Abstract Sculpture

 

I have wanted to get a photo of this sculpture for many years and finally had a chance when I was stopped at a traffic light on the corner of 7th Street and Washington.  That happens to be a very busy intersection with no parking on either street.  In order to get close on foot, I'd have to park a very long distance away.  

On this occasion, I happened to be first in a line of cars at the intersection with a perfect view of the sculpture.  So I rolled down the window, grabbed the camera and took the shot.

This sculpture is called "Parabolic Spiral" and was created by Sam Sutton.  He has another sculpture further up 7th street but it is also in a location difficult to get to.  One of these days I'll get an opportunity to photograph it too.  

Decorated Palm Trees

 

Here is another odd thing I found on that Sunday drive around town.  I saw a house surrounded by palm trees and a block wall and each of the palm trees was decorated in some way. I might add, the wall was decorated too.

As you can see, the tree that I got out of the car to photograph was still very much alive.  The two next to it look like they've had their heads chopped off.

I couldn't find any reason for all the decorations.  It must just be a random art project.

Something New

 

Just a block away from the main library on Central Avenue I discovered these brand new apartments.  Two buildings on either side of the street with a bridge to connect the two.  Such an unusual feature for the Phoenix area.  It caught my eye immediately.  

Civic Duty

 

I received a jury duty summons three weeks ago and the day finally arrived earlier this week.  I was required to appear at the Maricopa County Superior Court building on Tuesday.  

I did several posts about this building back when it was under construction in 2010.  You can see one of those posts from 2011 here.  I posted a photo again in 2012 when the building was dedicated. 

This is one of the photos I used in the collage in the that 2011 post.  You can see the way the copper siding on this building has changed color.  It was so shiny when it was new and elements have changed that patina completely.  

So, over 10 years later, I finally got to see the inside of this building.  I was there for about two and a half hours but in the end, they didn't need me for a jury trial after all.

Butterfly Decorations

 

When I was downtown last weekend I took a short cut through the lobby of the Renaissance Hotel and I spotted the pretty butterfly artwork in the photo above.  I like it.  It's very colorful.  

Not far away was a framed print of a "butterfly dress".  

Butterflies appeared to be the theme in this narrow passageway.  

Downtown Phoenix Activity

 

I was in downtown Phoenix on Sunday afternoon and noticed a lot of building activity going on.  There appears to be a new high-rise building goin up on a small lot that had been used for parking for many years.  Judging from the height of that crane, it's going to be a very tall building.

It's a shame it's going to block the great reflections in that building in the middle.

I also noticed some new street lights.  They are more decorative than what I remember.

The Blonde With A Cigar

 

I found this mural inside an Italian restaurant in downtown Phoenix.  It's clear to see that this is a woman with her hair in rollers and smoking a cigar.  What is not so clear is why.  Maybe it's just a conversation piece.  

I couldn't see an artist's name.

Taking part in Monday Murals.  

Twirling Skirts

 

I was in downtown Phoenix last Friday for another performance of the Phoenix Symphony.  Walking to Symphony Hall, I saw that there was some kind of Mexican festival going on right across the street.  They had food vendors out and this group of women were dancing to some lively music.

I snapped a couple of quick shots and captured the blur of those colorful skirts twirling around. 

Busy, Busy Weekend

 

This last weekend was a busy one for me.  On Friday I attended the annual dinner for Habitat for Humanity at the Arizona Biltmore.  You can see above the crowds of people bidding on the many silent auction items.  I donated two framed photos for the auction and you can see one of them in this photo.

On Saturday evening I went to the Symphony Hall for another performance of the Phoenix Symphony.  I was able to catch a photo of the whole orchestra on stage while they waited for the guest pianist to appear. It was another excellent performance by our wonderful symphony.

Just before the symphony my friends and I had dinner at new downtown restaurant called Pa'La.  They cook everything they prepare in a wood burning oven.  We tried several dishes and all of them were delicious.  It's great to find another eating option close to Symphony Hall.

On Sunday afternoon, I attended a smaller musical performance put on by the Arizona Bach Festival.  Their mission is to bring the finest in Baroque music to Arizona.  They did Vivaldi's Four Seasons, one of my all time favorites and they were fantastic.  They performed in a church with surprisingly good acoustics.  It was a busy weekend but I loved every minute of it.

Symphony Night

 

I went to the Symphony last Saturday evening with my friends David and Riley.  We were a bit early so we decided to go up to the upper level and get a good view of the theatre below us.

It's quite a beautiful theatre when you get the full picture of it.  

The main musical piece was Symphonie Espagnole featuring violinist Richard Lin who gave a brilliant performance.  That was followed by Ravel's Daphnis and Chloe'.  There was lots of great music.

After the performance, we attended a reception in the "green room" where I spotted this painting on the wall.  It was painted by Bill Patterson, an artist who is known for painting racing themed art and usually live while a race is going on.  In 2014 there was an event called "The Sound of Speed" that featured the Phoenix Symphony, Barrett-Jackson and the Phoenix International Raceway.  Patterson live-painted this painting at the event.  

Night at the Opera

 

Another beautiful night at the opera last Saturday.  This time we saw "La Boheme".  The Arizona Opera Company does an outstanding job with these performances.  They also had a display of some of the costumes used in past operas in the theatre lobby so I snapped a few photos.

It was another enjoyable event.

New Multi-Housing Units

 

I recently spotted two new multi-housing units near downtown Phoenix.  This one is called Monroe Gardens and it has an attractive look with all that brick. 

I didn't see a name on this one but it also is appealing to look at.  I like all those balconies.  That would be a must for me.  I love my balcony. I like stepping outside several times a day and enjoying the fresh air and the view.

Both of these places are within walking distance of shops, restaurants, museums and theaters.  That is another advantage.

Dinner with a View and More

 

Last Saturday evening, I had dinner with friends before an event in downtown Phoenix.  We decided to have dinner at The Compass which is the revolving restaurant on top of the Hyatt Regency Hotel.

I snapped this photo before it got too dark to see anything. The view is great but the reflections in the glass make it difficult to Photograph.

This photo shows the restaurant from the street below.  You can see the round part where the restaurant is located through the palm tree.  

The event we attended was the ballet.  I had never seen the whole Swan Lake ballet performed before.  I knew the music and had of course seen many bits and pieces in movies or TV shows but never the whole ballet.  It really was quite spectacular.  

Just a Few Outtakes

 

I'm back home but, I thought I'd show you a few outtakes from those last few minutes in Chicago.  First up, this was shot through the window of the Uber at the beginning of the long ride to the airport.  I snapped it because I recognized that building all the way to the left. It's the same one that is in the photo I posted on Tuesday shot through the restaurant window.  It's just from the other side this time.

Here is another one I shot out the Uber window.  I was mesmerized by the size of that graffiti on that building.  Painting those letters (or whatever they are) that big must have taken some ingenuity.

This one I shot out the plane window as I waited for everyone to board.  I was wondering what that guy was doing leaning over the engine on the jumbo jet.

Last but not least, downtown Phoenix as we were coming in for a landing.  I really must remember not to choose a seat right over the wing the next time I fly.  It gets in the way of my photo taking.

The Mickey Mouse Chair

 

Last summer, I found an AI effect on my photo editing software that made photos look a bit like a Disney cartoon.  I did a post about here.  

I found this photo in my photo files a few days ago and thought I should share this one.  The effect has taken the Disney look very seriously in this one.

This is the original photo and as you can see, Mickey Mouse was not present for this photo.  

I found this photo in the folder also.  The funny thing about this one is that I have no idea what photo I used to get this effect.  I searched through my photos looking for something similar but had no luck.  

One of the bad things about the photo app is that effects come and go.  This Disney-like effect is not available any longer so I can't try to recreate it.  

I quite like this one even though I have no idea what the original photo was.  I think it's a keeper.

Arizona Handshake

 

When I was downtown last weekend, I spotted this public art piece in one of the entrances to the huge convention center.  It's called Arizona Handshake and was created by Steve Farley.  There were a lot more of these "handshakes" along the wall but I think you get the idea.  Farley describes it as an acknowledgment of the spirit of human connection.  

Saying Goodbye to the Conductor

 

The reason I was in downtown Phoenix last Saturday was to attend a performance of the Phoenix Symphony.  They were playing Mahler's Symphony No. 2, a symphony I had never heard before.  My friend Riley said we should be prepared for a very long symphony with a lot of exuberance.  He was right.   To quote from the program:  "Mahler took an unusually expansive view of what a symphony could be, once declaring that the symphony 'is the world' and that it 'must embrace everything'." I don't think I had ever seen so many musicians on the stage before.

In addition to this great music, this was our conductor's last performance in Phoenix.  Tito Munoz has been the conductor of the Phoenix Symphony for 10 years and this was his last performance.

We attended a going-away party for Tito after the performance where the orchestra presented him with this great portrait as a parting gift.

Hopefully he will be back from time to time as a guest conductor.  

Appealing Symmetry

 

I love the symmetry of long passageways so I tend to snap photos whenever I see one I like.  So I thought I'd share a few of them.  This one was taken at a resort in Scottsdale.

Above is the lobby of a medical building.

To the left is the long walkway at one side of the Heard Museum.

This last one is the lobby of a hotel in downtown Phoenix.  This building used to be a bank building many years ago.  

Some Unusual Sightings

 

I saw this tall dog enjoying the view from this convertible recently.  When I was first driving up behind this car, I thought the dog was driving.  Silly me!

I saw this portrait of the Queen on a car window.  Do you think the owner is a fan of British royalty or maybe just a fan of the queen?  

When I was in downtown Phoenix for an event one evening, I passed by the lobby of one of the high-rise office buildings and saw this little tableau.  I wonder what that was all about.  

A Night at the Opera

 

I joined my friends David and Riley for the opening night performance of The Barber of Seville on Saturday night.  It is a hilarious opera accompanied by fantastic music.  As everyone was gathering in their seats, I snapped this photo of the very elaborate set.

I was admiring the set when the "projection" suddenly stopped.  Up until that moment, I had no idea the set was a projection and not real.  It was a pretty impressively designed projection.

My friend Riley is a patron of the Arizona Opera Company so when we got to our seats, there was a beautiful rose and a thank you card attached to his seat.  What a nice surprise!  And, what a thoroughly enjoyable evening!