Nature Photography

Late last night I happened to check that National Recognition Day calendar and saw that today is National Nature Photography Day.  I decided to change the post I had for today and dedicate this one to some Nature Photography.  This guy looks petty darn serious about his nature photography.

My camera isn't anywhere near as big as that one above but, I think it still does a fine job of capturing the beauty that nature has to offer.  This blue hibiscus is a fine example.

This claret cup cactus bloom is also looking pretty good.  Go out and photograph some nature today!

A Walk in the Park

I took a walk at Papago Park Sunday morning before it got too warm.   It was quite pleasant.  

Not too many people about.  The lagoon water was very still so it made great reflections of the palm grove.

The cattails were tall and seemed to be framing the picnic ramada.

Those purple flowers I featured yesterday were blooming all around the lagoon.

And the dragonflies were buzzing all around and keeping an eye on things.

Doesn't this one look like he's smiling?

At a Loss for Words

I'm having a hard time finding the words to express my grief over yesterday's tragic event.  The magnitude of loss is as overwhelming to me as the incomprehensible hate that generated it.  My heart is aching......once again.

Photo:  Some purple flowers I saw yesterday growing near the lagoon at Papago Park.

Admiring more Sculptures

Yesterday I featured two bronze sculptures by artist Doug Hyde that are located at the Heard Museum.  Those two aren't the only of his sculptures on display.  Today I have three more to admire.

This first one is titled "Zuni Girl".  It is a beautiful bronze with very smooth lines and a traditional look.

Doug Hyde doesn't only sculpt in bronze, he also uses stone and these two are also his works.  The grouping is titled "Flag Song" and it's sculpted from Tennessee pink marble.

This last one is also by Doug Hyde, this one sculpted from limestone.  It's called "The Dollmaker".  All of these sculptures are located around the grounds of the Heard Museum and can easily be seen by anyone who stops by the museum.

I have a new post on Sharon's Sojourns today.  I'm taking my very first walk around the streets of Rome.

Southwest Summer Showers

There are two of these sculptures on the grounds of the Heard Museum.  Both are by artist Doug Hyde, another well known Native American artist in the southwest.

On the day I was there, the sun was so bright, I didn't blame this young lady for shading herself. It looks completely natural.  But, the title to the sculptures is "Southwest Summer Showers".  Those happen too, especially in the northern half of our state.

I had to get up close to get a shot of this young lady's face.  That umbrella was doing a great job of shading her.

Rare Sight

I spotted this fellow on a palm tree in Tempe a while ago and had to get a shot.  According to my "Birds of Arizona" book, it's an Acorn Woodpecker.  I don't think I've ever seen one before.  He's a handsome fellow.

For-Profit Education

Around 10 years ago when I worked in Chandler Arizona, I had to drive by these two buildings every day to and from work.  If it was dark when I was driving home, these buildings would be completely lit up inside and I always wondered why so many offices would be busy until so late in the evening.  This is the headquarters for the University of Phoenix a for-profit education group owned by the Apollo Education Group.  I'm sure most of you have heard of this school.  They have 91 campuses world wide although that number is declining as they close some of them because of falling enrollments.  Enrollment hit a high of 600,000 students in 2010 but, is down to 162,000 in 2016.  These two buildings are listed as the corporate headquarters.  There are a few other large buildings scattered around the valley that are called "campuses" however, most of the schools classes are taught on-line.

Abstract Mural

This new mural has recently been discovered on the side of a newly remodeled apartment complex. It's only visible from the alley that runs beside the building and the alley is so narrow that I had to take the photo at a bit of an angle.  I like the abstract look but I have to admit, others have told me they hate it.  I guess it's a good thing it's only visible from the alley.

Art and Sanity....revisited

I featured this piece of public art way back in 2009.  You can see the original post with a description here.

The piece is by artist Louise Bourgeois, world-renowned artist of large-scale sculptures.

This piece sits in the atrium of the Phoenix Convention Center in downtown Phoenix.  Symphony Hall is up those stairs to the right in this photo and the convention center meeting rooms are to the left on several floors.

The piece is called "Art is a Guarantee of Sanity" which you can see reflected in red in the mirror from the mirror's frame.  I'm reflected in the mirror too (somewhere down there) as I take the photo.

The Pioneering Spirit

I found this statue outside of one of the government buildings in downtown Phoenix.  It has no plaque to identify the artist or the name of the piece.  It has a bit of a pioneer look to it with the man here helping the horse carrying his wife over the rocks.

It's not a huge sculpture, only about 5 to 6 feet tall and sitting on a pedestal or plinth.  It's just a guess but, I think it's been sitting here (or somewhere else before here) for a long time.  It looks like it's seen its share of the elements.

First Night Dining Experience

Does anyone remember this iconic building that I featured back in 2011?

Local celebrity chef Silvana Salcido Esparza opened a new restaurant in that very same building called Barrio Cafe Gran Reserva.  It's first official day of operation was last Thursday and my friend David and I got to be there for that debut dinner.

The area where this building is located is a little rough around the edges but, an abundance of artist's studios and small galleries are giving it a well deserved face lift.

As for the old Bragg's Pie Factory building, Esparza and her team have turned it into a gourmet jewel, fit for the eye as well as the stomach.

The dining room is tiny but well appointed and decorated with wonderful murals with a south of the border theme.

The menu reflects the chef's roots and showcases dishes that you won't find on any other Mexican Restaurant near here.

I had a dish that was featured on the "tasting menu" called Chicharron de Pancita, a pork dish with hints of cinnamon and served with fresh avocado and a roasted peanut and cascabel-honey salsa.  It was crispy at the edges with delicious flavors.

David had a dish called Tacuba.  It was enchilada with spinach, queso de cabre and salsa de creme y chile poblano.  The little taste I had was mouth-watering good.

Chef Esparza has a loyal following of people who love her food so getting into this tiny place in the future will be a challenge but, I'm sure we will be back.  There were a lot of other things on this menu that I would love to try.

I have a new post on Sharon's Sojourns today.  I'm taking a walk around a California island.

Things are Heating Up

And I'm not talking about the election.  They are predicting temperatures around 114 degrees today.  That's 46 C for you celsius people.  Standing in front of a wall like this with the sun shining directly on it can feel like you are in an oven.  They tell us it will cool off a bit after next week.  Fingers crossed.  It's too early to be this hot.

Warning: Gratuitous Cuteness Ahead

I spotted these two enjoying the cool waters of the fountain at the Scottsdale Civic Center last weekend.  They were just too cute to pass up.

This little fellow was learning the ropes from his very patient mother.  I didn't see any sign of dad.  All of the ducks floating in the fountain were females and this was the only duckling.  It must have been ladies day at the civic center.

Just up the Hill

When driving north on the street I live on, the road goes up a hill and into the foothills of the Phoenix Mountain Preserve.  About half way up the hill I discovered this house with its curves and smooth lines.  It makes me think of a Frank Lloyd Wright design with a more modern twist.

I like the look of this place on the hill.  I think I would like the view from the back of the house even more.  It's sits on a lot on the edge of the hill so I think it must have some great views of the city below.

Theme Day: Shadow and Highlight

Can you believe it's the first of the month again??  Where has the time gone!

As many of you know, the first of the month is "Theme Day" for City Daily Photo Bloggers and this month's them is Shadow and Highlight.

I decided to use this photo that I took of a bouquet of lilies.  I sat the bouquet in direct line with the late afternoon sun and the sun did it's duty highlighting the bright flowers and casting a shadow behind the vase.  Shadow and highlight in one shot.

If you would like to see how other City Daily Photo Bloggers have depicted the theme, click here.

Circles or Dots

I found this building in downtown Phoenix a week or so ago and was smitten with all the colorful dots.

I stopped to get a closer look.  The sign at the front says it's an art gallery but, it wasn't open when I happened by.  I'll have to check it out on another occasion.  I do love that colorful exterior.

Memorial Day 2016

Today is Memorial Day in the United States, the day we honor our men and women who have died in active military service.  There will be parades and services throughout the state.  The plaza in front of the Arizona State Capitol has a number of memorials for different wars or military actions throughout the years.  Last year I showed you the Viet Nam Memorial.  This year I have the Desert Storm memorial.

I hope all my US readers are enjoying this Memorial Day holiday!

Phoenix Rising Revisited

Last Thursday evening, the Phoenix Art Museum had a special event to draw in visitors to the current show called "Phoenix Rising".  I told you about this exhibit back in April when I first visited.  It's a show of art works that are in the private collections of Phoenix residents.  Even though I had seen the show before, I took the opportunity to see it again and I brought along my good friend David who had not seen it yet.  The piece above is one of my favorites from the show.  It's a photographic print titled "Greenhouse" by Anthony Goicolea.  It's a very long and narrow piece so my photo doesn't do it justice.  It shows a dozen or so perfectly dressed and groomed gentlemen inside the greenhouse with cotton plants surrounding them.

Another extraordinary piece in the show was this one simply titled "Portrait of a Man".  It is designated as "In the style of Rembrandt van Rijn" and dates back to 1635.  It does in fact have Rembrandt's name located right above his shoulder on the right side of the portrait.

The explanation says that many paintings that were designated as Rembrandt's have been discovered to be by other painters working in Rembrandt workshops or who were followers of Rembrandt so until the painting can be authenticated, it's better to say "in the style of".
Regardless, it is a mesmerizing portrait.

 Remember all those shoes from this show that I posted back in April?  Here are some fashions that go with the shoes.  In fact they are part of the same collection as all those wonderful shoes.

Today is the last day for this interesting show so if you are in Phoenix this weekend and would like to see it, get over there.

I have a new post on Sharon's Sojourns today.  I'm visiting a favorite spot in Southern Arizona.

Praise for the Humble Burger

Today is National Hamburger Day!  What?? you say!  ;-)  Ever since I found that National Recognition Day website, I have found some very quirky and strange national recognition days.  It seems every day of the year has some sort of designation and most have more than one.  But, since today is the day to celebrate the burger, I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to introduce you to a new "favorite" burger of mine.

This new place is called Hopdoddy Burger Bar and it's the second one to open in the Phoenix Metro area however, it's completely new to me.  I had never heard of them before.  They advertise sustainably harvested vegetables, fish and hormone free meats and they make all their own condiments and soft drinks.

The dining concept is unique in that you order your burger from a counter service and they then assign you a table and a server.  You go to the assigned table and the server takes over from there, bringing you anything you need after that.  I've been about six times now since it opened in February and the burgers are consistently good as is the friendly service.  As you can see from the top photo, my favorite burger is the one with the poblano chili on it along with bacon, cheese, tomato and lettuce.  It's delicious.

Strange name, but great burgers!  Happy National Hamburger Day!

Scooters are for Scooting

I saw these two cute little scooters parked in front of a sidewalk cafe in downtown Phoenix.  The cafe was closed at the time so I wondered if they might belong to the people preparing to open up.  I love the Italian flag paint job on the one on right.

Purple Blooms

Purple and lavender are two of my favorite colors so when I see those colors displayed in flowers, I tend to be drawn right to them.  That's what happened last Sunday when I took that early morning walk at the Desert Botanical Garden.  The first ones that caught my eye were the bee balm plants in the wildflower section of the garden.  There were fields of the shaggy beauties all along the trails.

Another one that I love seeing is the bright blooms on the Guayacan plant.  This plant is labeled as under special protection.  It's native to northern Mexico and into Central America.

Over in the herb garden area I found rows of Lynn's Legacy Sage with lovely lavender blooms all over them.  I do love cooking with sage but I don't think I've ever used this variety.

A little further down the trail, I saw the artichokes had gone to bloom.  One part of me hates to see them blooming because they aren't edible after that but, the other part of me loves the lovely lavender thistle-like bloom on top.

Our Giant Panda

I think I might have pictured this giant panda sculpture once before in post a few years ago.   It's called "Maternal Love" and it was a gift to the city of Phoenix from the city of Chengdu in China.  Chengdu is a Phoenix "Sister City".

She really is a "giant" panda as you can see from this photo taken a little further away.  It's located in the Margaret Hance Park in the Mid-Town area of Phoenix just north of our downtown.  It's not in a location that can be seen from a the well traveled street near by so I think it gets missed by most people.  But, it's well worth a little admiration.

Rock Climbers

When I was at the garden on Sunday morning I spotted a flash of white on the Papago Buttes but I couldn't tell what was going on.  So, I extended the telephoto and snapped a few photos as I walked along one of the trails.

After I downloaded the photos, I could see that it was a couple preparing to do a little rock climbing on the butte.

I took this las shot as I was leaving.  They were still up there practicing their climbing techniques.