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.  

Flying North

 

I'm leaving early this morning and flying northward to Portland Oregon.  And, after a short drive I'll be in the Willamette Valley, Oregon's renowned wine country.  

I'm looking forward to views like the one to left for several days.  I was hoping it would also be a break from the heat but it sounds like a bit of a heat wave is headed for Oregon too.  

It will be a busy week, so I may not have time to post from the road.  Just in case I can't get to the blog, I've posted ahead so I won't miss any days.  

Natural Landscaping

Yesterday I told you about the Sheraton Grand Wild Horse Pass Resort and the convention facility of that resort.  Today I have more photos of the landscaped area around that convention facility.

Although the grounds have been sculpted, the grounds look very natural and represent well the land familiar to the Native American community who lives here.

The setting is very natural and very peaceful.  I saw a lot of small wildlife and birds also enjoying this picturesque area.  If it hadn't been approaching 107 degrees (41c), I would have spent more time there enjoying the view.

Let's Here it for the Landscapers

On that same street I featured yesterday, one house stood out because of the landscaping.  I don't think I'd ever seen such a beautifully landscaped yard.  I don't even want to think of what it costs to keep all these hedges so neat and those flowers blooming.

Big flower pots overflowing with color coordinated flowers and a wall completely covered in some type of vines frame the front of this gorgeous house.  Notice how the flowers are running all along the bottom edge of the wall.

The house is quite large so those color coordinated flowers ran for quite a distance.  And, that row of equally sized trees running along the inside of the wall.  It was all quite breathtaking.

Landscaping

I found this house in a nearby East Phoenix neighborhood and I was struck by the symmetrical landscaping design.  Up against the house on this side is a neat row of fence-post cactus, all the same height.

From this angle you can see the neat row of barrel cactus and an equally neat row of agave plants in the front.  There is nothing random about the placement of these desert plants.

Dreamy

I did some exploring around the Northern parts of Phoenix yesterday when I spotted the big, white monsoon clouds building up in the north.  I pulled over to capture this formation with some palm trees dotting the skyline.  The street I was on is named "Dreamy Draw".  The street was attractive all the way to the end so I guess some might call it 'dreamy'.

Farming in the city

Before I went to the museum event I posted about yesterday, I stopped at The Farm at South Mountain, an organic farming complex located within the city limits on the far south side of town.  In addition to farming, there are restaurants that serve fabulous meals.  In fact, I posted about one of the restaurants way back in January of 2009.  Between the rows of vegetables growing were row after row of these gorgeous flowers called Zulu Prince Daisies.

Here is a patch of lettuce growing quite beautifully and a little further on are green onion and garlic plants.

The farm also has some rather fancy chickens.  To the left is a close up of the rooster who was prancing around in his pen full of hens and letting out an occasional crow or two.

Magical light

I took this one just minutes before I took yesterday’s photo.  I loved the way the light was fanning across the golf course in golden shafts.

Idyllic

An idyllic spot at the Orange Tree Golf Resort in north Phoenix.

After the Storm

This past week has been very gray and rainy culminating in a storm on Thursday that dumped a record amount of rain and snow over Arizona's normally dry landscape. After several days of rain, we are treated to these large cotton-like islands floating in the sky over Camelback Mountain.

When green meets blue

The brilliant green of the golf course against the blue sky of an October morning entices the camera.

Red Lion

I found this fellow guarding the driveway to a home that was very near where yesterday’s photo was taken. The red light of the morning sun has given him a fiery glow.

Chinese Cultural Center…part 2

Here is another view of the cultural center. This is called a Moon Gate which is a scenic window usually located in a traditional Chinese garden to separate elements of the garden.

The small photo is the reflection of the buildings in the beautiful pond located in front of the property. If you click on it, you will be able to see the outline of the building, lily pads, and a huge goldfish in the foreground.

Chinese Cultural Center

On the east side of Phoenix is a shopping and office complex known as the Chinese Cultural Center. It is composed of several Asian restaurants, several shops and, a Ranch Market that is decidedly Asian in its food products and produce. It features Chinese architecture with traditional gardens and replicas of ancient Chinese pagodas and statues. The gardens are inspiring. The day I was there, I wished I had a book with me so I could sit and read for a while.

The small photo shows one of pagoda replicas located on the property.

More Cages

Another version of the Gabion cages that I featured yesterday is this wall that I found at the Tempe Transit Center, the main station for the new Valley Metro Light Rail in the city of Tempe. Instead of housing rocks, these cages house large chunks of broken glass (with the sharp edges buffed off) and an added feature of changing colored lights that give them a soft glow that changes gradually.

The large photo shows them glowing green and the small photo shows them changed to fiery orange.

Caged

A new phenomenon in landscaping that I have noticed recently are walls or dividers made of rock that has been wired into cages that form the wanted shape. These Gabion cages or retaining walls have long been used for flood control or protection of bridges and roads but, recently they have emerged as a landscaping device. The one pictured here in both the large and small photos is in front of an office building. I’ve also seen them in parks and along pathways.

Who knew that a bunch of rocks enclosed in a wire cages could be so attractive?