Tall Fountain

I was recently at the home of one of my Art Challenge friends in north Scottsdale and I noticed this gorgeous fountain in a park-like setting near his house.  It looks like there is a neighborhood park that runs from the entrance to the housing development all the way to the back of the development and this grand fountain sits right in the middle of that park.  I like it!!

I have a new post on Sharon's Sojourns today.  I have some views along the Pacific Coast.

Waterfalls and Flooded Streets

Yesterday morning we had a big storm hit the area with rain coming down by the bucket loads.  I happened to be at Julie's house at the time so I got to see some phantom waterfalls coming off of the mountain behind Julie's house.  You might have to look close to see it in this photo.  There was a lot of water in the air when I took the photo.

Looking north off the patio I could see that we were firmly packed inside a cloud.  The view was completely gone.

An hour later it was still wet outside but the cloud was gone and once again I could see across to the other mountain.  Sitting on the side of a mountain is a good place to watch all the storm action.

Monsoon Storms

They held off until August but, the monsoon storms have finally arrived.  We've had wind and rain almost every evening this week.  The photo above was taken looking west from my house.  On this particular night we had some great color in the sky.

We also had a bigger storm approaching from the north.  The sky over the mountain looked dark and there were flashes of distant lightening that would make the edges of the mountain light up.  I tried to catch one of those flashes but no luck.

The next night we had some really blustery weather.  Again, this is a view to the west with a decidedly dark and stormy sky heading this way.  We got quite a lot of rain from this one.  At times it came down so hard that they halted incoming flights at the airport.  Hopefully, there is more rain to come.  We sure do need it.

Details in the Neighborhood

I was exploring a nearby neighborhood one day when I spotted a couple of interesting details.  This house had a floral flag flying outside the gate.  It doesn't say anything on the flag so I don't know what it represents.  Maybe it's just a love of flowers.

Another house I passed had these brightly colored Adirondack chairs sitting in their yard.  That looks like a nice shady spot to sit and sip some iced tea.

Family Fun

I drive by this office building quite often and I've always admired that sculpture that sits on top of the sign.

It looks like the whole family is out having fun balancing on a log over maybe a stream or a small canyon.  Even the family dog is in on the adventure.

I've never had an occasion to visit any of the offices inside this building but, I finally pulled into the parking lot to get some photos of that cute sculpture.

Southern Foothills

While I was out prowling the foothills of South Mountain looking for a good skyline shot for yesterday's theme, I snapped a few photos of some homes I saw perched on the slopes.  This one has a very uniform and somewhat stark front but it sits right on the edge of a hill so I'm guessing the views from the back are pretty spectacular.  In fact, it wasn't far from here where I snapped my skyline shot.

This one has a perfect southwestern look going on.  The words "High Chaparral" come to mind when viewing this one.

And one home had this very tall sculpture perched on a steep slope at the side of their home.

There were a lot of interesting things to see on this southern drive.

Theme Day: My City's Skyline

Getting skyline photos of Phoenix during the very hot summer months is a bit of a challenge.  There is a lot of heat distortion in the air and mixed with the inevitable city pollution, most of my shots were bit on the hazy side.  This one turned out the best after I had added a bit of contrast to help clear out the haze.

My favorite night time skyline shot is this one from a few years ago.  I took it in December when the air was crisp and clear.

On the first of every month, City Daily Photo bloggers post photos based on a theme.  The July theme is My City's Skyline.  To see how some other bloggers have addressed the theme, click here.

Remembering Spring

It's the time of year when Phoenicians start to think about cooler temperatures.  We've suffered through two and a half months of extreme heat and we either want to get out of town to the mountains or stand in front of our refrigerators with the door open.  It won't be until late August before I can leave to enjoy some ocean air in California so instead I just dug through my spring time photos for reminders of the times when I could take long walks.

I took these photos back in April when I took a long walk in one of our historic neighborhoods where I found all kinds of flowers blooming.

I'm looking forward to those long walks again but, I'll have to wait a couple of more months.

I have a new post on Sharon's Sojourns today.  I'm craving something that only Tucson has to offer.

Telephoto.....ing

A while back on one of my photo drives around town, I pointed my telephoto lens up toward the top of Camelback Mountain.  I liked the way the late afternoon sun was making the mountain look red and with the telephoto, I could see the saguaro cactus up there.

Then I pointed right up to the very top and I caught a glimpse of somethings up there that didn't look like rock or plants.  See that speck of white just left of center?  Then there is something nearly in the center.

So I cropped the photo and pulled in what I was seeing.  It looks like two guys with white caps on on the left side.  Possibly a woman in a red or orange shirt sitting and over to the very right, I spotted two shirtless guys soaking up some rays on the rocks.  Can you see them?  The two guys to the right were a bonus.  I couldn't see them at all in the original shot.  I have to remember to do this more often.  It's fun finding these things that you can't normally see.

Don Quixote

It took me a while to decipher this sculpture at the Scottsdale Civic Center.  Against such a busy background it just looks like various pieces of metal.

I finally decided that it's Don Quixote on his horse that is rearing up.  He's carrying his shield and long lance.  Maybe that's even a broken down windmill in front of him.  Anyway, that's what I think is going on here.

The Lobster

Sometime last month I joined some friends to see a move titled "The Lobster".  Have any of you seen it?  I'd love your opinion.  I have to say it's not one I would recommend to people but the message was very interesting.  It's about the social pressures of modern relationships and although the concept is very strange, the message came through clearly.  If you would like to read a short review about the movie, check this one out.  The guy who wrote it clearly liked the movie.

Now, after I've said all of that, you might be wondering about the photo.  I recently saw this plate on display at a store and it made me think of that movie.  It also made me curious if anyone else had seen it and what they thought.

Contemplating the Stormy Skies

Yesterday I mentioned that we had some rain last week.  I took this photo a little earlier in the evening that same night when I went out to collect my mail.  I noticed this bird sitting on the wall and watching the sky.  I went down and got my mail, came back up and he was still there.  He was taking in the whole scene.  We got quite a bit of rain that night and were supposed to get more the next night but that never materialized.  We've had a sort of blah monsoon season so far this year.

Another Burger Review

Since I started reviewing some of the tasty burgers I've tried lately I thought I'd continue the theme.  This time I tried the burger at Tarbell's Tavern, one of the many restaurants I can walk to (when it's a little cooler).    This one featured all the burger trimmings and served on a grilled soft bun.  I'd give this burger top marks for flavor and extras.  Delicious.

Tarbell's Tavern is one of my favorite places for a casual meal.  The food is always top-notch as is the service.  And, by now everyone working there knows me so that makes it extra special.  When I took this photo just last week, it was pouring down rain.  In fact, I got a bit drenched just walking from the car to the front door.  Once the rain slowed down, the place filled up as usual.  We haven't seen a spot of rain since.

Cooking Class

On Saturday afternoon, my friend Julie treated me to a cooking class that was all about cooking with figs.  Our instructor was Felicia Cocotzin Ruiz who is a "natural chef" using all natural ingredients especially those that can be found in our area.

In the top photo she is make these delicious chocolate dipped figs that have been rolled in pistachios. She used the small bite sized fresh figs for this dish and it was delicious.

The show-stopper dish she made was a fig tart with a crust made with mesquite flour.  I've seen mesquite flower in various specialty stores and I've tasted dishes made with it in a couple of local restaurants but, I've never attempted to cook with it myself.  I'm glad I had the opportunity to see how it's done.  You can't use it on it's own, it has to mixed with other flower because the mesquite flower has a high sugar content and will burn quickly if you use it alone.  That tart was so good!  I loved it.

She also made one more dish that I didn't snap a photo of.  It was a Fig and Ancho Chile Sauce that was fantastic. It was thick like a chutney and dark from the dried ancho chilies and was wonderful with chips or would be equally wonderful with meats or on sandwiches.  I'll definitely make some of that at home.

It was a fun event hosted by a very knowledgable and talented chef!

Art, Friends and a Spectacular Sunset

Most of my readers know that I belong to an Art Challenge club that meets during the summer months.  Our July meeting was Friday night and the challenge theme was "Masks, Mannequins and Marionettes".  Above is a photo of my entry.  I stepped out of my photography comfort zone to create a sculpture.  It was a true challenge figuring out how to paint it and fit the pieces together.  It was also another fun evening with great friends and interesting and inspiring art.

The meeting was at a friend's second floor condo in central Phoenix and in addition to fabulous art, we were treated to a spectacular sunset.

What could be better, a fantastic sunset view, loads of close friends, great food and wine and many wonderful works of art.

I have a new post on Sharon's Sojourns today.  I'm looking at my favorite lions standing guard.

Real or Fake?

Back in March when I went on one of the two private garden tours I enjoyed, one of the yards had a lovely deep red wall around the garden.  As I walked along I admired the cactus so neatly planted along the perimeter.

But this one didn't look quite right.  It turned out to be a sculpture of a prickly pear cactus. With the exception of those multi-colored "blooms", it looks pretty natural to me.  In fact, that would look good at my house.  At least I'd know I couldn't kill this one.

Inside the Resort

I'm finishing up my tour of the Sheraton Grand Wild Horse Pass Resort today with a little tour of the main building of the resort.  This was the first time I had visited this part of the resort and I was impressed with what I saw.  You enter the lobby on the third floor where reception is located but, the main part of the lobby is below looking out over the pool area.

There is a big rock formation in the center of the area with water flowing out of it and through a stream, under the bridge above and out on to the patio area.

Above it all is a ceiling painted with different images of Native American history and activities. 

There was even a quiet little fireplace area where someone could sit and read the paper or talk with friends.  

All in all, I was genuinely impressed with the beauty of the place.  Someone mentioned on one of my previous posts that it reminded them of Santa Fe and I have to agree.  It does have a very strong Southwestern look reminiscent of Santa Fe architecture.

Native American Decor

I paused my tour of the Sheraton Grand Wild Horse Pass Resort to celebrate a historic anniversary yesterday but, today I'm back inside the convention facility at this beautiful resort.  This is the building full of meeting rooms and ballrooms.  The design is still very native and yet very modern at the same time.

I loved the light fixtures that run along the walls in this long hallway.  What a unique and attractive design.

The area is full of wonderful southwestern artworks by artists who actually live and work in this area.  

This painting is by Amil Pero and it's called "Estrella Trails".

Tomorrow I'll show you the main building at this resort.

One Small Step....One Giant Leap

I know exactly where I was on this date in 1969.  I was sitting in front of an old black & white television set in the family room of my childhood home in Quincy Illinois along with my parents as we watched Neil Armstrong make that first step on to the surface of the moon.  What a monumental event.  It was one of those events in life that stays with you for a long time.

Today our explorations into the space outside of the earth's atmosphere have evolved and advanced and we now have an International Space Station that is in constant orbit around our planet.  Many times, I've walked outside to watch that station pass overhead.  It's just a light in the sky but it thrills me every time I see it.  Did you know that you can see it too?  Go to the "Spot the Station" website and enter your location information and they will give you a schedule of when the station will pass overhead where you are.  The time and direction is very precise and accurate.

So, where were you on this date in 1969?

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.