When the World Gives You Lemons....

....make lemonade.  

Sorry, for the schmaltzy cliche.  I saw that lovely dish of lemons recently in a hotel lobby and thought it looked pretty enough for a photo.  The lemonade shot I found in my photo files.  

It's funny how some things strike you as photogenic and others don't.  That dish of lemons just looked so perfectly arranged, I couldn't resist.  

Grackles are 'Almost' Everywhere

 

I've posted many photos of the variety of birds I see when I walk at the Desert Botanical Garden but it occurred to me recently that I never see grackles at the garden.  I find that unusual because grackles are certainly everywhere else.  Grackles are common to both North and South America and they are a very common sight in the Phoenix area.  They seem to have adapted quite well to human environments.  They can be seen at almost every shopping center or office complex.  The fellow above was enjoying a decorative fountain at a nearby shopping center.

This fellow joined me for lunch one day two years ago when I was out taking photos on the far west side of the valley.  He sat on the chair across the table from me and watched while I ate.  They are said to be very smart birds who are content being around people.

This one joined me last February when I was having lunch at Kierland Commons in north Scottsdale.  

The fact that they are everywhere else in the valley brings me back to why they don't appear at the Desert Botanical Garden.  Maybe there is just too much competition from all the other birds who live there.

Wildlife World

I haven't been out to Wildlife World in a very long time.  I need to make a point of going there again. It's located way out on the far west side of the Phoenix Metro Area in the town of Litchfield Park.  That makes it a bit of a day trip to go out there.  They have an excellent selection of animals like this handsome green parrot.

They have a few big cats to admire from afar.

Some zebras relaxing in the sun.

And one of my favorites, the meerkats.  They look like such rascals.

I have a new post on Sharon's Sojourns today.  Let's go Surfin'. 

Getting Into Vacation Mode

While I was visiting The Wigwam resort (see my last two posts), I found myself getting into vacation mode.

I took a little walk outside by the pool and then.....

.....I found a spot on the patio, ordered up a refreshing drink and some lunch and let myself feel that "I'm-on-vacation" feeling for a little while.

When it was time to go, I pondered whether I could snatch one of those gorgeous rugs and make a run for it.  I decided it was too risky so I left empty handed.  I'm sure glad I took a lot of photos.

Saddle-Up

This row of saddles with the beautiful blankets on top was part of the decor in one of the sitting rooms of The Wigwam resort that I told you about yesterday.

And look, more gorgeous Native American rugs for me to admire.  This room was situated to one side of the main lobby area.

Another sitting room on the other side of the main lobby featured a brick fireplace and more rugs and southwestern decor.  Doesn't that look like a great place to curl up by the fire?

I've got a couple more photos for tomorrow.

My Kind of Wigwam

The weekend before Thanksgiving I made a trip out to the far west side of the valley to the city of Litchfield Park.  I wanted to see what The Wigwam Resort was like.  In all the years of living in Arizona, I never had an opportunity to visit this historic hotel.  I'm so happy I finally made it out there because I found the resort to be very welcoming in a truly southwestern way.

The history of the resort's origins turned out to be very interesting.  Back in the early 20th century, the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company discovered that long-staple cotton extended the life of its tires and guess where cotton was a big crop.....Arizona!  So the company bought 16,000 acres of land for the purpose of cotton farming.  In 1918 the company built what was called the "organization house" which was the first building on the site and it was used as lodging for ranch suppliers.  It wasn't long after that Goodyear executives discovered that Arizona was a great place to spend time in the winter and they soon started bringing their families along on those "business" visits to the ranch.  In 1929, Goodyear opened "The Wigwam" as a guest ranch and in 1930 the first nine-hole golf course was developed.  Over the next 50 years, the resort grew until it could accommodate 500 guests.  In the 1990's it was sold to a property group and since that time it has passed through the hands of several development companies and hotel groups.

But, enough about the history.  Let's take a look inside.  This is the central lobby located just past the check-in desk.  This room suits me perfectly.  I love this style of southwestern decor.

And, I love all those Native American woven rugs.  They were every where in the resort and they were all beautiful.  Tomorrow, I'll have a few more photos from inside the resort.