Red Hibiscus

 

The gardening team has been giving the grounds where I live a big landscaping update.  Yesterday when I went to get my mail, I saw new sets of plants have been added in multiple places.  This big hibiscus plant caught my eye immediately.  It was full of beautiful red blooms.

They were too pretty to pass up.  I had to grab a few photos.

The brilliant red of these flowers makes them stand out among all the other plants. 

The Arizona Biltmore

 

Back in December when I was roaming around several resorts to see their holiday decorations, my first stop was the Arizona Biltmore.  Since it's just around the corner from where I live, it was easy to make it the first stop.  You might remember that I was disappointed that they used the same dull looking decorations they had used the year before.  So after snapping the obligatory shots of the decorations, I took a few more inside the lobby.  I was there early in the day so everything was quiet and there were only a few people around.  Above is the lobby bar.  It tends to be quieter now that they've added a fancy outdoor bar.  I like this one the best.

Looking down from the bar, I could see into the restaurant called Renata's Hearth.  I've eaten there several times.  They have delicious food with a little Latin influence.  

Getting a little closer to the restaurant, I saw that they had some subtle holiday decorations.  They added the poinsettia blooms to that row of light fixtures.  Now that I like.  

Celebrating Human Form & Mother Nature

 

About two weeks ago, I took a walk in the Scottsdale Arts district and wandered into a few galleries.  That's were I found the work of Estella Fransbergen.  She works in clay to make torso shapes that mimic the female form.  She then uses natures elements to create unique sculptures like this one that looks like a ballerina's tutu.  

These two look like ball gowns.  She uses things like feathers, branches, gemstones and rare stones to enhance the torso form and turn each one into something new and surprising.  

Estella was born and raised in South African, studied art in the Netherlands and is now living in the heartland of the United States.  

These are such interesting  sculptures unlike anything I had seen before.  I love discovering new things.

Dancin' to the Oldies

 

Or, maybe that should read "the oldies are dancin'!  On Sunday afternoon, I joined some friends for what we thought would be drinks, laughs and conversation.  As it turned out, the pub we went to was hosting a band called "Dirty Yachtin' Scoundrels" and boy were they popular.  It was easy to see (and hear) why, they played 70's and 80's rock music and they did it spectacularly.  Everyone was on the dance floor because it was impossible to sit still. 

So, it was a louder, busier and more active Sunday retreat than planned but boy, was it fun!!  My motto is you are never too old to dance.  

More From the Art Challenge Meeting

 

Here is most of our Art Challenge Group enjoying some time spent around the fire pit at Julie and Dave's house.  Two other members hadn't yet arrived.

I snapped this shot after the sun went down and before we set about the art challenge business.  It was a nice evening for sitting by the fire.

I thought I'd show you a couple of other completed bodies photographed before we mixed them up.  This one was created by Larry Nisula.  He's the artist who was in the Biltmore Fashion Park art walk show that I posted on the 14th. 

This one is by Marcia, the wife of our club member Jim Lowman.  Marcia doesn't usually participate in the challenges but I'm so glad she did on this occasion.  I like her creation.

Exquisite Corpse

 

"Exquisite Corpse" is a surrealists collaborative art game where each person adds to a drawing on folded paper with each person only seeing a the edge of the previous contribution.

My Art Challenge group took up that idea.  We were given four sheets of paper and told to create an image with a head on the first sheet, then a torso, legs and feet.  Each one of us did our creations separately and then at last night's meeting we mixed them up to get new images.

This was my original piece. I made mine from cut paper.

These next shots are examples of how they were mixed up.  To the right we have a creation using pieces from four different people.

Here's another with four different pieces.

These two were the "judges" favorites.  My "legs" got into that one on the left and my "head" made it into the one of the right.

This project was one of the most fun challenges I can remember.  I loved doing it.

Birds and Water

 

Whenever I'm walking around Biltmore Fashion Park, I can always count on seeing a number of grackles playing in the various fountains that are along the center walkway.  I was there late Wednesday afternoon when the sun was already low in the sky.  I saw this bird wading in the water and taking an occasional drink.  I like how the light on the water turned the bird into a silhouette.  

These two birds were waiting in the wings for their turn in the 'wading pool'.  The natural food for grackles is bugs and seeds but they've taken a keen interest human food scraps.  Since Biltmore Fashion Park has several restaurants all with outdoor tables, it makes a great place for them to hang out and watch for those scraps.

Gables

 

Gables tend to make a house look more interesting or give it some style.  A good place to find these elaborate gables is in our historic neighborhoods.  That's where I found these two examples recently.

These two houses were a street away from each other but the style makes me think they might have been built by the same builder.  They certainly have a similar look.

I love driving around in the historic neighborhoods.  I always find something interesting to admire.

A Touch of Surrealism

 

Here are two more paintings that caught my eye at the Biltmore Art Walk I mentioned yesterday.  Both of these paintings are by Emma Florance and to my eye, they have a touch surrealism about them.  

This first one is called Phoenix Lights I. You can see the lights of the city extending behind that saguaro cactus.  But wait, there appears to be someone living inside the cactus skin.  That would not be an easy trick.  

The second painting is called Desert Dracula and it shows a young lady hiding behind the tall bloom stalk of a century plant.  

I really enjoyed this little art exhibit.  I'll make a point of going again when it returns in February.  

Art Walk Close to Home

 

I recently learned that Biltmore Fashion Park has started a new special event called the Biltmore Art Walk.  It's a rotating outdoor exhibit of art works by local artists.  I stopped at the mall on Sunday afternoon to check it out.  

These first two photos show some paintings by artist Cher Juracich.  She displayed five large-scale paintings that were very realisitic.

On another wall, I captured a photo of the artist Reed Hearne posing in front of the three paintings he had on display.  

Larry Nisula is a member of my Art Challenge group and he had three of his works on display.  It's always great to see members of our little art group appear in different shows.  

Those Silly Koshare Clowns

 

I was at the Heard Museum Saturday morning for one of the Artful Mornings lectures and although I didn't go in to the museum that day, I did stop in the gift shop to peek at the treasures on offer.

What caught my eye on this day was this display of carvings by Kerry Davis.  They are all what is called "Koshare Clowns" and each one is involved in some whimsical activity.  

Mr. Davis is of mixed Native American heritage with a Navajo mother and a Hopi Father.  Having started carving at age 7, he has become a master carver.

I loved the one in the back on the right.  It took me a minute to realize he was carrying a young clown on his back.  I zoomed in to get a better view.

In Honor of the Roadrunner

 

There is a brand new set of Apartments on McDowell Road in Scottsdale called Roadrunner on McDowell.  The last time I drove past them I notice that there was a giant mural on one wall depicting a desert scene and a single roadrunner studying the situation.  I didn't see a signature so I don't know who the artist is.  It's a nice addition to the the otherwise 'brown' walls of the building.  

Taking part in Monday Murals.

A Creation From My Kitchen

 I love to make risotto.  I actually enjoy the constant stirring needed to do it right.  And, I certainly love the creamy texture of the finished product.  I make all kinds but I recently was reminded of a tasty saffron risotto that I had in London last August so I decided to give it a try.  I had some saffron in the cupboard but I didn't have any shallots.  I did have a nice, fat leek so I used that instead.  I tossed in a a tablespoon of lemon juice and the zest from that same lemon.  It was every bit as good as the risotto I had in London and maybe even a little bit better.  

Here's a photo of the London version.  I think mine even looks better with that little sprinkle of parsley on top.  Don't get me wrong, this one was very good.  I just think that little bit of accomplishment in making it myself gave mine an extra zing.  

The Camelback Road Underpass

 

Back in 2007, the city completed a project to put a pedestrian underpass under Camelback Road between two busy shopping and business areas near 24th street.  On one side of the street is Biltmore Fashion Park, a shopping and dining center and on the other side of the street is The Esplanade, an office and entertainment complex.  There were at least 3 fatalities along that area caused by pedestrians trying to cross busy Camelback Road where there was no traffic light or crosswalk. 

The city decided to put this underpass in place to help relieve the urge to try to cross the street in a dangerous spot.  The underpass has a pretty tiled floor and is lit at night so that it's not a dark tunnel.  It gets a lot use from shoppers and diners between the two centers.

I took these two photos, one in the daytime and one at night.  You can see more photos from the architect's site.   

The Shelf Was Bare

 

When I visited the Desert Botanical Garden last week, I stopped at the quiet little corner that I like so much to see how things were arranged on the shelf.  I surprised to find nothing arranged on the shelf.  The last time I posted a photo from this spot, there were lots of watering pails and plants.  

All of the watering pails were lined up on the ground behind one of the pillars. 

I'll make sure that I check on this spot again to see if a new arrangement appears on the shelf.  I enjoy the way it looks when it's filled with pails and plants.

Greeting Visitors

 

These two sculptures that I've featured today sit on either side of the main entrance to The Phoenician Resort so they greet all the resort guests as they enter.

This one is called "Rising at the Spring" and it's another wonderful Allan Houser sculpture.

This one is also an Allan Houser sculpture and it is called "Kiowa Song".  

There is a long driveway that leads up to the entrance to the resort and there are more sculptures scattered along the grounds on the way to the entrance.  The Phoenician features a lot of Houser's sculptures.

Mountainside Setting

 

When I stopped at the Phoenician Resort to look at Christmas decorations three weeks ago, I also photographed some of the resort views.  This view looks up at Camelback Mountain from the main entrance.

If I stand on the other side of that big fountain, I see that there is a statue standing on top of the terraced garden.

Its a wonderful Allan Houser sculpture.  The Phoenician Resort has many Allan Houser sculptures scattered all over the property.  

Red Roses

 A large bouquet of red roses that I photographed a little over a week ago in the lobby of the Global Ambassador Hotel.  They added a touch of color to the lobby setting.

This pretty rose was in the table arrangement at my friends David and Riley's house on Christmas Eve.  

There is something about a red rose that just can't be ignored.  

Colorful Leaves

 

I was standing at the entrance to my complex waiting for an Uber to arrive when I noticed the pretty leaves on some of the plants in the decorative planters.  I believe these are geranium leaves.

More geranium leaves with a few blooms popping in.

I think these are cyclamen plants.  They have some pretty fancy leaves too.  

Sometimes the leaves are just as pretty as the flowers.

Early Morning Observations

 

I observed more than the sunrise and the Desert Pulse art exhibit when I was at the garden last Wednesday.  The cute little Gamble's Quail were out and about and scampering around as they often do.  In fact, the quail and a few mourning doves were the only birds I saw on that morning.  I wonder where the rest of the birds were.

There were also a few blooms to admire.  I'm not sure what the name of these daily-like flowers are but they were sharing a pot with some aloe plants.

I found these pretty blooms growing a spot where I frequently find flowers strange to the garden.  According to the AI search feature, this is a Cape Plumbago.

These cheerful desert marigolds were blooming in several spots.  

They are such happy looking flowers.