Tiptoe Through the Tulips

 

I bought a bouquet of tulips over the weekend and I've so enjoyed watching them open up.  So much so, that I keep snapping photos as they progress.

I'll see them in different light and grab my camera again!

They've been a joy to watch as they bend helter-skelter in every direction.  I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a bunch of flowers this much!

New Experience: Dining Out

 

I dined out - inside a restaurant - twice this last weekend!  It felt new and a bit strange.

Friday night I had dinner with two friends and I have to admit I did feel a bit nervous after stepping through the restaurant door and seeing all those people inside.  However the restaurant was spaced carefully and they used plexiglass partitions in some places.  After being seated, I started to relax a bit.

Side note:  The businesses creating plexiglas barriers have certainly prospered over this past year, haven't they?

On Sunday I had brunch with friends at the Wrigley Mansion, pictured above and to the left.  

Since it was Mother's Day on Sunday, the restaurant at the Wrigley Mansion had quite a few special tributes to mother's everywhere.  This little arrangement was placed just inside the door.  The little bottle to the left isn't perfume, it's hand sanitizer.  Another sign of the times.

Epic Rides

 

A few weeks ago I posted a photo of a mural I found at a Tucson Shopping Center when I was down there at the beginning of April.  You can see it here.  It was painted by an artist named Joe Pagac.  Little did I know that I already had a photo of another one Joe's murals in my photo files.  I took this one in November of 2017.  This one was commissioned by "Epic Rides", a business that organizes mountain biking events.

I found a web site for Joe Pagac and I learned the he has many murals in the Tucson area and one I've seen before here in Phoenix.  He was born and raised in Tucson but has traveled the world pursuing his art.  

Taking part in Monday Murals!

Music for the Dogs!

 

After posting about my last walk at the Desert Botanical Garden yesterday, I had the urge to go again.  I made my reservation and went yesterday morning.  I didn't realize when I made the reservation that Saturday was going to be one of the garden's Dog Days.  When I arrived and saw all those dogs entering the garden, I thought it might be a fun day.  Then I was surprised again to hear beautiful music.  I saw this group of musicians from the Phoenix Symphony performing and there were lots of dogs an owners stopping to listen.  These gentlemen are all from the Phoenix Symphony's Education and Community Outreach team.  

I enjoyed seeing all the dogs on my walk.  I thought this rather elegant looking poodle and its owner made a cute couple as they took a little photo break.

And this handsome fellow came dressed in this butterfly wings for the occasion.  

Today is Mother's Day here in the U.S. so I want to wish a Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there.  Have a wonderful day.

I have a new post on Sharon's Sojourns today.  It's about a historical exhibit that is in transition.  

Quail on the Table

 

The last time I was at the Desert Botanical Garden for a walk, I stopped and sat for a while at the outdoor cafe where quite a lot of quail were wandering about looking for scraps to eat.

They made themselves right at home jumping from chairs to tables looking for any tiny scrap that someone might have left behind.

They were fun to watch scampering around from table to table.  The garden is always a source of entertainment no matter where I go.

Five Years of Garden Tours

 

When I was filing away all the photos I took on this years Phoenix Home & Garden Tour, I noticed that I have been going on these tours for five years now.  It would have been six if last year hadn't been the lost pandemic year.  I started attending the tours back in 2016 when I visited this lovely garden.  It was a lot like visiting a park.  I posted about it here.

In 2017, the tour included the garden at this house which was full of a lots of plants more common to the southwest.  I posted about this one here.

In 2018, we enjoyed a tour of this house, both inside and out.  The back garden for this one was my favorite.  I posted about it here.

In 2019 one of the stops was at this house that is located in Paradise Valley on the north side of Camelback Mountain.  This was a very modern house surrounded by desert landscape and a pool with a view.  I posted about this one here.  

The 2021 tour had this surprise garden that I just recently posted about.  This one was nothing like anything we had seen before on any of these tours.  

I've enjoyed all of these tours over the years.  It's fun to get to see places you would never see normally.  

Small Celebration

 

Yesterday was Cinco de Mayo (May 5th), an unofficial Mexican Holiday that we Americans celebrate mostly by eating lots of delicious Mexican food and drinking one or two Margaritas.  In the past, I've always joined a group of friends for a fun evening of good food and lively conversation.  Last year, I was only able to think about it and remember celebrations past.  This year, I actually did make it to a Mexican restaurant with just one friend and sitting on the outside patio.  Not quite the same as years past but it's a start.

I went to Los Sombreros and this time I tried the enchiladas mole.  They were fantastic.  Fingers crossed that next year it can be back to a group event.

Modern, Inside & Out

 

Today I'm showing a few photos from inside the house I featured yesterday.  The house was staged with furniture so that any future buyer could get an idea of how it would look.  There was a definite black and white theme in the furnishings.

The living area in the top photo was adjacent to the den or game room.

The master bedroom continued the black and white theme.

The master bathroom was huge with a bowl-like tub and a very fancy shower with two shower stations.  

There were a total of four bedrooms and one of them was dressed out as an office space.  There was a little private garden space just outside those windows.  

The price for this home is a whopping 6.3 million dollars.  We had a little guessing game about the price and I was way off.  I said around 3 million.  It actually makes little difference to me.  I'm not in the income bracket for any of the homes we toured.  Luckily, I'm quite happy with much smaller and more modest accommodations.  But, it is nice to have a look around.  

The Last House on the Tour

 

The last home on the Phoenix Home and Garden tour was what is called a "spec" home.  This home was built specifically to sell and has never been lived in yet.  

This was a very modern home with lots of glass in every room.

The landscape included a big saguaro cactus placed right at the entrance with a large hole in the porch ceiling so it can grow out through the hole.  

The back of the house faces the mountains so there will always be a spectacular view to enjoy.  You can see some blooming Palo Verde trees just over that attractive garden wall.

Behind the seating area was a lovely gas fireplace.  Perfect for those chilly winter nights in the desert.  

The pool was interesting with a little path way across it near the windows.  I didn't attempt to cross it but I saw many people who did.  One lady did it in very high heels.  

Tomorrow I'll show you some photos from inside.  And, I'll reveal the price.  

Gift Wrapped

 

I made a stop at a nearby grocery store and as I pulled into the parking lot, I saw this car all wrapped in wrapping paper.

Now this is something I have never seen before so of course I had to stop for a quick photo or two.  I can't imagine what the occasion was for wrapping this car up in such a variety of wrapping paper.  Maybe it was going to be a gift to someone and to keep it secret, it was decided to park it in a parking lot. I like that idea.  I think I'll go with that thought.  I hope it was just what they wanted.  

Sunday Roses!

 

I thought a good way to start the month of May was with a variety of roses.  Roses just seem like the perfect flower to represent May.  The pink one above was growing in a rose bed in old town Scottsdale.  The shaded background made it stand out.

This one was also growing in that same rose bed.  The background on this one was not quite as shaded as the one above.  I do love finding perfect rose buds.

These two were growing next to a home in east Phoenix.  I couldn't resist capturing them with the yellow blooms of the Palo Verde trees as a backdrop.  

This last one was growing at one of the homes I recently visited on the Phoenix Home and Garden tour.  I had to use the telephoto to get this one.  It was in a spot near the back of the garden.  It looks like it is a perfect bloom!

I have a new post on Sharon's Sojourns today.  I'm making a visit to Montezuma's Castle.

Theme Day: Earth

 

I decided to get a little "arty" with this post for theme day.  I recently found a small globe hidden away in a box and I photographed it against a black background.  Then I used one of my photo editing tools to add the outer space theme to the background.  That was lots of fun and I loved the result.  

I'm guessing that Earth was chosen for the City Daily Photo Bloggers theme because we just experienced International Earth Day.  If you are curious as to how other bloggers depict "Earth" for a subject, click here.

Inside the House

 

The Phoenix Home and Garden tour guests got to see the inside of the home with "the secret garden."  And as you might expect, the inside tended to mirror the exotic nature of the garden.

Above and to the left are just two examples of the presence of Buddha in the home.  There were many more.  

This living space had floor to ceiling windows that looked out on the garden and mirrored panels that help to make the room look extra big.  

The dining room was furnished with wood walls and display cases that were apparently salvaged from some castle in Europe.  That room also had floor to ceiling windows looking out on the garden.

More mirrors lined the entrance hall along with more Buddhas and other statues. 

All of this was hidden behind a very simple facade.  If you drove past this house, you would never even guess what was inside and in the yard.  

This one was well worth the visit.

Two Pools and Peacocks

 

I'm returning to "The Secret Garden" that I introduced yesterday.  This was certainly an unexpected environment and quite delightful to see.

This one of the swimming pools in the yard.  This one fits in perfectly with the strong Asian theme.  I love that elaborate gate at one end.

The other pool was on the opposite side of the yard and to be perfectly fair, it actually belongs to the house next door that at some point in time became part of the same property.  

There Was an alligator living in one of the ponds.  Fortunately, he was made of stone.

And Buddhas were found all over the garden.

I saw a group of people looking up toward the roof so I glanced up to see this peacock prancing around trying to impress his mate who seemed to be totally disinterested.

As you can see from these and yesterday's photos, this is quite a place.  I'm so glad I got to see it.