Impromptu Dinner

A week or so ago I met a friend for an impromptu dinner at a relatively new restaurant in Scottsdale called Fat Ox.  I hadn't heard much about the place so I didn't know what to expect.

I was pleasantly surprised.  The food was delicious and the service was exceptional.  We started with the Caesar salad for two which was prepared at our table.  It was one of the best Caesar's I've had.

We followed the salad with an appetizer of aged prosciutto and we shared an order of truffled pasta.  Everything was simply scrumptious.  I give this place a thumbs up!

Birds and Chatter

Last Sunday, I took an early morning walk at the Desert Botanical Garden and at one point, sat down in the Contemplation Garden to watch the birds.  There is a water feature here and the birds like to get a drink and take baths in the fountain.  It was so quiet and peaceful with the sound of water and the chirping of the birds and then.....

...three other people entered the garden and I heard one woman say "what a peaceful place to sit and listen to the water".   She then proceeded to never stop talking.  Not only could you not hear the water but, the birds were not likely to stop for a drink with all that talking going on.

I held my ground and stayed put until they finally left and the birds came back.

P.S. The birds are a white winged dove, a house finch and a Gambel's Quail.  Sorry I didn't add that earlier.   

Pure Luck

So there I was driving along on a busy thoroughfare when a guy on a motorcycle with a sidecar passes me as we roll to a stop at the traffic light.  Seated in the sidecar was a big shaggy dog.  I grabbed my camera and rolled down the window but, by the time I got the camera pointed out the window, the light changes and the traffic starts to move.  I snapped the shutter and thought, maybe I'll catch him at the next light.  However, that didn't happen.  The next two lights remained green and by the time I hit the next red light, he had already gone through.

I down loaded my one and only photo and started cropping it to so you could see the dog.  You see, the shaggy white dog was wearing eye goggles and I wanted to get a shot of it.

So, I cropped it some more and sure enough, now you can see the goggles on the dog.  What a sight it was.  People ahead of me were leaning out their windows with cell phones trying to snap a photo.  I really thought I had nothing at all but, with pure luck on my side and some heavy duty cropping, it's not too bad of a shot.

Memorial Day

Today is Memorial Day in the U.S., a day we celebrate the lives of our fallen soldiers.  I'm revisiting the Viet Nam Memorial located in the Wesley Bolin Plaza, the park that sits directly across the street from the Arizona State Capitol.  The name of this statue is "Fallen Warrior" and it is flanked by pillars on which the names of Arizona's sons who were lost in that war.

Historic Variety

I had these photos in my "historic neighborhoods" file and I thought they would show the variety of older homes that can be found in our oldest neighborhoods.  If it weren't for those palm trees, this one would look like it would fit in well in the midwest or east of the U.S.

While this one has a very fitting southwestern look to it.  It fits in well in Arizona or would look equally at home in California.

This one is the home of a friend of mine and I've always admired the way the front door is so beautifully framed.

I have a new post on Sharon's Sojourns today.  I'm showing the outdoor part of the Chihuly Garden and Glass.

Waiting Room

In the waiting room at my local diagnostic imaging facility.  I like a place that does a good job of making an unpleasant necessity tolerable!  Instead of a medical office feel, Solis has more of a spa feel.

Funky Footwear

It's time once again for one of my crazy shoe collections and this one above just about wins the prize for real craziness.  I saw it in a shop window while on my trip to Seattle.  Anybody interested in giving these a try?

If you are looking to be about three inches taller, you might be interested in this number.  I keep wondering how you can walk up stairs in a shoe like this.  I suppose it might be good exercise, lifting your leg high enough to clear the next step.

Do you see that skull print in the fabric on the bow?  Do you suppose that means these shoes are "killers"?

Here's a throwback to childhood.  Bunny slippers anyone?

Being a lover of shoes, I tend to peruse the shoe departments when I go shopping.  Seeing shoes like these always gives me something to chuckle about.

Configuration

I was walking along the top floor of Scottsdale Fashion Square mall when I spotted the seating arrangement on the floor below.  It struck me as a perfect configuration and shape.  From the floor below, it just looks like a place to sit.  From up above it takes on an artistic look.  I like it.

Big Mac Anyone?

I could hardly miss this new artwork at the Phoenix Art Museum called Big Big Mac by Tom Friedman.

It's made of styrofoam and paint and it juts out from the wall with it's sesame seed bun right in my face.  It looks pretty darn realistic, doesn't it?

The Fountain is Closed

I've always enjoyed seeing this fountain in the Scottsdale Civic Center Park but the last few times I'd been there, the fountain was turned off.  I wondered why.

This last weekend, I finally learned why such a pretty fountain had been turned off.  I hadn't realized that the fountain sits over the top of an underpass for a road and the fountain had started to leak, causing damage to the structure below.  The city is working on plans to renovate the whole park but, because work will not begin for about a year, this art piece has been added to make the dry fountain more interesting.  The piece is called Sun Lanterns by Eli Richard.  Apparently they contain solar cells and at twilight they light up and stay lit all night.  My next goal is to get there in the evening sometime soon so I can see them lit up.

The Girl with the Pink Hair

For the longest time I couldn't find any information about the artist who painted this mural on the side of Rebel Salon & Vintage on 7th Avenue.  Finally I found the artists name, Paul Pangle.  She seems perfect for a business with the word "rebel" in it's name.

Posted to Monday murals.

Flowers for the House

I had friends over for dinner at my house Friday night and I thought I'd pick up some flowers at the grocery store while I was shopping.  I was surprised to see orchid stems among the flowers for sale so I picked up a stem.  It added just the right touch.

The next morning I decided that I should photograph these beauties so I got out the black drop cloth and took a few shots.  Such pretty blooms.  I hope they last for several days!

I have a new post on Sharon's Sojourns today.  I'm visiting the stunningly beautiful Chihuly Garden and Glass.

Wings of Stone

Not long ago, I was wandering around my favorite nursery when I spotted this display with those fabulous stone wings hanging on the wall.  Those would certainly look good in someone's lush garden.

By the way, since I'm not gifted with the green thumb necessary to grow my own beautiful plants, I stop at the nursery every now and then and admire the beauty of all those lovely blooms that are much safer where they are than at my house.

Jacarandas

The Jacaranda trees are blooming around town right now.  I love the look of these trees.  I wish we had one street that was lined on both sides with these gorgeous trees so they would make a tunnel of purple this time of year.

Since we don't, I have to stop and photograph the ones I see.  In this spot, there were two next to each other so those purple branches overlapped each other.

Looking Up in Downtown Phoenix

When I'm in the heart of downtown Phoenix, everywhere I look up is another tall building.  This shot looks up toward the Hyatt Hotel with it's revolving restaurant on top.

In this direction I'm capturing the Phoenix City Hall building with the "crown" on the roof and the Wells Fargo office building next door to it.

Looming above the EoS Fitness building is another office building which is one of two matching towers.  There is a tiny sliver of another building in the upper right corner.

I love tall buildings so I enjoy looking up whenever or wherever I'm among them.

Weekend Trip to Seattle

Last weekend I flew to Seattle for a fabulous weekend in that city.  Of course I had to make a visit to the famous Pike Place Market.

The highlight of the trip was a visit to the Chihuly Garden and Glass center.  I think I became enthralled with Chihuly glass works when in 2009 the Desert Botanical Garden did the very first Chihuly exhibition in the garden.  I've always wanted to see his center in Seattle ever since it opened.  It was quite simply spectacular.

Since we were so close, a trip to the top of the Space Needle was also on the agenda.

The weekend was awesome.  The city has so much to offer and so much to eat!  The seafood was superb.

Sky Train

The Phoenix Sky Train has been in operation for about 3 years but it seems that every time I go to the airport, I forget to snap a photo of it.  I corrected that last Friday.  I was off on another weekend trip and this time I remembered to take a photo.  There is now a connection from our light rail to the airport but, I took this at the economy parking lot station.  The completion of this train and station makes parking at the economy lot so much easier.

Once you get to the airport, this colorful bridge leads directly into the airport.  Tomorrow I'll show you where I flew off to.

Scenes of Mexico

There are quite a few businesses along one stretch of McDowell Road that cater to the Hispanic clientele.  Many murals can be found in this area but sadly, most don't have a signature on them so trying to find the artist is a bit of a challenge.  This mural is on the side of a Mexican restaurant.  It's beautifully painted so I wish I could give the artist a little shout out for their colorful work.
Click the link for more Monday Murals.

Silly Goose

This silly goose has taken to hanging out in the parking lot of my complex.  I took this photo last Wednesday from the car window as I rolled by.  I asked what he was doing there but got no answer, just that blank stare.

I took this photo a few days before the one above.  I'm not sure what he finds so interesting about the parking lot.  After all, there is a lake and a nice green golf course just a block away where all his buddies tend to stay.  Maybe someone who lives here has been feeding him when they are out walking and he's followed them home.

I have a new post on Sharon's Sojourns today.  Fine art in the California Desert is the subject.

Mystery Sculpture

I've tried unsuccessfully to find out who created this sculpture that sits on the corner of the Cityscape Center in downtown Phoenix.  It's a big swirl of steel pipe.  There is no artist name displayed by it and I've checked the City of Phoenix public arts website with no luck.  So, I guess I can't give the artist credit for it.

I think it's kind of eye catching but, I bet not many people even notice it.

Hummer

I love it when I get a decent shot of those tiny and quick little hummingbirds.  This one was enjoying the blooms on a Baja Fairy Duster plant.  His tiny wings were beating so fast that you can hardly see them.

Southwestern Home

I saw this house when I was driving north on Scottsdale Road and I thought that entrance was pretty nice so I turned back to get a photo.  I saw a road running next to the house that I thought would be a perfect place to park the car so I could get out and take the photo.  I turned onto the road only to find that it was really part of the home's driveway so there I was sitting right in their circular drive.  Did that stop me?  No, I got out and snapped the shot anyway and then quick as I could, I got out of there.

Automotive Adornments

People are always adding little decorative items to their cars to make them look happy or fierce or sometimes to make a statement.  I found that I had collected quite an assortment of just such adornments to share with you.  The car above falls into that "happy" category.  That's quite the jolly face painted on the tire cover.

With this one, the adornment was whole lot more subtle.  Someone has painted the top of a face peeking out on the bumper of this car.  I wondered if the owner even knew it was there.

Here's a truck that I think falls into the "fierce" category.  The added image of the storm trooper I think is to say that this white truck is as tough as a "Star Wars" character.  And, look at the license plate....ewwww.

This car appears to be proud to be from Kansas, the land of beautiful girls.  Hmmm....is that all they could think of to describe their state?

And, this car is simply X-Rated.