Camelback Mountain, Two Views

 

At the beginning of the week, we had lots of rain and much cooler temperatures.  I snapped the above photo on Monday looking at Camelback Mountain from where I live.  I liked how the top of the mountain had some sunshine on it while the darker clouds were still hovering around.

On Tuesday we had some more rain but later in the afternoon it started to clear.  I decided to take a walk at the Desert Botanical Garden so I headed that way around 3:30 in the afternoon.  I climbed up the steep trail where I could get a view of Camelback Mountain from the south and looking north.  An added bonus was all the big, puffy clouds in the sky.

I enjoyed all those clouds scattered across the sky.

Puffy Clouds

 

I noticed some big puffy clouds building up in the east behind Camelback Mountain one evening and I had my fingers crossed that we might get some rain later on.  However, no rain showed up.  

Usually a build up of clouds in the east is a good sign of rain on the horizon but lately we've been seeing the clouds but the rains seem to pass us by.  I guess that's just another sign of our changing weather patterns.  

Over the Wall

 

It was nice enough Thursday evening to have our champagne Thursday drinks on Glenda's back patio.  While sitting there looking up at the end of Camelback Mountain, I noticed how I could see some homes lined up in the canyon view. I used the telephoto on my cell phone to see if I could capture the scene. It did a pretty good job.

I also noticed that one of Glenda's desert rose plants has two blooms on it right now.  It's a blooming bonus!

Mountain Homes

 

I happened to be in a neighborhood that gave me a good view of some of the houses that cling to the south side of Camelback Mountain so I took the opportunity to snap a few photos.  These are all what you would call luxury homes so many of them are very large.

These will all give the homeowners a nice view over Phoenix with a glimpse of the downtown high rise buildings to the west and the urban sprawl to the east.

Living on the mountainside has it's challenges as my friend who lives on the north side of this mountain will attest.  That said, the views really are spectacular.

Garden Walks in July, Part 2

 

I found exactly three photos dated July 2014 and only one of those made it on my blog. My comment on that post said the temperature was tolerable but I'm guessing since I only took 3 photos, I didn't stay very long. This view of Camelback Mountain was one of the three photos.

I had better luck in 2015.  It appears that my walk followed a monsoon storm because all the photos show the appearance of water droplets.

These pretty purple flowers are enjoying the summer rain.

In July of 2017, I was lucky enough to find a flock of peach-faced lovebirds munching on some flowers so I was able to get several shots of those colorful birds.

I also photographed this Desert Rose tree that had been planted in a dish bonsai style.  I don't recall ever seeing this again so I wonder what happened to it.

I have a few more from past July walks tomorrow.  

Clouds Over Camelback Mountain

 

I noticed all the clouds when I left the house to go to a store so I took this road because I knew it would give me a good view the clouds hovering over the mountains.  We had some wind and rain early last week and as the storm was clearing, we saw great swaths of clouds hanging low in the skies.  I always enjoy a good view of clouds over the mountains.

Clouds Over the Mountain

 

We had some rain over this past weekend.  Not as much as predicted but enough to water the thirsty desert.  I love when the rain starts moving away and patches of blue sky appear with big puffy clouds to complement the blue.  I was headed east on this street when the sight of those clouds over Camelback Mountain was too pretty not to capture.  According to the weather experts, we are supposed get some more rain today and tomorrow.  We'll see how accurate they are in the next few days.

Full Moon Over Camelback Mountain

 

These photos won't win any prizes but I was enjoying the full moon hanging above Camelback Mountain as I was driving to my friend's house.  I snapped a couple of shots out the windshield of the car as I was stopped at the traffic lights.

As I got closer to my friend's house, the perspective almost looked like the moon was setting behind the mountain but it wasn't.  It was on its way up in the eastern sky.

When I got to her house, I tried taking one from her back garden but I had this tree to contend with so I framed the moon between the tree limbs.

After all of that, my friend Dave got the best shot.  He had a much better view when he snapped this one.

Sunset Views

 

I was at my friend Julie's house earlier this week and we went out on the patio to watch the sunset.  I've mentioned before that her house is on the north side of Camelback Mountain.  Looking at the mountain behind her house, I liked how the setting sun was lighting up the rocky top of the mountain giving it a red glow.

To the west, the rocks were already in the shade.  The "praying monk" formation is clearly silhouetted against the evening sky.  

Julie took the opportunity to water some of the plants while we sat there.  I snapped this shot to see how the mountain would look through the stream of water from her hose.

It was pretty warm out there on the patio but that stream of water helped cool it off for a while.  However, we weren't out there very long.  Even at 7:30 in the evening, it's still over 100 degrees.

Glowing Mountain

 

It rained all day long on Friday which is unusual for the desert.  Then on Saturday it was still overcast most of the day.  As evening arrived, I was headed to my friend's house when the setting sun made an appearance below all the clouds.  The sun put out just enough light to make Camelback Mountain glow.  I just had to stop for a quick photo.

Foothills Homes

 

I took a short drive through the Camelback Mountain foothills and saw some newer homes that have gone up in spaces that were once open desert.  The foothills property is considered very prime real estate so any new construction here would have to be large and high end like this two story home with a Spanish look.

This one surprised me because it doesn't seem to fit in.  I think it's because of the use of grey stone which doesn't blend in very well with the desert environment.

This one is more streamlined and modern which fits in a little better.  There are quite a few homes in this area that are architecturally modern.  

A Closer Look....at a Distance

 

Here are a couple of things I wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't extended the telephoto lens to its full length.  This one was aimed at the top ridge of Camelback Mountain.  It looks like someone scraped a large "L Z" into the side of rocks.  I would never have seen that with the naked eye.

This one was taken in the boulders area north of Scottsdale.  I could see a little bump on this rock but I couldn't tell it was single boulder precariously balanced atop another rock.  I wonder how long that will sit like that before tumbling down.  

A Sure Sign

 

Seeing the Goodyear blimp floating in the sky is a sure sign that something big is going on around town.  I photographed it when I was walking around the Desert Botanical Garden.  It was way off in the distance but I zoomed in to get a photo.  I'm pretty sure it was floating over the Phoenix Open Golf Tournament at the time.  In fact, I saw it on TV at a friend's house.  She had the golf event on TV. 

My friend Julie texted this photo of the blimp as it passed by the "praying monk" rock formation on Camelback Mountain.  This was on Sunday afternoon and  the blimp was headed to west valley to float over the Super Bowl.  

The blimp got plenty of exercise over this last weekend.  

White Gates

 

This is a historic home called White Gates designed by architect Al Beadle.  Beadle, who won an award for this home, was a well known architect in the Phoenix area.  His mid-century modern designs can be found in a variety of locations around town.  I featured some apartments he designed back in August here. 

The unfortunate thing is that this house has been sitting vacant for many years now.  I understand that the current owner would sell it if he could find someone willing to do the restoration work.  It sits on prime real estate in a neighborhood with multi-million dollar homes.  It has come very close to being demolished several times before.  There is a history and more photos on this site.  

A Return to the Castle

 

Anyone remember this place?  I've posted photos from here twice before.  I just took another photo in the last few days and I see that things are starting to happen again.  So I did a Google search to see if I could find some updated information and I discovered that the castle has its own website now.  And, on that website is a short video giving the viewer a quick look inside this place.  And, I see that the owner is accepting donations to help with the massive restorations price tag.  

The last time I posted about this place it looked like things were stalled.  Now it looks like work is starting again.  Maybe one day, it will be open for tours.  

Clinging to the side of the Mountain

 

On an early evening drive on the south side of Camelback Mountain, I stopped to snap some photos of some of the houses that seem to magically cling to side.  This one is quite modern with lots of glass for enjoying the views.

This one is more of a Spanish style and as you can see, it's quite large.  

These last two are totally different from each other.  One is very modern and cantilevered over the rocky terrain.  The one below it is more traditional with a tiled roof and what appears to be a long porch.  I enjoy cruising around on the mountain.  I never know what I might find.

I have a new post on Sharon's Sojourns today.  An Oregon farmhouse is featured.

Desert Scenes & Fresh Air

 

I went for a walk at the Desert Botanical Garden last Sunday morning and the air was so crystal clear that it made taking photos with the telephoto lens a pleasure.

I couldn't get over how clear everything looked when I zoomed in on subjects.  

And, I could take shots across great distances and still get a clear view.  Here is the view of Camelback Mountain from the highest trail at the garden.  

I wonder if all this clear air had something to do with the low pressure system that is pushing its way east. Maybe it cleared the air while cooling it down a bit.  It was 64 degrees when I left the house.  Perfect for walking.

Getting Out the Umbrellas

 

It rained almost every day last week.  It usually started in the evening once the monsoon clouds had built up and grew heavy.  But one day, it rained right in the middle of the day.  I went out and stood on my balcony to watch it come down.  That's when I saw this lady standing in the rain.  I wondered why she was just standing there.

After about 15 minutes, the school bus arrived and then I knew what she was waiting for.  That was nice of her to wait with the umbrella so her child didn't have to walk the rest of the way home in the rain.

A few hours later, I went out to get the view to the east and that's when I saw the rainbow.  It's a faint rainbow but there it is arching over Camelback Mountain.

This weekend has been dry again but the weather experts are saying we could get more monsoon storms late next week.  We have needed this rain for so long!

I have a new post on Sharon's Sojourns today.  I'm visiting the monastery in the desert.  

Rain in the Desert

 

We have so few days when we get rain that when the clouds do show up, it's a big deal.  That's why I have two more rain related photos today.  This shot is looking at Camelback Mountain with the clouds hugging it.

This shot of a pretty tree waiting for new leaves to sprout.  The rain will help to urge that process along.  I love everything about desert, winter rains except the cold temperatures.  It is certainly not cold by most of the country's standards but it feels pretty cold to me.