Here is another house I found in the same historic neighborhood where yesterday's houses were located, the Windsor Historic District. This one has some palm trees surrounding it also but they aren't as tall those featured in yesterday's post.
What caught my eye about this place were the planters at the end of the front walk. I love how the plants are tumbling out of each of those shiny pots.
Two houses in the same historic neighborhood are surrounded by very tall palm trees. The trees around this house are especially tall. I would hate to be the tree trimmer who has to climb to the top of these trees to give them a trim. From the looks of the trees they have recently been trimmed. Bravo to the brave souls who did that job.
These trees are not quite as tall as the those in the photo above. Both of these houses were found in the Windsor Historic District. One of the many historic districts in the city of Phoenix. I love looking at the homes in these areas of town.
This lady resides in one of the windows of Hanny's restaurant and bar in downtown Phoenix. It's one of many life-sized sculptures that both Hanny's and AZ 88 in Scottsdale have displayed from time to time. This one is covered in all kinds of beads and baubles.
This lady is found in another one of the windows.
She is covered in what looks like rusty cloth or rags and is crowned with a very unusual hat.
While these sculptures have been in the windows of Hanny's for several years, the sculptures at AZ 88 have since been removed. Remember the lady pouring paint over herself?
The tops of two midtown buildings that I've featured on this blog before. The glass building to the right is the One Lexington condo building located on Central Avenue. Around 3 years ago, I posted some photos taken in that penthouse at the very top of this building.
The other building is that big curved building I've featured many times on this blog. It's the one that people have nick-named the piano roll building. You can see it here and here.
This is the latest iteration of murals on the side of Just Blaze, the business that sells paints and supplies for mural and graffiti artists. This particular wall changes periodically and it's always interesting to see what the latest version has to say. I see that the mustachioed gentleman has "Suns" tattooed on his fingers and "Just Blaze" tattooed on his arm. This must be another tribute to our basketball team, the Phoenix Suns as well as a shout-out to Just Blaze.
There is a sign in downtown Phoenix, just across the street from City Hall showing all of Phoenix's "sister city" affiliations. They are:
The only one I've visited is Calgary. My friend David was lucky to get to go on a city trip to Prague about 10 years ago. He enjoyed that very much.
A little over a year ago I was with my friends on one of those special home and garden tours that happen in the spring. After touring all the houses, we drove around up on one hillside to take in the view. A long way across the valley, I zoomed in on a house I saw that looked like it was carved out of the side of the mountain.
I zoomed in a little closer and it certainly does look like the space for the house was actually scraped out of the side of the mountain and this very large house was fitted into the space.
The funny thing is that I could never find this house again. I wanted to get a closer photo but I simply could not find the place back again until....
...I finally saw a few days ago. I snapped this shot with my iPhone, so I wasn't able to zoom in this time however, you can see the house to the left in this photo. Now if I can find that road, I might be able to drive up there and get a closer look at this place. The way that mountain appears carved around the house is very intriguing to me.
I recently turned down a street lined with some cute little houses and the word "bungalow" popped into my head. So I got to thinking; what is a bungalow anyway. I looked the word up and learned that the name is derived from Bengal and the word 'Bangla' meaning a house in the Bengal style. I had no idea the word had foreign roots.
The word bungalow is used to describe a small house, typically one story similar to a cottage. The houses on this street fit that description perfectly.
However, this tree construction can't be called a bungalow. It is definitely a treehouse and a rather fine one at that.
I have lunch at the cafe at the Heard Museum pretty often but I usually sit outside. However when it's as hot as it has been the last two or three weeks, dining inside is the only option. So when I went inside yesterday, I was surprised to see that the cafe was sporting some new chairs that look very nice.
Phoenix Daily Photo blog turns 15 years old today. When I started this blog on this day back in 2008, I had no idea that I'd still be doing it 15 years later. What can I say, I love doing it. It has never become a burden or chore. I love taking photos and I love sharing those photos with others. And, I truly enjoy reading your comments and seeing the photos you all post and learning about other places and adventures around the world. I'll mark this milestone and keep on blogging as long as I can!
About this photo: I started this blog with a photo of the Arizona State Capitol. Rather than repeating with a photo of that building, I decided to zoom in on the "Winged Victory" weather vane at the top of the building. It has been perched up there since 1901 however, the Arizona Territory purchased it in 1898 when construction of the building first began. It cost $150 and is actually a 17-foot-tall, 600 pound wind vane. She's looking pretty good for her age!
I came across these photos in my files and they reminded me how much I miss this former annual event at the Phoenix Art Museum. It was called "Arts & Flowers". The museum would let floral designers choose a particular artwork and then they would create a floral arrangement to compliment that piece. The painting above is Lady with Beads by Kees Van Dongen.
The abstract painting above is called City Dynamism by Raymond Jonson and the floral arrangement to the left is the complement to this painting.
The last event like this at the art museum was back in 2015 and I really miss that weekend of flowers and art very much. When I was working full time, I'd actually take a day off just so I could be at the museum when flowers were fresh and fragrant.
The Kahinde Wiley painting above was paired with this arrangement back in 2015. I like how this arrangement is made of floating flowers just like the background of the actual painting.
It really is too bad the art museum doesn't have this event any longer.
I stopped at a gallery in Scottsdale that I had never visited before and I found a few interesting pieces of art to share with you all. Above is a sculpture by Ed Mell, a very well known artist who happens to live in Paradise Valley. It's called Toro de Yerma.
Another artist I know very will created this statue. It was made by Doug Hyde, a Native American artist whose work I've seen many times at the Heard Museum.
If you look at the background in the top photo on the left-hand side you will see a wine-glass shaped container that is full of these very colorful glass orbs. They caught my eye.
Another piece that caught my eye was this ceramic piece by Annette Corcoran. It's called "King Crow". I'm not sue what about it appeals to me so much, maybe just because I like birds.
It was fun to see the works of artists I know well along with some works from artists I hadn't heard of before. The gallery had a wide range of artistic works.
I think these two scenes fit that description to a T.
Both of these scenes are from the Desert Botanical Garden. The top one is in one of my favorite corners and the second one is just outside the plant shop.
The telephoto lens on my little Nikon camera sometimes surprises me. I use it a lot when taking photos of animals and birds and it can be tricky to keep steady when the lens if fully extended and it's hand-held. However, every now and then I'll get a good, clear shot like this one of a squirrel snacking on a prickly-pear fruit.
I can get even closer and I'm still far enough away that the little critter doesn't get intimidated by my presence. This little fellow just continued nibbling on its treat.
I've posted many photos of Desert Rose blooms on this blog. I can't help myself. They are a favorite of mine and I can't seem to resist another photo.
I thought I'd show you the whole plant for two of them. This one produces pale pink blooms. All of the plants are in large pots. They can only be outside in the late spring through to the late fall. Once the temperature starts dropping into the 40's at night, these plants have to be protected so the Desert Botanical Garden moves them to a greenhouse. They cannot tolerate the cold.
They can get quite big as you can see from this photo. I've never actually been around when they move these but I'm betting it takes some heavy-duty equipment. This one produces the rosy-pink blooms.
They don't have a scent and I only occasionally see the bees around them. In the late fall, some of them will lose most or even all of their leaves. When they bring them back out in the spring it takes a while before they start to bloom. Many times they will have pretty flowers before they have any leaves. There are around 10 of these plants scattered around the garden in various locations. At one time or another I've probably photographed the blooms on each of them.
Today is the 4th of July or Independence Day here in the U.S. There will be lots of flags flying in the breeze (if we have a breeze). One thing is certain, it will be hot. As I am posting this, the prediction is 112 degrees.
The other panel features a chrome duck in the shape of an automobile hood ornament. I have no idea what it all means so I won't even attempt to explain. Whatever the meaning, it is nicely painted. The mural is signed "Torvasm" which turns out to be an artist named Lucretia Torva.
Taking part in Monday Murals.
This curve-billed thrasher was precariously perched on this cactus and waiting his turn at the watering hole.
He was waiting for these two doves to finish up and fly away. Actually, there was plenty of room for all of them but for some reason he decided he should wait his turn.
The climate in the part of Arizona where I live is arid desert. Most of our days tend to look likes this, cloudless, blue skies and a dry landscape. In the summer months we face intense heat which has already started this week which you can see from this screen shot from my iPhone.
The holiday weekend is looking like a hot one.
However, we do have some days like this one from a few months ago. I have lots of photos of clouds and storms across our area. That's because it doesn't happen often and when it does, it's something to celebrate.
The City Daily Photo bloggers theme for July 1 is "Climate". You can see other climate photos here.
