Holy "Mole"

 

Last Saturday night, six of us gathered at a friend's house for a mole cook-off.  Two people and our host had prepared their recipes for mole while the other three of us brought some extra fixings like guacamole and chips and salsa.  For those of you who don't know, mole is a Mexican sauce that uses a combination of chilis, fruit, chocolate and herbs that meld together to create a complex sauce that is great over enchiladas and chicken.   Just look at how crowded the stove is keeping all the sauces, beans and rice warm.

The oven held a pan of cheese enchiladas just waiting to be sauced.

I sauced mine with two of the different sauces and then also had a piece of chicken that was cooked in the mole sauce.  

All three sauces were delicious and I have to give credit to the cooks.  It takes hours to make a mole from scratch.  Our three cooks took on the task and mastered it.  

Our hostess, Vivian provided the dessert, chocolate martinis made with three types of vodka and a splash of Irish cream.  Yum!  It was a fun evening!

Finally, a Long Walk at the Garden

 

Greetings from the Sonoran Desert!

I've never photographed this spot at the Desert Botanical Garden before but I've seen plenty of people posing here over the years.  I just thought it would be a great way to announce that it is finally cool enough to walk in the garden again.  Well, cool enough first thing in the morning.  Our afternoon temperatures are still right around 100.  But, at 6:30 AM when I arrived, it was a wonderful 74 degrees.  

One thing great about this time of morning is that early sunlight.  It lights up the hills and mountains all around the garden and makes them glow.  

I sat for a few minutes near the contemplation garden and its water feature hoping some birds would come down for a drink.  But this curve-billed thrasher was the only one who got close.  He proceeded to sing with his characteristic loud voice.  

Needless to say, I'm very happy to be able to visit the garden again.  I haven't been since June 17th.  

The Church Across the Street

 

I had stopped to pick up some bread at a local bakery and when I was leaving I saw the church across the street and decided to snap a couple of photos.  The last time I photographed this church was twelve years ago.  I posted a photo of it back in 2009 when my blog was still very young.

If you click on the link to that old post, you will see exactly how much those two trees in front of the church have grown in twelve years.  They are a lot fuller than they were in that first photo.  

St. Thomas the Apostle Church is built with a modified Spanish colonial style that fits in with our city very well.

I have a new post on Sharon's Sojourns today.  I'm looking at a shopping center with an ocean view.  

That Private Golf Club

 

A little over a year ago, I posted about how this north Scottsdale golf club that I discovered 10 years ago. I mentioned that it had become private and I could no longer visit it to take photos.  So, it's a very good thing that I took lots of photos when I was there all those years ago.  

Today I thought I'd post a few more of the photos I took all those years ago.  

The place has such a strong southwestern look to it that I find very appealing. 

I sure wish I could make a return visit to see how it's holding up.  I would enjoy walking around the buildings and taking more photographs.  

You can see my original posts from 2013 here and here.

He's Still There

 

I did a post about his fellow who sits at a picnic table at Steel Indian School Park around 10 years ago.  You can see it here.  I recently saw that he was still there and still looking over his shoulder.

He's actually checking to make sure no one sees him peeking at the other guy's cards.  This is a sculpture called "Setting Up the Competition" by J. Seward Johnson Jr.  

His dishonesty is there for everyone to see but he's yet to be held to account.

Reminds me of a few political figures that won't be mentioned.

Scaly Characters

 I've been paying a lot of attention to my feathered friends lately so I thought I should also pay tribute to some of my scaly friends.  The fellow was hanging on the side of a tree.  Is he sticking his tongue out at me?

This fellow was kind enough to pose for me.  He looks like he has a big smile on his face.

This one is climbing the fence protecting some plants.  Lizards might not be as pretty as some of the birds but they are still an entertaining bunch of critters.

Hummingbirds at Rest

 

I'm sure all my readers know that I love to photograph hummingbirds whenever I can.  These three made it simple for me.  They sat perfectly still and posed for the camera.  This one even ruffled its feathers a bit.

I think this one heard me approach and wanted to make sure I didn't get too close.

And this one has extra long and narrow wings.  They all patiently waited while I pointed my camera at them.

Lots of Candles

 

I turned my birthday (last Friday) into a full weekend celebration.  I had dinner with a friend Friday evening and the restaurant surprised me with a sweet treat after dinner topped with a single birthday candle.  (If they would have used a candle for each year, they might have set the restaurant on fire. 😁)

On Saturday night, I had dinner with my friends David and Riley and I was treated to another delicious dessert with a single candle on top.

On Sunday afternoon, I joined a group of friends for drinks and more celebrating and I got one more birthday dessert.  

So I had a delicious and sweet weekend with great friends.  It's the perfect way to celebrate a birthday.

Sunday Morning Skies

 

When I got up Sunday morning, I noticed lots of small clouds out the window.  I took a look at the eastern view and caught a shot of the sun coming up just behind Camelback Mountain and lots of little clouds above.

Turing to the view looking north, the sky was full of little puffs of clouds.  It looks like someone tossed a bag full of cotton balls up into the air.  

From a photographer's point of view, it's an irresistible sky!

Stained Glass Kachina

 

I took the photo above last fall when I had finally given up on finding the stained glass window lit up at night.  This building used to be a branch of The Arizona Bank and their symbol was a Kachina.  When it was the bank, they used to have a light behind the glass window that lit this up as though it had a red background.

Arizona Bank is long gone and this building belongs to a different bank now and no matter how many times I've passed it at night, I've never see it lit up.  

Friday night after dinner, I noticed that there were lights on so I stopped to get a photo.  It looks slightly different with that bright, white light behind it but at least I can now share a photo of what it looks like lit up.  

I have a new post on Sharon's Sojourns.  I'm featuring some favorite photos from California.

Tall and Colorful

 

I've featured this very tall, Frank Lloyd Wright designed tower before but it's been a long time ago.  

This sculpture resides at the corner of Scottsdale Road and Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard.

This time I've included the plaque that appears at its base.  It tells us that this design was originally meant to sit atop the Arizona State Capital if Wright's design for that building had been accepted.  Sadly, it wasn't. 

Get Your Ducks in a Row

 

Today is my birthday so it's the perfect time to make sure I have all my ducks in a row.  Look at them, they are all lined up perfectly!  

I'll be celebrating with friends tonight and tomorrow night.  When you get to be my age, two celebratory dinners is the way to go!

Observing the Birds

 

I've picked out some more photos of birds that I've taken at the Desert Botanical Garden over the years.  This one is a Gila Woodpecker.  I framed this shot through the arms of a Saguaro skeleton.  

There is a large group of Peach-Faced Lovebirds that hang out at the garden too.  They aren't always around but I've noticed that they love to pick out the seeds of some blooming plants.  

This mockingbird has found a tall cactus to use as a good observation point.  

I also enjoy watching the cute little house finches when they play around in the water.  They look like they are blushing.  

We are still in the middle of an unseasonable heat wave so no walks at the garden yet.  We are due for a slight cool-down this weekend.  I'm hopeful that the weather reporters are right.

"Parent Portrait"

 

One of the other challenges of my Art Challenge group was "Parent Portrait".  For this challenge, I used a photo of my dad that I took many, many years ago.  I'm guessing this was taken somewhere in the mid 1970's.  Dad loved to explore in the desert and since Phoenix wasn't as big and sprawling as it is now, the open desert seemed closer and easier to get to.  On one of his adventures, he found this old mine shaft and he asked if I would take his photo there.  So off we went into the desert with camera gear in tow.  

I scanned this from an old print I found and then had it printed on metal.  It is much more permanent now.  Maybe 50 years from now, it will hang on the wall of some future home and it will be called "a window into the past".   

It was fun to see the many portraits of departed parents among our Art Challenge group members.  A few even remembered my dad affectionately.  He made friends with everyone he met.  

Art Challenge Meeting

 

My Art Challenge group finally met again last Saturday night.  We've been working on the "Transparency" challenge since April but our meetings kept getting postpone due to COVID and clashing schedules.  My entry was the photo above.  I took this photo several years ago at the Tate Modern in London.  I had just had a glass of wine with a friend in the museum's bar and while leaving I noticed the opaque glass and how you could only see shapes and forms through it.  I had this photo printed on glass which seemed appropriate for this photo.  I love the way it turned out.

Here is Dave presenting one of his pieces, a collage of photos he's taken through glasses.  He had another collage of photos taken through windows with familiar views from around the world.  

I presented a second photo also and it was one you have seen before.  In fact, I made this one my photo of the year three years ago.  I love it and I now have a print version I can frame and hang somewhere.

About 3 weeks ago, it was decided to reveal several other challenge subjects so we could hopefully catch up with our art projects when we meet again in October.  Tomorrow I'll show what I created for another challenge.

Old Fashioned Barber Shop

 

I love this tiny little barber shop that I pass by quite often.  In fact, I featured this little shop thirteen years ago.  You can see that old post here.

Some time ago, I noticed the owner had added this quaint mural to the side of the shop and I've wanted to take a photo of it ever since.  The problem is, the shop is located on a very busy street and it has 3 tiny parking spaces that are very hard to navigate.  I decided the only way I'd get the shot was on a Sunday when the shop was closed.  So yesterday I braved that prohibitive little parking space and got the photos.

Taking part in Monday Murals. 

Dramatic Skies

 

Those desert monsoon clouds make for some pretty dramatic daytime skies....

...and some very colorful sunsets.

I have a new post on Sharon's Sojourns today.  I'm back at the Oregon farmhouse.

Birds, Birds, Birds

 

I was sorting through some photos last week and came across a variety of photos of birds from my many years walking at the Desert Botanical Garden.  This first one is one of my favorites, a cactus wren appropriately enough, sitting on top of a cactus.

And here is a speedy roadrunner.  They are always fun to watch.

Here is a verdin.  These fellows are hard to photograph because they rarely sit still.  Even when they are in one place for a while they seem to be constantly moving about.

This is a curve-billed thrasher who appears to eyeing the cactus fruit.

This is from a rare sighting of a great horned owl.  These owls stay pretty well hidden so I only see them on rare occasions.

It's still too hot to walk at the garden.  I'm looking forward to when I can do that again.

The Smoking Cactus

 

That little cloud above the cactus looks very much like that tall cactus might be smoking.  Or maybe this cactus has one of those E-cigarettes and is "vaping".   One other option is that the cactus might be a chimney in disguise.  Actually, none of that is true.  It's just little cloud floating by.  

Theme Day: My Superpower

 

It's the first of the month and time for a "theme day" and today's chosen theme is "My Superpower."  Wow, that's a tough one.  I'm not sure I really have a superpower but I do know what I'm good at and one of those things is a sense of direction.  My sense of direction is excellent.  I rarely get lost.  I'm also a great map reader.  In fact, I love maps.  If I'm visiting someplace new, the first thing I do is get a map. If I have a map, I'm all set.  I'll be able to find anything I want.

To see other superpowers, click here.