Billboard Discovery

Never before has a billboard stopped me in my tracks but, that is exactly what happened yesterday.  I was walking along when I looked up and saw this enormous billboard with that distinctive face looking down at me.  I stopped and stared!  You might be wondering why this advertisement would have such an impact on me.   You see, last Friday I went to the zoo and I took lots and lots of photos and when I downloaded them the photo I loved the most was....well....this one!!   I literally thought someone had stolen my photo!  See for yourself, my photo is below.

Comparing the two photos I now see subtle differences but, they are pretty darn close, wouldn't you say?

I even cropped my photo a bit so I could do and exact compare.  Still pretty close!

The funny thing is, this particular Mandril was pretty far away from me and was constantly moving so when I took the photo using the telephoto lens in the bright sunlight, I really didn't know until I downloaded the photos if it was going to be worthwhile.  And, I only got this one shot of him.  The second I snapped the shutter this guy got up and walked inside his enclosure.

Luxury Transportation

When driving around in Scottsdale, one will most likely see any number of expensive vehicles in the next lane.  On this particular day, I was passed by this sleek Rolls-Royce.

Anyone for tea?

While walking around in Carefree on Sunday, I discovered this little place called the English Rose Tearoom.  It was the British flag out front that made me check it out.  

The place had some very cute decorations around starting with this old bicycle out front with the flower display in it's basket.

But, it was all the teapots and cups hanging from the chandelier that really caught my eye.  I didn't stop for tea myself.  I just stopped to snap a few pictures.  However, there were lots of people inside enjoying tea with all the trimmings.

Avoiding the crowds

After Friday at the zoo and Saturday at the food and wine event, I opted for a quieter Sunday.  I took a drive out to Carefree Arizona and strolled around the town center.  That's where I found this indoor shopping center where almost all the shops were closed up.  Some of them were closed for Sunday but, a good number of them were just plain empty.  It struck me that this was a rather ornate shopping area that may have lost it's appeal.

I was looking for quiet and I found it.

"Devoured"

Friday was the Phoenix Zoo and Saturday was another kind of zoo altogether.  It was the annual food and wine event called "Devoured" and put on by the Phoenix Art Museum.  Hundreds of food and wine booths all crammed into the courtyard of the museum.  It gets so crowded that it can be a bit overwhelming.

Here is my friend Heather getting a taste of wine from a very big bottle.

And this guy is serving up some very tasty green chile and pork posole.  Just look and that giant cauldron he's cooking it in!

I've posted more photos than normal today because this might be the last one of these events I attend.  It gets way too hot in that courtyard under the sun, it's way too crowded, and the event has gotten way too expensive, $80.00 this year and that is with my museum discount.  It's $90.00 for non-members.  

I loved this lady's hat.  She was very smart, it kept her eyes and shoulders shaded.

And of course, I saw several ladies in shoes that seemed totally inappropriate for four hours of standing and juggling plates and glasses.  My feet ached when I got home and I wore flats.

I have a new post on Sharon's Sojourns today.  I'm looking at some of the "hidden" gems of Venice.

Love Nest

I went to the Phoenix Zoo yesterday and I happened to catch these two beauties (and I use that term very, very loosely) tidying up their nest.  Storks are certainly not the prettiest birds around.

But, regardless of their lack of elegance or charm, these two seem to have found each other irresistible.  It looks like there may soon be a baby stork on the way.

Skywatching

I mentioned in yesterday's post that I was at Julie and Dave's new house last Sunday and we spent time on the patio enjoying the view.  Well, we also did quite a bit of skywatching as the clouds rolled by.  Every now and then there were some dramatic formations aided by the light from the setting sun on the other side of the mountain.

We also caught site of the evening arrival of the daily British Airways flight as it passed overhead on it's way to the airport.

The waxing moon was also putting on a show as it hung over head.  As you can tell, I was pointing my camera in just about every direction.

A Paradise Valley View

Last Sunday I went to Julie and Dave's new house in Paradise Valley for an impromptu dinner party.  Julie and Dave have been very, very busy with work and travel but, mostly with the move to the new place.  They are still getting things organized and working on some necessary remodeling and maintenance.  But, they took a little break on Sunday to have a few friends over so we could all catch up.  We spent most of our time on the patio enjoying the view over Paradise Valley.

From the west end of the patio, there is a gorgeous view of the praying monk rock formation on Camelback Mountain.  You can probably tell from the sky that some weather was moving into the valley.  We were lucky that rain held off until early Monday morning because it continued all day and into Tuesday.

And here is our little group (minus yours truly) enjoying conversation, wine and a fabulous view.

Blooming Yucca

The Yucca plants are all blooming right now crowning each plant with a chandelier of white flowers.

If you look a the blooms up close you can see that they are made up of hundreds of little bell shaped blooms hanging down just like a...well...a chandelier.

Garden fashion...

The Desert Botanical Garden is the kind of place you visit wearing walking shoes and casual pants but, every now and then I see someone walking around who apparently didn't know it was that kind of place.  I have to admire anyone who can gracefully navigate the uneven paths (paved and gravel) while dressed for a dinner party.

Very expensive fashion statement

We have a wonderful business here in the Phoenix area called "My Sister's Closet".  It's one of those places where you can take clothes that you no longer wear and consign them for sale and of course you can buy some great things that have been gently worn but still have some life in them.  I take things there quite often and I usually find something to take home with me.  Last Friday I was there and got stopped in my tracks by these Christian Louboutin extremely high platform shoes.  No, you will not see these killers in my closet, I wasn't even tempted.  I know the serious injury I could sustain if I tried to wear these.  However, I did think they were worthy of a photo!

Theme Day: Aging

Every living thing ages, the trick is to do it gracefully!  I think these flowers have got the hang of it.  

The March 1st theme for City Daily Photo bloggers is "Aging".  To see how other bloggers represent the theme, click here.

I have a new post on Sharon's Sojourns today.  The magic of Venice is featured.

Blimp!

I'm not a fan of Direct TV but I do enjoy seeing blimps fly over so when I saw this one practically over the top of me, I had to take a shot.

Then I extended the telephoto to see if I could see the pilots inside but, alas, not the right angle.  Such a tiny little space with all that  huge space above.  

Scottdale Canal Convergence

I was in Scottsdale early yesterday evening and I spotted these birds flying over the canal.  That's when I remembered the Canal Convergence Spring Equinox celebration that will be going on from now until the end of March.  The celebration features all kinds of art on display along with craft vendors and nightly entertainment all situated along the waterfront walk that follows the canal.

In this shot you see how the birds were hung so that they are flying right over the Paolo Soleri bridge that spans the canal.

They made a very pretty sight especially with the setting sun behind them.

Look to the skies

We had some welcome rain on Monday and Tuesday and that always leaves us with some interesting clouds to look at.  On Monday they were swirling and churning all day long but, on Tuesday they started to break up into colorful patches like the photo above.  I do love seeing the cloud activity here in the desert.

Wookees and Jedi Knights

It was Star Wars night at the Phoenix Suns game Monday evening and the gang was all there to celebrate.  Chewbacca was on hand as was Han Solo and Princess Leia.

Of course, Darth Vader was there to cross lightsabers with Yoda.

An abundance of Stormtroopers were seen everywhere in the arena.

And quite a few aliens were roaming about the arena too.  

Oh wait a second, that's not an alien it's just a Boston fan!

Allan Houser Sculptures

I found three Allan Houser sculptures at the Hermosa Inn on Saturday that were new to the resort.  It looks like their collection changes often.  Some of the ones I've seen before are still there and some are gone with new ones in their place.  It appears their collection of sculptures are on loan from Figarelli Fine Art in Scottsdale so I imagine when one is sold, they bring another one.  The one above is titled "Buffalo Dance Relief".

The one to the left is titled "Smoke Signal".

My favorite one was this one to the right.  It's called "Ready to Dance".  When I traveled for work with a team of people, my nickname became Dancing Queen so maybe that's why it struck a chord with me.

Resort Colors

My friend Janet and I had our annual spring lunch at the Hermosa Inn on Saturday, dining in the garden.  After lunch we walked around the beautiful grounds.

The flowers were gorgeous as usual making the place look stunning on a wonderfully warm day.

While we were there, the chefs came out with this giant hunk of meat and arranged it over the open fire.  It made me wonder if there was going to be a special patio dinner party with a western bar-b-que flare that evening.

Shades of Purple

While I was at the garden on Friday to see the Turning Wood exhibit I featured yesterday, of course I walked around to see what was blooming.  I was surprised to see so much popping out.  What surprised me even more was that almost everything blooming was in shades of purple, lavender and pink.  It was a beautiful combination.  I ended up taking around 200 shots!  I made the little collage above to give you an idea of the "shades of purple" show I saw.

I have a new  post on Sharon's Sojourns.  This time I'm visiting a different St. Louis Cathedral.

Arizona Indigenous - New Turned Wood

Yesterday I went to see an exhibit at the Desert Botanical garden of turned wood objects all made from wood native to Arizona.  I think the above piece was my favorite of all the pieces I saw.  It and the two to the left are made of saguaro cactus ribs.  It's formed by a technique developed by the artists Philip and Matt Moulthrop.  The pieces of the cactus are formed together in sections that are adhered together with poured epoxy.  Once the epoxy is dry, the piece is turned in the traditional woodturning manner.

The piece above is made from palo verde wood.  I really liked the patterns in the wood piece.

It wasn't a large show but, the pieces are quite beautiful.  There is even an excellent video describing how the pieces are made. There is also a book that shows other wooden art pieces that the pair have created.  You can see some of their wonderful work by clicking the link above.  If you are close, the show runs through May 3rd.

Five Presidents - in a row

I took this photo of these tall buildings in a row in downtown Phoenix a couple of weeks ago but, I was actually downtown last night to see a play, the world premier of a play called "Five Presidents" written by Rick Cleveland.  It was a very entertaining look at what might have gone on in the private room where Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford, and Jimmy Carter waited when they attended the funeral of Richard Nixon.  The writer said he first got the idea to write the play when he was working on the television show "The West Wing" and he saw a photo of the five presidents at the funeral.  He got to thinking about what they might have said to each other when they were alone together.  The five actors chosen to play the roles did a great job of making each personality come to life.  If the play makes it to your town, check it out.  I think everyone would enjoy it.

P.S.  For those of you who saw yesterday's post, I had a prosciutto pizza for dinner before the play.  Prosciutto and happiness....it goes together.