The era of silent movies

On the way into Florence Arizona (see yesterday's post), I stopped at the Tom Mix memorial.  For those of you who don't know, Tom Mix was a star of numerous silent pictures depicting the old west.  Just to be clear, that was way before my time but I know my parents knew who he was.  Mix was killed in an auto accident on this site and this monument was placed here in his memory.  The memorial reads:

January 6, 1880 - October 12, 1940

In Memory of Tom Mix

Whose spirit left his body on this spot and whose characterization and portrayals in life served to better fix memories of the old west in the minds of living men.

Court House

On the drive home from Tucson, I took the road less traveled; a round about way that took me through the town of Florence Arizona.  Florence is the county seat of Pinal County and I wanted to take a page from the book of Kathy (Kathy goes a Ramblin') and photograph the beautiful old court house there. As luck would have it, the building is currently undergoing a restoration process so it was surrounded by temporary fencing that shielded the huge amount of construction materials and equipment inside.  I settled for a photo of the the beautiful cupola on the top of the building.

90 Years

While I was in Tucson I made a stop at my all-time favorite Mexican Restaurant, El Charro.  It's located in the historic barrio area so it was in the same area where I was photographing the houses I featured the past two days.  To my surprise, I happened to arrive on their 90th anniversary in business.  Imagine that, a restaurant that has been in business for 90 years!  And of course, everything was delicious.
I featured a photo from the front of this restaurant back in May.  You can see it here.

Cool Green

This very pleasant little patio was open and inviting a peek inside at the cool green wall inside.  This is another home in the historic barrio near downtown Tucson.  It's wonderful that so many people have lovingly restored some of these old places, many of which are constructed from adobe bricks.

On Guard Duty

While I was in Tucson, I visited my favorite part of town, the historical barrio area.  While I was photographing some of the colorful old homes there, my moves were being carefully followed by this attentive and watchful dog.

Every now and then he would let go a low little warning bark.  You know the kind that just sort of erupts through the cheeks making them puff out with each escape.  I thought he deserved his own portrait.

More of a good thing...

Here are two more photos from The Arizona Inn in Tucson Arizona.  As you can see, there is a very distinctive southwestern look the place.

The Inn was a very popular winter destination from the 1930's on.  Many guests would spend the entire winter here staying warm when there was snow on the ground at home.  In fact, to this day, the rooms have very large walk-in closets built to accommodate the large wardrobes of some it's famous guests.

Tucson Treasure

I was in Tucson last Friday for a work event and decided to make a weekend of it.  I stayed at the wonderful Arizona Inn, a full service resort that happens to be on the National Register of Historic places.  It also happens to be where my good friends Julie & Dave (Tamarindo Costa Rica Daily Photo & Scottsdale Daily Photo) were married.  In fact, I hadn't been back to the Inn since that beautiful wedding.

The Arizona Inn has been family owned and operated since it's creation in 1930 by Isabella Greenway, a formidable woman who also happened to be Arizona's first Congresswoman back when Arizona only had one House Representative.

The hotel is a stunning oasis in the heart of Tucson.  Every room is beautifully furnished while maintaining it's old world charm.  Check out their website and I'll bet you'll want to put it on your list of places to visit.

Bells, lots of bells

The bell tower on this Scottsdale church houses and abundance of bells.  I didn't hear them ring but, I bet they make a pretty sound.

The church is on a large campus with several buildings connected by a pleasant arched walkway.

Copper Palm Trees

This Scottsdale apartment complex is decorated with these metal palm trees.  Interesting in an area where real palm trees tend to thrive.

Stacked

Last week when I found that "glass house", I also saw this house built on the mountain side and stacked into several layers.  There are patios with grand views on every corner of this house.

Mexican Food

As you might guess, the Phoenix area has a plethora of Mexican Restaurants.  You can find just about any style, heat range, or price level in this culinary area.

This restaurant in Scottsdale has recently changed hands to new owners.  I haven't tried the new place yet but, online reviews appear to be praising the food and the margaritas.

The new place is called Dos Juevos Cantina.  I'll have to give it a try one of these days.

Flaming door

This is the entrance to the building I featured yesterday.  I couldn't find a name on the door or building telling me what business was located here.  I googled the address of the building and only two names came up, SubZero Freezer Co. and Suncor Development.  Judging from the flame pattern on the door, it fits the Suncor name better but, that name may have come up because they were the developers of this industrial building.  None of the truck bays had any activity on this side of the building so I'm not sure that anyone has moved in yet to this half of the building.  There was a little truck activity on the other side of the building so I'm guessing the SubZero business must be located on that side.

The building is huge and could easily accommodate several manufacturing operations.  If there is only one manufacturer in this building, they have a huge operation.

The location is in Goodyear Arizona on the far west side of the metropolitan area.

Patterns and Textures

The street side of this industrial complex has an interesting design with patterns and textures.

Tomorrow I'll show you a little more of this brand new building.

Streets lined with palm trees

Here is another photo from Litchfield Park.  The main street through the old city center is lined with palm trees and orange trees.

It makes very attractive roadways and sidewalks.

West Side

I took a long drive to the far west side of the valley on Saturday and found myself wandering around Litchfield Park.  I found this mission style church and thought it might make a perfect Sunday photo for the blog.

Glass Houses

I took a little lunch hour drive up the east side of Camelback Mountain last week and I found this house with a glass-walled living area.  I had to get a photo and share it with you.  I have a hard time keeping normal windows clean, I can't imagine what it takes to clean all that glass.

Here's a little closer view.

Pierre

This building started it's life as an apartment complex in 1961 but, after a major remodel in 2007 it has now been converted to condominiums.  At the height of the real estate boom, these condos were selling for around $300,000.  You can now pick one up for less than one third of that price. I like the 1960's look of this building.  For some reason this building makes me think of "Charlies Angels".  Anybody else get that vibe?

Juxtaposition

On the same property site that I featured yesterday is a tiny little building with this weather vane and cupola sitting on top.  I thought it made an interesting juxtaposition against the modern Tapestry Condominiums in the background.

Will it, or won't it?

This building located in mid-town Phoenix has been sitting vacant for quite a while.  There is a group who would like to turn it into a restaurant but, some neighbors are in favor of it and some are not.  Hearings are progressing so we'll have to wait and see how it turns out.  Personally, I'm in favor of the idea.  We could use some more interesting dining experiences in our neighborhood.

In need of attention

This window is in need of a good paint job!  Tomorrow I'll show you where I found it.

Rainy Day

The building where I work has a hidden and submerged courtyard and when it rains as it did last Friday, the water really runs off of the roof like a waterfall.  I shot the second photo through the waterfall down toward the umbrella of a table in the courtyard.

We only have three more weeks at this office location.  Our offices are moving to downtown Phoenix and we will be in an old brick building that has loads of character.  It will also be much closer to my home.  I'm going to really enjoy the shorter drive but, I'll miss seeing Camelback Mountain every day.

Grand View

I had to take a group photo for a work event last week at the McCormick Ranch Golf Course in Scottsdale so I took the opportunity to snap a few for myself too.  The golfers here have a great view.

Quiet Corner

A quiet corner at the Civic Center Mall in Scottsdale.

Metaphor

There's a metaphor for diversity in here somewhere.

Roofline

This might look like a grand cabin but, it's actually a business building located on a very busy street in Phoenix not far from where I live.  It used to house a financial services company but, I think it might be empty right now.  I've always thought this was a rather unusual design to be located in such a traditional part of town.  I framed the photo so that I'd just capture the triple roofline of the building.

Unexpected

I was just a few blocks from work last night when the skies opened up and it started to pour down rain. What an unexpected and welcome thunder storm!  I wish it had gone on for longer but, by the time I got home, it had stopped.  Rain showers in Arizona are very short lived.

Picnic among the olive trees

I finally made it to the Queen Creek Olive Company in Queen Creek Arizona.  I buy their olives and olive oils all the time and had never been to the source so last Saturday I took the long drive to see if I could find it.  One of the first things I noticed was this great picnic area among the olive trees.  Of course, on Saturday it was much too hot to sit outside for a picnic but, this winter I'm sure these tables will be filled with people enjoying some great food.

My goal was to check out the gourmet treats that are not always available in the grocery stores.  Here is a wall of flavored olive oils of all kinds.  My favorite is the Blood Orange Olive Oil.  It is delicious in salad dressings and extra good for cooking delicate fish.

I came home with three different tapenades, a loaf of olive bread, and a bottle of olives stuffed with smoked almonds.  Yum!

Temple

On Saturday I decided to take a drive to Queen Creek to visit the Queen Creek Olive Company, a trip that would take me over 80 miles without ever leaving the Phoenix metro area.  On the drive, I spotted this huge steeple in the distance and had no idea what it was so I took a little side trip to locate the source.  It turns out to be a brand new Mormon Temple in the city of Gilbert Arizona that is still under construction.  Since I rarely get into this area, I thought I'd better get a photo.  You never know, it might be 4 or 5 years before I get to this particular corner again.

The Band

In yesterday's post I did some people watching at The Vig, a restaurant and bar on the east side of Phoenix.  In between celebrity sightings, I took a few shots of the band to share with you.  The band is called "Elvis Before Noon" and they make great music.  They perform every Sunday between 3:00 and  6:00 PM.

Theme Day: People Watching

There is a great little restaurant/bar located on the east side of Phoenix called The Vig and it's a perfect place for people watching.  It is always packed with people and has a great band that plays on weekends.

On a Sunday afternoon, I joined some friends for a little happy hour refreshment and I started to notice that there were quite a few British celebrities in the crowd.

First I spotted the lovely Minnie Driver (above) laughing with a group seated at a table.

Then I saw Fergie in a lovely straw hat chatting with a handsome young man.  And, isn't that Denholm Elliot peeking over her shoulder?

But, when Sean Connery walked in, everyone gave him a hearty welcome.



Actually, none of these people are really who I've described but, aren't the resemblances amazing?  I thought there might have been some "theme" going on but, it was just sheer chance that I'd spot all these 'doppelgangers' in one place at one time.