More Holiday Decorations

 

Here are a few more photos of the decorations at the Desert Botanical Garden.  These flowers are in the fountain at the entrance to the garden.  

These pillars are located all over the garden.  They are topped with a variety of holiday plants.

And of course, there are poinsettias every where you look.

There is also a tall Christmas tree.  It is located where they always put the tree.  I photographed  it framed by nearby cactus.  

Positioning Nature's Plants

 

Sometimes I see plants as artistic objects that I can photograph in a way that makes them look different from their normal viewpoint.  When I saw this prickly pear cactus in front of the fanned out branches of an aloe plant, I thought it made a great frame for the cactus.

I like this pot full of small plants.  I'm not sure what they are but they looked great all clustered together in that pot.

I took the photo above at the Desert Botanical Garden back when those plastic animals were still on display.  I used one of the giant yellow snails as a background for the prickly pear cactus.

The photo to the left was taken in Scottsdale.  I just liked the way the vine-like plant was climbing up that decorative concrete wall.

I enjoy looking at nature from a different point of view.

Time to Rake the Leaves

 

We have finally reached the stage where our trees that shed their leaves start doing exactly that. 

I don't see many trees that get a red tint here in the desert so I had to stop and take a photo of these three that appear to be turning a nice ruby shade.  

I also hardly ever see anyone raking leaves here.  Instead they use those noisy leaf-blowers that are so annoying.  

When I was growing up in Illinois, raking the leaves was a fall chore that I enjoyed.  Many of our neighbors would rake them into piles by the street and then burn them. My dad hated the smell of the smoke so we didn't participate in the burning part.  

Little Christmas Flourish

 

I don't put up a tree at home any longer but I do add a few Christmas decorations around the house to enhance the holidays.

I have my little lighted Christmas tree.  It looks great when all the lights are off.

I have a copper bowl that sits on my coffee table that is usually full of colored glass chips.  I've filled it with a variety of Christmas ornaments. The sun was shining through the window right on the bowl when I took this shot.

This is one set of glass trees that I have acquired over the years.  I put these on the bookcase in front of my "Waterfall" ladies photo.

I have a wreath on the door and my little Santa statue in the window.  I think I'm all set for this strange holiday season.  

Heroes

 

I've had these photos of this mural in my files for a year or two now.  I was hoping I could find some information about it and the artist or artists involved.  But I've had no luck.  So it's time to post these photos anyway.  I located this mural in one of our older historic districts in south Phoenix.  It's a long mural and depicts portraits of a special people.  Unfortunately I don't recognize the person in this first section.

This second section features Mohammed Ali and Mother Theresa.

In this section we see Ghandi and Frida Kahlo.

In this last section is Cesar Chavez.  

Taking part in Monday Murals.

Merry Horses

 

I was in Scottsdale last weekend and noticed that the fountain horses had their holiday gear on.  They always look so festive with those pretty wreaths around their necks.  It always reminds me of the lions in front of the Art Institute of Chicago.  It is tradition to put wreaths around the lions necks.

I have a new post on Sharon's Sojourns today.  I'm visiting another New York landmark.

Great Sunset Followed By Rain

 

They predicted rain for Thursday and this time they were right.  On Wednesday evening, the clouds rolled into the valley giving us a spectacular Sunset.

These first two photos are looking southwest where the sun was setting.  The top photo is with my iPhone and this one above is with my camera.

Then I turned around a looked north at the mountains.  Not as dramatic as the sunset but I like the look of the sky and the last rays of the sun on the mountain.  Rain only lasted that one day.  Yesterday was back to sunshine.

Is a Rescue Needed?

 

On my walk yesterday, I noticed that Santa appeared to be locked up in this upstairs room.  I think he might want someone to let him out.

Hopefully, help is on the way so he can get back to his very important work.  There are a lot of kids out there wanting some Christmas presents.

😊

Time to Get Into the Holiday Spirit

 

The last time I walked at the Desert Botanical Garden, I admired the holiday decorations they have put up.  I saw a few more wreaths than they have had in the past.  This large one was especially nice.

It's the first time I've seen one on this wall.  You can also see the luminaries all set up for an evening walk through the garden.  I have reservations to do that late next week.  I haven't been in two or three years so it will be fun to go again.  

Waiting Outside

 

I had to take my car to the mechanic Monday afternoon and I had been dreading it all weekend because the place has a very tiny waiting room and with the surge in covid, I hate being inside public places.  So I decided that I'd wait outside and just take a walk down the street.  

I snapped a couple of iPhone photos on the way.

I found this questionable looking Ethiopian restaurant.  It was located on one end of a rather shabby looking strip center but there were actually three other tiny restaurants and a palm reader in the same center.  They seemed to be surviving the effects of the pandemic.

Next door to the repair shop is a tire shop.  They had these old tires out front as decoration.

Not much to show for my walk down the street but it was still better than waiting inside.

Signs of Winter Approaching

 

Phoenix trees are starting to show some color and dropping their leaves while others are still shades of summer green.  

It's nice to see some natural color showing up around town.  I went out looking for Christmas decorations and found nature putting on a holiday show too.  

Giant Owl

 

Two years ago I posted a picture of the mural that is on the side of this building.  It had an Asian flare to it to match the Asian inspired shaved ice business inside.  When I was downtown recently I noticed that another mural was been added to the front of the building along with the addition of those strange round planters.  I can't decide if that owl would scare me off or welcome me in.  

Participating in Monday Murals.

Make Lemonade

The citrus trees around the valley are full of fruit right now.  

Back when I was actually going into work instead of walking across my apartment, I used to get a lot of lemons and oranges and grapefruit to take home at this time of year.  Many people who have trees in their yards would bring the excess fruit to work to share.  Just another disadvantage to this isolation we are all experiencing.  

I saw this tree full of lemons at the Desert Botanical Garden when I was there on Friday.  I was tempted to pick one but I didn't.  

I have a new post on Sharon's Sojourns.  I had to do some research to find out where the photos were taken.

 

Observing the Birds

 

I don't have many photos of Verdin because these little birds are simply never still.  They flit around constantly.  I've attempted photos many times but they are just too quick for me.  I finally caught one munching on the flowers of the cascalote tree.  They actually aren't eating the blooms but the tiny, tiny insects inside the blooms.

On the other hand, I have plenty of photos of the Goldfinch.  I can almost always catch some at the fountain in the contemplation garden.

While I was there yesterday, a little house sparrow stopped by for a drink too.

I didn't see any roadrunners yesterday but this little cactus wren landed close to me while I was in that same area.  I love watching these busy birds.

I was passing by the trash bins in the outdoor cafe area and I kept hearing noise coming from the inside the bins.  I waited a minute and out popped curved-billed thrasher.  Obviously he had been scavenging in the trash.  My walk yesterday was fun and refreshing.  

Stopping to Say Hello

 I went for a walk at the Desert Botanical Garden late yesterday afternoon.  I don't usually walk at the garden that late in the day but I've had a busy work week and I just felt like a walk would do me good.  At one spot in the garden, I was looking at some of the holiday decorations that have gone up when I heard something behind me.  I turned around and was greeted by this Roadrunner.

He really was just about two feet away from me and seemed to be curious about what I was doing there.  I think I took around 25 photos of him.  He hung around watching me the whole time I was there.  I enjoyed my walk so much that I decided I'm going back today. It will be a morning visit this time.  

Frank Lloyd Wright Was Here Too

 

You might remember this house.  I toured it several times four years ago after it was saved from the wrecking ball by a man who wanted to restore it and open it to the public for events and tours.  A lot has happened since that time.  The new owner faced a rather hostile uprising from the neighborhood who were opposed to the traffic and noise his plans might cause.  In the end, he sold the place to a group of Frank Lloyd Wright Architectural School graduates who have their own plans.

The new owners want to restore it to its original look which includes a copper roof that was part of the original plan.  The lot this home sits on is unusually large, so they are planning on building at least two more buildings here all based on FLW plans.  I'll keep my eye on this one to see how it goes.

I posted photos of the inside of this gorgeous home back in January of 2016.

Frank Lloyd Wright Was Here

 On the cover of the November issue of Arizona Highways magazine was a picture of a Frank Lloyd Wright designed house in Phoenix that I knew nothing about.  

Wright was friends with the editor of Arizona Highways and in the late 1940's he learned that his friend was living in a small apartment.  He told him "I'll design a new home for you for free.  All you have to do is buy the lot and provide a construction crew."  

From what I've learned about Wright, that offer was very unusual.  They must have been great friends.  

So in 1950, the Raymond Carlson House was built.

I'm showing you these photos from the magazine article because this is a private residence so it's not one I could tour and photograph.  I had never heard of this house before so I was curious to get a look at it.  The article did not give an address and in fact, it said that the house was not visible from the street.  But, you know me, I have to see for myself.  It took some research but I finally came up with an address.

The article was right, you can't see the house from the street.  It is completely surrounded by trees and shrubbery.  The only hint of the place was this turquoise fence at the car port.

I wonder if there are any other hidden FLW treasures around the valley!

  

Theme Day: Comfort Food

 

The City Daily Photo Bloggers theme for December 1st is "Comfort Food" which is something many of us enjoy this time of year.  With Thanksgiving just past and Christmas on its way, a food feast will no doubt be part of our lives.  I decided to feature something more traditional, a comfort food that I enjoy all year long....French Fries!  These fries with shaved parmesan cheese are a specialty at a restaurant that sadly I haven't been to in a long while.

I can't leave this subject without giving a shout out to another favorite comfort food, Mexican Food.  When I moved to Arizona all those years ago, I discovered the delights of this cuisine.  It quickly became one of those foods that gives me comfort.  

To see comfort food choices from around the world, click here.