Garden Decorating

 

If you need to spruce up your garden a bit, the garden center also has everything you might need such as these colorful ceramic pots.  There are always lots of these at the garden centers here because desert soil is not the best for growing things.  Most people have lots of pots in their gardens where they can control things a little better.

For those without a live pet to roam their garden, a cute little statue might work.  I thought this little fellow was quite cute but, he had a rather large price tag hanging around his neck.  Luckily the iPhoto "erase" tool made it disappear completely and you'd never know it was there.

I also liked this colorful pot in southwestern colors and design.  And, that wooden rabbit was pretty cute too.

There was lots more to see at the garden center besides the flowers and hummingbirds.

Wanderings Around Town

 

Barnes & Noble recently opened a new book store not far from where I live.  I stopped in last weekend looking for a book.  There are two floors of books piled up inside this store but they didn't have the one I was looking for.  Go figure!

I met friends two weeks ago at this new bar on Central Avenue.  It's called Horse and Hyde which in my brain kept coming out as Horse and Hound. I must have been thinking about the movie "Notting Hill".  This photo pretty much covers the entire place.  We were seated at an indoor/outdoor counter at the front of the place.  It must get very loud in there when a band is playing.

I love these light fixtures inside Blanco Tacos restaurant at Biltmore Fashion Park.  It's not far from me so I sometimes stop there for lunch.

Just a little further down the street is an In-N-Out burger place.  That's another place I might stop for lunch during the week.  This place is so busy it usually takes 30 minutes to get through the very long drive-thru line.  

Just a few place I've visited in the past week or two. 

Colorful Ceramics

 

At a recent trip to the nursery, I encountered these beautiful ceramic pots. I was tempted to purchase one even if my luck with plants is notoriously bad.  

One of these would look good in many a garden. 

Did Someone Call for a Doctor?

 

I recently spotted this "fellow" standing on the bar at a tiny little cafe. It took me a minute to figure out what it was.  It looks like if you call this doctor, he arrives complete with a bottle of wine.

That's a pretty clever bottle holder.  

Antique Decor

 

I was in the mood for some good pasta so I stopped at Pizzeria Bianco for lunch last weekend.  Their restaurant at Town and Country Shopping Center is decorated with antiques in every room.  While I was waiting for my penne pasta with a chicken ragu, I looked around the dining room at all the antiques that filled the room.  Those chandeliers over that extra long table were especially attractive.

I caught reflections of them in the antique mirrors hanging on one wall.

But the reflections above didn't catch the one chandelier in the center and It deserved a photo all its own.  That is a very unusual fixture.

I eat at Pizzeria Bianco more often than I thought.  I posted photos from here three times just last year.  You can see those here, here and here.

All About the Sauce

 

I found this mural on the side of "Sauce" restaurant which happens to be located on Camelback Road just one block east of Central Avenue.  So that explains the painted street sign.  This is one of those murals designed to attract customers.  I've never eaten at this place so I can't vouch for food however I do like those red cars. They're the color of pizza sauce.  

Taking part in Monday Murals.

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.  

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.   

Luxury Goods

 

Last Friday before my lunch at AZ88, my friend and I stopped at Scottsdale Fashion Square to do a little shopping.  That mall is the biggest mall in the Phoenix area and is anchored by three well known stores, Nordstroms, Macy's, and Dillards.  However in between those stores, many of the small specialty stores once seen have now turned into the ultra-luxury stores we think of in places like Paris.

Above you see the new Hermes store where the average silk scarf costs around $800 with some reaching an amazing $3,000....for a scarf!

Here we have the Christian Louboutin store where a pair of plain black heels or a pair of trainers can cost you around $1000.00 and a pair of boots around $2000.00.  My friend and I have started calling this stretch of the mall "millionaire's row".  

I didn't snap a photo at the Louis Vuitton store but there was a line of people waiting to enter the store and a clerk with an iPad taking the names of the people in line.  It made me wonder if they were doing a quick credit check before letting those people into the store. 

While most malls have died out, this one seems to be thriving with its march toward the high-end luxury market.  That's Scottsdale!  

Holiday LIghts

 

 Not far from where I live is an office complex called The Esplanade.  I noticed recently that they have a lot of holiday lights up so I made a point of stopping for a closer look.

The walkway between the two office towers is covered in lights.

Walking under the lights, I see a Christmas tree at the far end.

So I walked all the way to the end to get a good look at the tree.

I like it!  They did a good job with this year's decorations.

Clearly, The Holiday Season Has Arrived

 

I did some shopping at Biltmore Fashion Park, just down the street from me on Friday.  There were festive decorations everywhere I turned.  This store always has holiday items this time of year.

I do like the tall Nutcrackers guarding the door.

The poinsettia tree is also up and ready to be admired.  Which I did, I took several more photos of it which I'm sure will show up on this blog as the holiday nears.

I like that they topped it with white poinsettias at the top this time.  

If you look closely, you will see Santa (in the white coat) set up for some photos just behind the tree. 

A Tropical Theme

 

I met some friends at a new restaurant last weekend that has a tropical theme.  As we were leaving, I couldn't resist getting a photo of these lovely flamingos that were decorating the entry way.  

Those pink Santa hats hanging from the ceiling in the background are just an added bonus.  

A Balanced Look

 

Commercial decor that has a balanced style catches my eye.  I snapped these two examples recently.  The one above is in an entrance to the Nordstrom store.  The one to the left was in an alcove at the Canopy Hotel in Scottsdale.  

They both are aesthetically pleasing.

This little waiting area at my chiropractor's office also caught my eye.  There is a certain appeal to the layout.  

Just some of my silly observations.

Breakfast Spot

 

Breakfast restaurants are showing up all over town.  I saw this one on Roosevelt Row when I was there Saturday night and I loved the name and logo.

It wasn't open at the time I took the photos but checking their online site, it looks like they serve the standard fare of pancakes, waffles and eggs and bacon.  

That is such a busy street so I'm betting they do a good business. 

That Sign at Night

 

Last year I did a post about this cute little deli on Central Avenue in Phoenix. There was some discussion about whether that big sign on top of the building lit up at night.  Well, it's a year later and I finally found myself near the shop after dark and when I saw that sign all lit up, I just had to get a photo.

I met some friends Sunday evening for dinner at a new restaurant that happens to be across the street from this deli.  We got to talking about the deli and how long it's been there which turns out to be since 1949.  

I learned that the shop underwent a major remodel inside and out.  The man who made that sign on top has been retired for a number of years but he came out of retirement to work on the sign and give it a facelift.  

I will have to make a point of going there some time soon. That will be fun.  I haven't been inside for a very long time.

Seasonal Decorations

I had lunch recently at this place that has joined the season of goblins and ghosts.  They have gotten into the 'spirit' in a big way.  

I turned that pumpkin around while I ate my lunch.

Pumpkin Season

 

It's that time of year when pumpkins appear in windows on porches.  I've seen quite a few in the last few days.  The ceramic pumpkin was for sale at the local nursery.

These pumpkins were seen inside a Scottsdale business setting the fall-is-here mood.

This grinning fellow was found in the window of the offices where I live.  He was smiling at me as I walked past on my way out one evening.

An Unintentional Selfie

 

I met my friends David and Riley for dinner Friday night at Pizzaria Bianco.  While we were waiting for our table, I spied the overflowing  candle on the little antique chest.  I'm not sure how they got that candle to melt like that pouring out of the lantern box.  

I inadvertently caught myself and my friend David in the reflection in the mirror.  

I've posted photos from this place several times before  most recently in June and once in April.  

Corner Market

 

I took a short photo drive on Sunday hoping to capture some interesting urban shots.  It was very hot on Sunday so I didn't get out of the car as often as I would have liked.  I was driving through an area just east of downtown Phoenix when I spotted this corner market.  We don't see many of these small, independent markets anymore so whenever I see one I have to take a photo. In this part of the world, Circle K and 7-Eleven's have taken over the small market industry. 

I did see one customer come and go while I was stopped. I wonder if Adrian's Market sells a lot of Fiji water in there.

Another Wood Fired Oven

 

A friend and I were leaving The Parlor Restaurant after dinner Tuesday evening when this scene looking toward their outdoor patio caught my eye.  My post on Tuesday featured the wood pile for a different pizza place.  The Parlor also has a wood fired oven for their pizzas.  No, I don't eat pizza every night.  Tuesday's photo with the big tree was taken about 3 weeks ago.  

The Parlor had just opened the outdoor patio as we were leaving.  When we arrived it was still too hot to sit outside.  Once the sun had gone down, they turned on the misters and opened the patio.