Lloyd Wright.  The book states that this covered walkway was designed to "give patrons the intended transition from the bustling city to a tranquil and secure bank setting."

It's not a bank building any longer.  The last I checked, a design firm was using the building.

Oh what a tangled web.....

This tangled cactus that is wrapping itself around this tree is a species of the Harrisia variety of cactus.  When this cactus blooms, it has huge white flowers that pop out of those skinny arms.

Chili Cheese Bread

Last Sunday I told you I had gone to the Farmers Market.  This is one of many reasons why I go.  There is a couple there who have a business called the Arizona Bread Company and they make the most interesting and tasty breads.  The chili cheese bread is a favorite of mine.  It makes fantastic sandwiches and is equally good just as toast.

RED

There was a rather ugly block building located in an industrial area of town that recently found new tenants, an architectural design firm.  That ugly building is now a very stylish business facility.  I noticed that the entrance to the building was painted a brilliant red and this loan palm is decorating the area.  I like it!

Teaching a vine to climb

It looks like this vine is learning to climb this decorative frame.  It's going to be very pretty when all those wires are covered with green.

I'm away for a few days so I might not be able to comment regularly.  Hope you are having a great weekend.

Hiding

He thinks I can't see him!

Busy Bees

I noticed quite a few bees gathering around the blooms of one barrel cactus.  

These flowers must be especially sweet.

Waves of Red

The Desert Botanical Garden has been working in the Herb Garden lately and I see they've added this brilliant red netting to help shade the plant beds.

Ten to Nine

Since the unbelievably hot weather had eased up a little bit, I took the opportunity to take a much needed walk in my favorite walking spot, The Desert Botanical Garden.  I took this shot of the giant sundial and noticed that the shadow was almost touching the number nine.  I looked at my watch and sure enough, it was ten to nine.  That's a pretty darn accurate sundial.

Creating art...

Saturday morning I went to the Farmers Market and while there took I photo of some beautiful flowers in vibrant colors.  When I loaded the photos on my computer, I was so disappointed that the photo wasn't focused properly.  I was about to hit the delete button when it occurred to me that I might be able to manipulate it into something much better than the original.  Here is the result.  Well, it's one of many results actually.  I had so much fun manipulating this photo that I ended up with 15 different versions of it!  It was hard picking one to show you.  A bad photo is saved by technology.  There's a story in there somewhere.

Bio-Mythic Mask

The recent Arizona heat has made me a little short on photos so I decided to see what I had in the archives that hadn't been posted.  We had a little bit of a weather reprieve the last two days so I'm hoping I can get out and get some new shots this weekend. 
Back in December of 2010, there was a display of these fantastic Bio-Mythic Masks at the Desert Botanical Garden.  I posted one of them here.  I decided this one was post-worthy too!  The artist who created the masks is Gwynn Popovac and you can see more of her work by clicking here.  Her work is not limited to masks.

New Neighborhood Restaurant

Wednesday evening I had dinner at a new restaurant that just opened in my neighborhood.  It's called Sochu House and it serves what they call "Neo Asian" food.  You can order small bites "tapas" style or entrees.  As you can see from the photo I snapped, it's a very hip place.

The decor was modern minimalist but I must admit, I really liked the line of chandeliers across the dining room.

I'll be back again and bring a few friends to try more of those "tapas" plates.

Forum

I was invited to attend an American Action Forum about the "U.S. Housing Recovery, Lessons from Arizona" Wednesday afternoon.  It was very interesting and ended with a short keynote address by Senator John McCain.  While I was sitting there listening, I suddenly thought "wow this might make a good Phoenix Daily Photo" so I whipped out my iPhone and snapped a shot of the senator as he spoke.  So here you have the senior senator from Arizona and figure most likely very well known to all Americans, Senator John McCain.

Notice how I gracefully stayed out of any political references at all?  The event was very non-partisan so I decided to keep it that way.

Cool Green

Just outside the entrance to a small shop in central Phoenix.

The glow of sunset

The glow of the evening sun was lighting up the Phoenix Financial Center building a few nights ago so I stopped to see if I could capture it.  This building is curved in a "C" shape so it's not always easy to capture especially from this side with the stripes created by those brassy beams.

I posted photos of this building way back in 2008.  You can see those photos here and here.

Lilies

How about some beautiful lilies to start off this work week?

Grand Fountain

A two day work meeting last Thursday and Friday took me to the Arizona Grand Resort on the Southern edge of Phoenix where I was greeted by this rather grand fountain located in the center of the resort complex.

At night it's beautifully lit so you can't miss it.

Another downtown home

Here is another home a lot like the one I posted last Sunday.  This one is also in a downtown location a good distance from the other one like it.

The look...

This fellow seemed somewhat unsure about having his picture taken.  He does appear to be cautioning me with his eyes.  This is another sculpture I found along Main Street in Scottsdale. I couldn't find an artists name.

Here is how the whole sculpture looks.

Giant Head

This rather large sculpture is located in front of the Gebert Contemporary Art Gallery in Scottsdale.  It is quite striking.  I photographed it from various angles and even used one of the shots I took in one of my art pieces for my "Art Challenge" group.

In focus...Out of focus

These two butterflies were sitting on the same plant in different locations.  Since I was using a telephoto lens, I could only get one in focus at a time.  I think it makes and interesting shot this way.

View revisited...

Back in 2010 I posted a photo of this lot with construction starting on this house.  Last week I took another drive up on the north side of Camelback Mountain and found the same house completed.  Click on the link to see the original post.

New Mural

I discovered a new mural in downtown Phoenix.  This building is going through some renovations right now but, I'm guessing it might be a future gallery.  It's just a guess based on the lovely mural and that tree sculpture that wraps around from the front.

 Here's a better view.  The above mural is painted over another one the I feature on a theme day back on
June 1 of 2010.

More Traditional

Just one block away from the colorful condos I posted yesterday is this much more traditional house.  I like this one a lot.

Colorful Condos

Last weekend I found these colorful condo under construction in downtown Phoenix.  It's an interesting design.  I'll have to see if I can get a look inside when they are done.

Cactus and Art

\

These clusters of cactus are fun to photograph....

And manipulate.....

And turn into little works of art!

Big Puffy Clouds

Sunday afternoon I was out running errands when I noticed these huge clouds building up in the east.  Since I was close to the Biltmore Fashion Park shopping center, I pulled in and went to the top of the parking structure to snap a few pictures.  Here's two for your enjoyment.

Theme Day: Numbers

Long before "Numbers" became a theme day challenge, I started collecting photos of the various ways address numbers were displayed on buildings.  I found it interesting how creatively people could make the numbers of their address look.  So, when I learned the theme for August, I was prepared with my folder full of numbers.  Here is a sampling of the numbers I've collected.

To see more representations of numbers, click here!