Two Different Sides

I recently saw this pretty mural on the side of a building I used to frequent.  The mural is called "A Mexican Mural" by artist is Diego Perez.  The building used to house Aaron Brothers Art Mart and I used to buy picture frames and mattes there as well as having many things professionally framed.  I could always count on them to come up with creative and artistic ideas that made my photographs look gallery ready.  About two years ago, they suddenly closed.  I found another store about 12 miles away and went there a few times and then it closed.  This building had been empty ever since.

A trip around to the other side of the building where the entrance is located revealed a totally different mural this one called "Colorfall" by Lauren Lee.  The new business that has moved in is called Shaneland Arts.  So, naturally, I went in to check it out.  Tomorrow I'll have more about this new place.

Linked to Monday Murals.

After the Storm Has Passed

After we've had lots of stormy weather here in Arizona, we can always count on a day or two of big, white puffy clouds.

I went to the garden on Friday to see if I could capture some.  They were indeed dotting the sky and I even found some reflected in the water.



I have a new post on Sharon's Sojourns today.  As promised, I have some details of one of the buildings in Lowell Arizona.

Clouds and Puddles

It's been a week of clouds and rain puddles here in the desert southwest.  The remnants of hurricane Lorena that I mentioned on Wednesday have been hanging around for the past few days.

I'm not complaining.  It's a very nice change from the months of hot and hotter weather we've had over the summer.

I did venture out to the Desert Botanical Garden late Monday afternoon to snap a few photos.  Cloudy skies sometimes make great photos.

You might notice the young couple in the very lower right of the photo above.  They thought the light was perfect for a few of what I'm guessing might have been engagement photos.

Fashion Challenge

I recently cut through the Saks Fifth Avenue store to get to a lunch place and I was stopped in my tracks by this display of current fashion items.  I couldn't resist snapping a photo of this varied assortment of clothing items.  Given where I was, I'm sure all these items have a hefty price tag but, quite frankly, they look like items thrown together from thrift stores or garage sales.  I wonder if my ambivalence might be attributed to my age.  😬

An Entrance & A Message

I like the look of the entrance to this house with the contrasting wall and doorway to enter an enclosed patio.  Then I saw the cute little sign next to the entrance with the lighthouse on it.  Below the light house it says "Seas the Day".  Something tells me the owners of this house enjoy time on the coast.

The Storm

I was driving toward home Monday evening when the remnants of hurricane Lorena made its way into the Phoenix area.  I snapped this photo right out the windshield as I was climbing up over the Papago Buttes along McDowell Road.  I saw those clouds and knew I had to get the shot.  By the time I got home, the wind was blowing and I could see lightening strikes to north and west of me.  Pretty soon it was raining bucket loads, the lightening was like a blitzkrieg while the thunder was rattling the windows.  I loved it!

Bird Watching

When I was at the garden on Sunday I, of course stopped at my favorite spot to watch the birds enjoying the water there.  These two young mourning doves seemed a little afraid of the water.  They kept watching it carefully and reaching toward it but they seemed afraid to venture to the edge.

This little house sparrow on the other hand, splashed around in the water enjoying a refreshing dip.

And, this house finch appeared to be admiring his reflection.

But, then he jumped in and gave himself a very good bath.

I love watching birds splash around in the water.  It makes me smile every time.

Monarch Mania

Finally, after the long and very hot summer, it was pleasant enough to take a walk at the Desert Botanical Garden.  And luckily, the fall butterfly pavilion had just opened on Saturday.  The fall butterfly exhibit features monarchs and this year there was an abundance of them.

I enjoyed finding them among the fall flowers and hidden in the leaves.

This one was hanging onto a branch over the little pond inside the pavilion.

But, I was quite literally thrilled when I found a whole cluster of them clinging to the leaves of a tree.  It was a stunning sight to see.

I'm so glad the temperatures have become more manageable.  I hope to get out for walks again!

Halloween Tree

Isn't this tree perfect for a scary Halloween night?  I can just see it with a full moon behind it, dark all around and little goblins roaming around in the street.

That former neighbor of mine from the other side of town who goes all out for Halloween decorations would love this tree.  He'd have skeletons sitting on every branch!


I have a new post on Sharon's Sojourns today.  I'm visiting a town that is getting pretty ghostly.

Little Free Libraries

I'm seeing more and more of the little free libraries popping up all over the city.  It's a wonderful thing to see.  It's good to know that so many people have embraced the need to encourage reading.

They come in all shapes and sizes.  Some even have a little solar powered light to shine on it after dark.



The one to the left has to be a favorite.  It's one that has been built to look like Dr. Who's tardis!  You can't beat that!

Kissing Coyotes

I found this fence around a not so well maintained yard recently.  The kissing coyotes went all the way around the front of the yard.  It was kind of a cute fence but I have to admit, that yard could use a serious clean up.

Have Cabin, Will Travel

I spotted this very interesting truck camper parked in a residential area last weekend.  It looks like these people are taking the log cabin on the road with them.  They've attached some interesting signs to the back also.  One says Mile 0 Key West, another says Avoid Reality at All Costs.  The one on the door reads "Explosives".

Finding More Art

If you have followed my blog over the years, you might remember the story I told about the "Freeway Pots" art project from back in the 80's.  You can read that story on my post from 2008.  To sum it up, it was an art project to decorate a new freeway that was slicing its way through the heart of town.  The idea was to add some color and interest to the noise-abatement walls that would be snaking through neighborhoods.

I thought I had found all the artistic pots that were remaining but, it turns out I hadn't.  I recently found a few more.  The one above is on the opposite end of a tunnel under the freeway.  On the other end is a pot that is similar to this one that I posted back in 2013.

They are looking pretty beat-up in many places but, I guess pottery tends to take a beating when it is used regularly so I think that fits.

What I don't like seeing is graffiti on them.  However, I guess that was bound to happen.

Being Silly

I was in a bit of a silly mood last week when I drove my car through one of those 'drive-through' car washes.  I snapped a few photos out the windshield as the car was being pushed along.  First the soap suds....

...then the water!  See, I can have fun almost anywhere!

Colorful Face

I discovered this mural in a very narrow alley in a residential area.  It almost seemed a bit out of place squeezed in between the houses.

It's very abstract and there was no signature on it so I don't know who the artist is.  One half of it looks like it might have been there before the face was painted but, I'm not sure if that's true or if that half was painted with paler colors.  It was an interesting find.

Connected to Monday Murals.

Birthday Celebration

My good friend Julie's birthday was Friday and my birthday was Monday so we decided to celebrate them together Friday evening at Julie's house.  Julie's mom Glenda made a delicious spaghetti dinner and I baked a rum cake with a new twist.  I baked a chocolate rum cake this time instead of the traditional.  It turned out beautifully.

Julie's mom brought these sparkler candles for the cake so it was truly a festive party even though it was Friday the 13th.  Since it was that bad luck day, we were very careful when we lit these sparklers making sure there was nothing flammable near the cake when we lit them.  It was fun!

🎁💐🎉🎊🎈🎁

I have a new post on Sharon's Sojourns today.  It's my last visit to the villa on Isola Bella.  This time to a garden that defies description.

Piano-Roll Building

Do any of you remember seeing the old "player-pianos", the kind that used rolls of paper perforated with dots and dashes?  When they were placed in those old pianos and the mechanism turned on, the piano would come alive with music.

Well, take a look at this building, The Phoenix Financial Center located on Central Avenue in mid-town Phoenix.  Dosen't it look like one of those old piano-rolls?

That's what many long-time Phoenix residents think and many of them still call it the piano-roll building.

Here's what it looks like from the other side.  I featured this building about a year ago but I was admiring it again recently and thought I'd trot it out for an encore on Phoenix Daily Photo.

If you've never seen an old piano-roll, here's a link where you can take a peek.

When I was just a little kid growing up in Illinois, my family had a player piano so I remember those rolls very well.

Patiently Waiting

His people had gone inside a cafe to get their food while this little fellow patiently waited for their return.  His full attention was on the café door and he wasn't about to look away.

And, he had absolutely no interest in getting his photo taken!

Outside Comfort

Driving through one of our many historic neighborhoods, I saw this pretty wing-back chair sitting on a front porch.  You don't see many beautifully upholstered chairs sitting outside like this.  Hopefully, it doesn't get much sun on it because our wicked sun will quickly fade and damage that lovely fabric.

While I was stopped to take the photo of the chair on the porch, I saw this butterfly sharing this plant with a bunch of aphids.  It looks like a painted lady but I can't see enough of it's colors to be sure.

More Art from AZ88

When I was posting yesterday's photos from AZ88, I discovered one other art installations they had that I never got around to posting on my blog.  This one is from June of this year.

They put up a whole cluster of those mirrored "disco balls" and passed light over them so they threw sparkly light all over the restaurant.  When this one was up, I was only there during the day.  I bet this looked fabulous after dark.  Can't you just picture John Travolta in his white suit standing in the center of this room?

Burning Man

My good friend Glenda took me to AZ 88 for for drinks to celebrate my birthday.  If you will recall, AZ 88 is that hip restaurant in Scottsdale that always has the changing art exhibits.  This time they had something that originated at the infamous Burning Man event.  When we arrived around 5:30, it was still light outside and you could see these great photos on the wall but, when you look at the reflection in the mirror (to the left), they were covered with fire.

As the evening progressed and sun was going down, the fire started to show up on the photos on the wall.  The photos were taken by Bill Tonnesen an artist whose work I've featured here before. He took the photos at the Burning Man event where he invited people to crawl into a box he made and pose for him.   You might also notice the hefty lady sitting on the pedestal in the center.  She is also a Bill Tonnesen creation.  I feature her in a post here.
(If you don't know much about Burning Man, just Google it and look at the images.  It's an annual bastion of self-expression and art.)

By the time we were leaving, the glow of the fire was pretty strong on the wall.  Our waitress said it gets even stronger after dark.  Once again, AZ 88 has come up with another fabulous art display.  I love this place for so many reasons!

If you want to see some other art exhibits from AZ 88, check these links:  8/28/16, 1/18/17, 10/11/18.

California Deamin'

As I not so patiently await some cooler temperatures here in the desert southwest, my mind keeps drifting back to those warm days and cool nights I spent in California last month.  Maybe if I feature some photos from California, the weather gods will have mercy and reduce us from these extreme heat temperatures.  So, here are some of my favorite waterlily photos from my recent trip to beautiful southern California.  I think the lavender ones are my favorite.

The yellow ones have a delicate look to them.

The white ones have hints of color at the tips of the petals.

And, like all flowers, the bees love them too!

Ahhh...I'm feeling that cool sea breeze!