High Tea

So I didn't have high tea in London while I was there, I waited until I returned to Phoenix and had high tea with friends at the Phoenician Resort in Phoenix.  It's believed to be the best high tea in the area.  I haven't tried them all but it certainly is a great one with finger sandwiches, scones and then an array of sweet treats all with tea and champagne.  It was a lovely pre-Thanksgiving treat.

A London Adventure, Part 5

At the end of our day of touring London in a brand new Mini Cooper, Mo dropped me at St. Pancras station, that gorgeously restored train station that now houses the Eurostar train to European destinations.  But, we didn't part for long.

I found us a booth at the world's longest champagne bar and Mo joined me after returning the car, for a celebratory glass of bubbly.

We sipped our sparkling beverage and reviewed all the fun we had on our Mini adventure.  All the while, the Eurostar train sitting right next to us was humming away as it warmed up for yet another mad dash through the chunnel.

This concludes my little London Adventure series.  I think you'll agree that Mo was the perfect tour guide. I'm so grateful to her for including me on this perfect adventure.  Thanks again Mo!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I'll return to my London Adventure series tomorrow.  Today we celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday here in the United States.  Some thirteen years ago, I celebrated Thanksgiving in London when I took my dad there for quick trip.  He had never been to Europe before so it was a whole new experience for him and I certainly enjoyed watching him study some of the little details that I would have overlooked.  It was fun!

Posting the series of my most recent trip to London and then posting a Thanksgiving post, made me recall this trip and how much fun we had.

I found this photo of dad in front of a particularly colorful pub we walked past.  I remember dad stopping to look at this place and then asking me to take his picture there.

I hope all of you have some good memories to share today!

A London Adventure, Part 4

Continuing my London Adventure with Mo, the author of the Fresh Eyes on London blog, we stopped for lunch at the brand new restaurant of the Serpentine Gallery in Hyde Park.  Not only was there a car park readily available, but we were fortunate to try the beautiful and modern museum restaurant called The Magazine.

The food was so beautifully presented and tasted so good that I completely forgot to take any photos until the dessert arrived.  The presentation for this artistic and I might add tasty interpretation of creme brûlée was as dramatic as any modern art painting we would have seen in the gallery itself.

After lunch, it was nearing time to return the car but we had time to make one last stop in Regents Park.  Over all my London visits, I had never been to Regents Park before so it was a particular treat for me to see this beautiful place.  Even with the fall season winding down, the park was still a colorful place to take a walk on the many paths.  I even got to see the BT Tower peeking out between the trees. This series will continue on Friday.

A London Adventure, Part 3

Next on our adventure agenda was a visit to the Albert Memorial.  We found a convenient place to park the little Mini right in front of Royal Albert Hall.

From our parking spot, it was just a short walk across the street to admire this wonderful tribute to Queen Victoria's love for her late husband Prince Albert.

While we were there, we took a moment to admire the fall tinted trees of Hyde Park.  At this point in time, our stomachs were telling us it was time for lunch so off we went in search of an appropriate lunch spot.

A London Adventure, Part 2

As we continued our drive past the famous London sites, we made a quick stop along the Victoria Embankment to snap a shot of the fun London Eye sitting across the river.

We then drove toward Trafalgar Square with a great view of Nelson's column right in front of us.

Then a quick turn up The Mall toward Buckingham Palace.  Lunch with the Queen was not in the cards, but Mo did have a surprise up her sleeve.   As we waited in the line of traffic, the changing of the guards parade marched right past our car.

How is that for perfect timing?

A London Adventure, Part 1

If you follow Mo's wonderful London blog called "Fresh Eyes on London", you saw her posts about a recent adventure driving a wonderful little Mini convertible around London to show an American blogger the sights.  Well that American blogger was me and that day was more than just a touring adventure, it was a sheer joy!  Mo was a wonderful tour guide and more than that, became a friend.  We started our day stopping at one of London's hidden jewels, St. Bartholomew Church.  As Mo pointed out in her post, this church dates back to 1123, a date that boggles the mind of this American.

After picking up our gorgeous car pictured above, we started our tour of famous London sites with a stop at St. Paul's Cathedral.  I must admit, I felt a bit like royalty driving up to this famous place and parking right in front so we could get out and snap a few photos.

After our quick visit to St. Paul's, we crossed the Thames and turned around to cross it again over the most famous bridge in the world, Tower Bridge.  I took the above shot right out the windshield of our little car.

As we crossed the bridge, I was able to shoot a few shots out the window of the fast changing skyline of the London financial district.  That building on the left is the one formerly called the Walkie Talkie building because of its shape but now being called the Walkie Scorchie building because of its reflective powers, scorching carpets and melting car parts.  Mo told me that the black shade you see on the side is there to stop the reflection problem while they figure out what to do about the problem.  The tall building in the middle is nick-named the Cheese Grater because of it's unique slanted shape and of course on the far right is The Gherkin.  Don't you just love the names that have been given to these buildings?

Tomorrow, I'll continue with more of our Mini Adventure.

A London Adventure

As most of you know, I spent a week in London earlier this month.  During that visit, I had the pleasure of meeting Mo, the author and photographer of the wonderful Fresh Eyes on London blog.  I have followed her blog for years and always enjoy seeing London through her eyes.  When Mo found out I was coming to London, she invited me to join her on an adventure.  She was being give the use of a new Mini Cooper convertible for a day so that she could blog about it and I was going to get to join her on this little adventure.

For the next few days, I'm going post more about our wonderful adventure in the fun little car.  Isn't it cute?  Makes me want one for right here in Arizona (with the steering wheel on the other side, of course.)

Pink and Lavender

As you can see from this photo, the set up for this display was not quite complete.  The plants here are still in their green house pots.  I think this one will be quite pretty with all that lavender and pink leading the way.  They are not normal desert colors but the lavender plant does very well here so I'm going to imagine a lovely lavender field and the wonderful scent that goes with it.

Glass among the Grass

Actually, I think those are cat-tails and reeds, not grass but that didn't rhyme so I took a little license.  I think I've shown photos of this little watering hole at the Desert Botanical Garden before but, not with a boat full of Chihuly glass floating on it.  I wonder what the frogs and toads think of this colorful display now floating in their playground.

Colorful Glass Balls

Another Chihuly installation is this cluster of colorful glass balls.  Taking photos of this one was fun.  I took shots from every angle and took a lot of close ups of some of those gorgeous balls.

I have a new post on Sharon's Sojourns today.  I'm featuring a warm and sunny beach!

Shades of Blue

This Chihuly sculpture is done in different shades of blue.  It makes me think of watching waves roll into the shore with dark blue in the distance and foamy white as it rolls up the shoreline.

More Chihuly

Here's another taste of the new Chihuly exhibit I got to preview.  These are at the entrance to the biggest section of the garden.

I got back from London late last night.  I'm sure I'll be more talkative tomorrow.

Floating umbrellas

Suspended above the party area were these colorful and stylish umbrellas.  I wish I could have gotten them all in one frame.  They were really very beautiful especially with that blue sky and sun shining through them.  Since the party was in the evening, I assume they were lighted from above after dark.

My Favorite

I think this was my favorite of all the "fashions" on display.  The lines and the colors of this one are beautiful.  I could see something like this on the red carpet.  What do you think?

I have a new post on Sharon's Sojourns today.  I'm visiting a historic hotel in California.

Take a sip

This cleverly constructed dress is made from straws; the kind you would find in your soda or milkshake.  I'm betting this took hours to make.

It's alive!

What a cute summer dress this is!  It's made from leaves and flowers with a leafy vine for a wrap.  Very pretty and very creative!

Paper Fashion

I like this one although wearing it as it's made would be a bit difficult.  It's made from small squares of paper rolled into cone shapes.  Now if that was made from lace we might have a sale.

Speaking of Rock Stars

This costume looks an awful lot like something Cher has worn during her lengthy career.  It's made from netting covered with ribbons and beads.

Rock Star

The last two fashion entries were on the demure side.  This one is definitely rock star material.  In fact, I know a young singer who just might wear something like this on stage.

Vintage Look

Here is another vintage look created from folded paper and ribbon.  Sitting in this dress might be a challenge.

I have a new post on Sharon's Sojourns today.  It's a favorite spot in Costa Rica.

Fashion through the ages

The theme of the event I told you about yesterday was "Fashion Through the Ages" and this example goes back a ways.  This one was made from petals of tissue paper.  It makes me think of Mary Poppins.  What do you think?

Red Dress

Last Saturday was the 50th Anniversary of Biltmore Fashion Park, the shopping center I frequent to the most because it is the closest to me.  They had a big celebration party that evening that I didn't attend but I was there in the afternoon and saw them setting up for the event.  They asked several artists to create fashions made of unusual materials for the event and there were some wonderful entries.  While I'm away, I'm going to show you some of the creations I was lucky enough to see.

Leaving on a jet plane

Look up in the sky, that might be me passing by.  I'm leaving today for a short trip but, I've got some posts to share with you while I'm gone.  I'll have my iPad and wifi where I'm staying but, I'm not sure how much time I'll have so if I don't comment in the next few days, just know I'm having a great time in London!

Careful Assembly

There were three workmen here carefully adding the 'arms' to this giant sculpture.  I would imagine that adding those pieces one by one takes quite a lot of patience and gentle handling.

I have a new post on Sharon's Sojourns today.  Today I visit the nation's capitol. 

Preview

I got a little preview of the Chihuly exhibit at the Desert Botanical Garden.  Most of the sculptures are up and ready to go with just a few left to be done.  The show officially opens on November 10th.  I was lucky to get a sneak preview.

Revolving Restaurant

The revolving restaurant  on top of the Hyatt Hotel in downtown Phoenix.  I've eaten there a few times.  The views are spectacular.  That restaurant has been revolving since 1976 when the building was completed.

Basketball Season has started

Basketball season started this week and I've already been to two games thanks to my close friend Janet. We went on Wednesday night and Friday night and were thrilled to see the Suns win both nights.  As you can see from the photo above, I was taken by Gerald Green's 'spiffy' shoes on Wednesday night.  When Janet saw me taking this shot she told me that she had read that a few members of the team are shoe collectors and that one of them has over 1,000 pairs of shoes at home and over 300 at the gym.  Wow, I thought I was shoe collector but, I have nothing to compare with those amounts.

The Suns also have newly designed uniforms this year.  My verdict is still out on these.  They didn't wow me these first two games.

I have a new post on Sharon's Sojourns today.  This time I've found a hidden treasure in the state of Missouri.

White Rose

After all the Halloween stuff I thought it might be nice to look at something pretty for a change.  I found this white rose bloom at the Desert Botanical Garden last week.  I'd never seen roses there before.  I think it might be something new.

Theme Day: Heights

For today's theme of heights, I decided to feature the tallest building in Phoenix.  The  40-story Chase Bank tower in downtown Phoenix has held that title since it was built in 1972.  That's a long time.  I'm surprised it hasn't been surpassed yet.

Click here to see how other City Daily Photo Bloggers have represented "Heights".