Theme Day: Travel

 

No matter what mode of transportation you choose, get out there and see the world.  Travel plays an important role in my life and I know it does for many of you too.  Travel is the September 1st theme for City Daily Photo Bloggers and I chose this set of different forms of transportation to emphasize the subject.  Go by plane....

...train...

...or automobile!  Don't worry, it doesn't have to be a Rolls Royce.  Any car ready for the open road will do.

And let's not forget travel by sea.  A favorite option for many people.

To see other City Daily Photo Blogger's travel expressions, click here.

Party Wagon

 

I wanted to do some shopping at a specific store that is located in north Scottsdale so I braved the extreme heat and drove out that way. On the way, I spotted this hot pink vehicle parked in a shopping center parking lot.  So, I stoped to get a photo of it.  That is a vehicle built for partying. 

It's such a long drive out to Kierland Commons that I was hoping I'd see other things to photograph along the way but the heat was just too intense.  By the time I parked my car at my destination and then walked to the store, I was exhausted.  So I did my shopping and made my way back to the car and headed home.  This was all before noon.  It's simply too hot to be outside right now.  As I get older, I have less and less tolerance for this heat.

Dog Lover?

 

Something tells me that the owner of this Jeep is a dog lover.

What a cute spare tire cover!

Majestic Animals

 

I heard that the Budweiser Clydesdales were going to be at the local Total Wine shop on Sunday so I decided I should be there to get some photos.  What I didn't expect to see was a horse inside the store.  Because of this horrible heat wave we've been having here, it was simply too hot to line up the horses outside for two hours.  So they brought one horse at a time inside the store to be admired by one and all.

I didn't stay to watch them switch the horses but I did drive around to the back of the store to see the huge, air-conditioned truck waiting to transport them to different locations.  I do wonder where this group lives most of the time.

Posterity

 

I saw this shiny new McLaren parked in the valet spot in front of a new fitness center.  Valet's love to park the fancy cars right out front.  I can tell it's new because it still has the temporary license plate on it.

It appears that the car has been named "Posterity 44".  Actually, it turns out that Posterity 44 is a real estate agency.  A profitable one I'm guessing.

This is Not Sleepy Hollow

 

I would never call my neighborhood a "Sleepy Hollow" but Ichabod Crane showed up nonetheless.  I heard some noise out my window so I stepped out on the balcony to see what was happening.  That's when I spotted "Ichabod Crane".  I've seen many cranes show up around here but this was the very first "Ichabod Crane".  

They need to use cranes when an air conditioning/heat unit needs replacing.  On my building and the building next door, the units are hidden deep in the roof line of the buildings so they can't be seen from the street.

I must say that Ichabod Crane is great name for a crane service.  Very clever.

Up, Up and Away

 

My car was parked in a parking lot that happened to be across the street from St. Joseph's Hospital when I heard the roar of helicopter blades revving up.  I looked over in time to see one lifting off from the helipad on the Hospital's roof.

I took three photos in rapid succession and caught it on it's way.

It reminded me of the time I spent one night in a hospital for some tests and my room overlooked the heliport on that hospital.  It was a good thing I was only there for one night.  The roar of a helicopter right out your window is pretty loud.

Parking Lot Odds and Ends

 

Meeting some friends for lunch, I arrived about 15 minutes early.  It was such a nice day, rather than wait in the car or inside, I wandered around the parking area looking for anything interesting.  This reflection in the window caught my eye.  I liked the slightly blurry signs.

Then I was attracted by the "dream catcher" hanging from the mirror in this car.  After downloading the photo, I see something even more interesting.  Is that some kind of camera with two lenses attached above the mirror?  I've never seen anything like that.

My last observation is the brightly colored Union Jack decorating the rear-view mirror on a Mini-Cooper.  

I found plenty to see while waiting those 15 minutes.

Snazzy!!

 

I spotted this very sleek Lincoln Mark V sitting in the Whole Foods parking lot last Sunday.  It was so shiny and polished it was reflecting the sun.  That car has been treated with great love and care. It must have a nice cozy garage to live in because it has been raining the last few days and this car does not have one spot on it.  

Aging Nicely

 

When I drove over to the old neighborhood to check on the skeleton family, I happed to spot this nice looking Mercury Comet sitting in someone's driveway.  It looks like a 1960 model to me and it's looking very well cared for.  Wouldn't it be something if it still belonged to the original owner?  

"Spare" Humor

 

I couldn't resist snapping a photo of this car I saw driving on Central Avenue this last weekend.

We've all heard the saying "the black sheep of the family" referring to that one that just doesn't fit the family mold.  This Jeep owner has done a cute play on that phrase and put it on the spare tire cover on the back of his black Jeep.  

I love it.

The Phoenix Bird

 

When I was shopping last Saturday, I saw this vehicle with a Phoenix Bird painted on the front of it.  I just had to snap a photo and add it to my Phoenix Bird collection.

Unfortunately, it was painted on the front of one of these monstrosities.  I really can't fathom why anyone would want one of these ugly cars.  

Sky Blue

 

The valet always parks the expensive cars up front so they can be seen by everyone else who is arriving.  This one was parked in front of the Ambassador Hotel recently.  It's a nice, sky blue McLaren in case you didn't know.  

Odd Collection and a Little Humor

 

It's time for me to unload a few of the extra shots that have accumulated in my files recently.  

Above is a Great Blue Heron who is looking a bit scruffy.  He was busy grooming himself which he obviously needed.

To the left is an old International truck that was hiding among the trees that day I went to the plant nursery. It's an intimidating looking vehicle.

About 3 weeks ago, there was a little excitement at my complex.  We had a gas leak.  There were five big fire trucks, two smaller fire trucks and a whole load of firemen asking us to leave our apartments.  The whole thing lasted about an hour and the leak was coming from one of the gas grills in the courtyard. There is no gas going into the apartments so no worries there.

My friends David and Riley just moved into a new house.  This photo was taken before they moved when they were measuring things.  Their dogs were enjoying those tall windows that are low enough to the floor for the little ones to look out.  

This last one is a little "political" humor that someone sent me. That's one way to show your disdain for a certain billionaire with a tarnished image.

"Kinky Boots" and a Driverless Experience

 

I have a couple of observations from the last week's activities.  I'll start with these very fancy boots spotted at that Habitat for Humanity event.  The theme for their dinner is "Blueprints and Bluejeans" so instead of dressing up in gala clothes, you wear blue jeans or denim and dress that up.  This lady got out the sparkly boots.

I finally rode in one of those driverless Waymo cars.  It went very smoothly and was ever so quiet.  However, there was one incident where another driver changed lanes to right in front of the car causing the car to have to brake.  There was no reason for the lane change so I'm sure that driver  did it on purpose.  The car responded quickly and smoothly and without any hesitation.  I wonder if the Waymo got a photo of the license plate number of that offending car.  I'm pretty sure everything is recorded.

The New Driverless Phenomenon

 

I was sitting at a traffic light in the left turn lane with three lanes of traffic to my right. I glanced over at the car that pulled up next to me and noticed that it was one of those driverless cars.  Even though they are all over the city right now, it still seemed strange to see a car with no driver in the lane next to me.

This photo was taken in October of 2022 when Waymo had a car set up for display.  The marketing person insisted that I have my photo taken with the car.  They were promoting the service as a new driverless ride-share service.  So far, I've never ridden in one.  My close friend David has on several occasions.  

Their marketing has been a huge success.  There is never a time when I'm driving that I don't see at least one of these cars.  If I'm in downtown Phoenix, they are everywhere.  

Road Monster

 

I saw this parked on a residential street over last weekend.  I had no idea what it was but a friend told me it was a Tesla Cybertruck.  It has to be one of the ugliest vehicles I've ever seen.  It's not only ugly, it's pretty expensive too.  I saw one listed for $169,000.  It looks like something out of a Star Wars movie. 

Expensive Wheels

 

When I was leaving a restaurant one day recently, I saw this eye-catching vehicle parked in the parking lot.

It's a Lamborghini in case you were wondering.  It is certainly a beautiful automobile but I'm guessing it's pretty expensive to own.  I'll just admire it from a distance.

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.  

Observations Along the Way

 

I saw this great looking car in the grocery store parking lot and wondered what it was.  It turns out to be a Chrysler Crossfire.  I love the color and the sporty look.

At that very same grocery store, I saw this fellow tied up outside the door and waiting for its owner to return. 

I never know what I'll see on those common, household errands.  

I have a new post on Sharon's Sojourns today.  I found a bit of humor at the art museum.