Tapatio Cliffs

 

I took a quick drive through the grounds of the Hilton Tapatio Cliffs resort in north Phoenix.  The southwestern landscape and design caught my eye.  

I even found a hidden little fountain in tiny courtyard.  

The whole place was very quiet.  I saw plenty of cars parked around but not a single person.

Southwestern Scenes

 

Just spending 30 minutes walking around the grounds of the Hermosa Inn reveals an abundance of southwestern images to share.  

Walking around this resort is a lot like walking the streets of Santa Fe New Mexico.  There is something to catch the eye wherever you look.  

The Hermosa Inn is close to where I live so whenever I'm in search of photographic inspiration, I can always stop by for a little walk.  

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.  

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.  

Holidays at the Resorts

 

On Saturday, my friend and I went to three of the big hotels here in the Phoenix area to see how the holiday decorations looked.  Our first stop was the Arizona Biltmore and I was encouraged when I saw this pretty tree as I entered the lobby.

However, when I turned the corner I saw that they had the same ugly brown trees they used last year in the  main part of the lobby.  Last year I called it a decorating blunder.  I did notice that they didn't use quite as many of those 'brown' trees as before so I guess that's a good thing.

We moved on to the Phoenician which sits on the border of Phoenix and Scottsdale on the side of Camelback Mountain. They had lots and lots of holiday decorations everywhere we went.  This tree decorated the main lobby.  Those are some giant ornaments.  

They also had little decorations scattered all around the resort.  I liked this little Christmas village scene near the elevators.  

In the area where the shops are located, they had one space set up as a cute Santa Land for the kids to enjoy.  That's a great photo backdrop the one wall.  

Our last stop was at the Global Ambassador Hotel.  They had a much more low-key set of decorations.  Just two trees like the one to the left located on either side of the door and a vast amount of poinsettia plants outside the door.  You can see a glimpse of them to the left in this photo.

But, what they lacked in decorations, they made up for in food.  We stopped for lunch in their French restaurant where I enjoyed this utterly delicious quiche and greens.  

It was fun to roam around these places to check out how they celebrate the holiday season.  

Theme Day: Fire

 

I took this photo back in January on a visit to the Hermosa Inn.  Lon's, the restaurant at the resort has several of these corner fireplaces scattered both inside and outside.  It looks very cozy and warm which back in January was perfect.  Today, no fire is needed.  We've had temperatures hovering close to 90 degrees this last week.  Our temperatures are running about 15 degrees over normal for this time of year.  

To see other blogger's "fire" photos, click here. 

Frida in Tile

 

During that time between Christmas and the new year, a friend and I drove out to the far northern reaches of Scottsdale and had lunch at the Four Seasons Resort.  That's where I saw this mural of Frida Kahlo made of tiles and mounted on a wall near the entrance to the restaurant.  I'm not quite sure if the tiles were painted before they were assembled on the wall or after.  Whichever it is still a nice mural. 

I also snapped a photo of the hotel's Christmas tree in the middle of the lobby.  I'm sure all these holiday decorations have been put away by now.  

Beauty & Sunlight to Start the Year

 

I have a few more photos from our New Year's Day brunch at The Hermosa Inn.  Above is the main fountain in front of the entrance to the resort.  

My friend Julie captured this close-up shot of the two goldfinches on top of the fountain.

They have made some nice changes to the garden area where weddings and other events are sometimes held.  I like the new fountain and the stone bridge.  

We found this relaxing spot near where the rose garden was located.  What do you think, a game of chess or just a lie down in the hammock?

Here's a view of the Christmas tree located in the patio dining area.  

Enjoying the scenery at the resort was a very pleasant way to start the new year.

Winter Roses

 

After our brunch on Wednesday, we decided to walk around the grounds of The Hermosa Inn.  We found a spot that had several rose bushes with some of the prettiest roses in full bloom.

I haven't seen such perfect roses in a long time.  I couldn't resist a few photos.

These beauties appeared to be thriving in this part of the resort's grounds.  

They were so fragrant we could smell them from a few feet away.  

Royal Palms

 

The Royal Palms is a resort not too far from where I live.  I made a short stop there recently and snapped a few photos from around the grounds.  This is the central drive or entrance into the resort.  This view looks out toward the street so you can see how the palm trees line the entrance.

The decor is very southwestern and the grounds are well shaded.  This walkway leads toward the restaurant. 

Here's a sunny spot with a lovely fountain for guests to enjoy.  The outdoor seating is for the restaurant.

Here is another fountain that is tucked away on the grounds of the resort.  There is something attractive to see around every corner here.

Resort Visit

 

Last Saturday I attended a fund raising dinner at the Omni Montelucia Resort in Paradise Valley.  According to the photos in my file, I hadn't been to this resort since 2016.  

This rocker with his guitar is still there rocking out on one skinny leg.  I posted a photo of him back in 2012.  He's been standing there for a very long time.

I had donated several items for the event's silent auction and this is one of the items.  A photo of a white rose that I had printed on canvas.

When I was filing away my photos from that night, I saw that back in 2011, I had donated another photograph for a silent auction at that very same resort.  However this one was for a different non-profit organization. I don't remember which organization this event was for.  Too long ago. I hope my photos made it to good homes!

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.  

Bucranium

 

The bleached scull of a steer or buffalo is seen a lot in southwestern decor.  I didn't realize that the use of them as decoration goes back way further than the American Southwest.  I learned that when I researched the word "bucranium".  This particular one was hanging on the wall of a Scottsdale resort.  

The simple background for this photo made it another good subject for some experimental photo editing.  I like the one above very much.  It looks like a southwestern painting.

This one has exaggerated the colors making it look like it has lights glowing from behind it.  Neither photos will win any prizes but it was something to do on a day when it's too hot to go outside to take new photos.  

Hidden From the Street

 

I attended a fund-raising gala for Habitat for Humanity on Friday evening.  It was held at the DoubleTree Resort in Scottsdale. I took the opportunity to explore the gardens located in between all the buildings at the resort.  

From the street outside, all you see is a wall so this really is a hidden garden.  

The Telephone & The Cartoonist

 

When I was at The Hermosa Inn on Saturday, I spotted this vintage telephone and wanted to get a photo of it. That's when I also noticed the framed comic above the phone.  It was drawn by Bill Keane the cartoonist who created the comic strip called  "The Family Circus".  That's one of his characters peeking from behind the door.

Bill Keane passed away at his home in Paradise Valley back in 2011.  Since he lived near the resort, I'm guessing he used to dine there quite regularly.

He also used to frequent The Sugar Bowl, an ice cream shop in Scottsdale quite frequently.  He used to feature that establishment in his comics from time to time.  

For those who don't know about this comic strip, click this link.  You will see examples of some of this work.

Spring Lunch in the Garden

 

My friend Glenda and I had our annual lunch at The Hermosa Inn and once again got to enjoy the beautiful garden.  It was a perfect day for dining outdoors and enjoying the wonderful food to go with the fabulous view.  It finally feels like spring has arrived.