A Very Unique Restaurant

Los Olivos Mexican Restaurant in Old Town Scottsdale is a bit of landmark in the city.  The restaurant has been in operation for many years and is still a thriving business today.  The inside of the restaurant is quite unique with this one room with the oddly shaped skylights.  It makes me feel like I'm under water for some reason.

I have memories of going here on dates when I was a twenty-something and had first moved to Arizona.  The bar had (and may still have) a retractable roof so we could dance under the stars at night.

I have a new post on Sharon's Sojourns today.  I'm taking a slow train that has a lot of history attached.

Skysong is Growing

I recently took a stroll through Skysong again and I was impressed by how much it's grown.  You might recall that Skysong is part of Arizona State University and is technology and innovation research facility.  There are at least four new buildings on the site and a whole set of nice looking apartments too.

I'm always drawn to the bright white sails that soar over the center of the facility and can be seen from some distance away.  I can see them from the Desert Botanical Garden when I walk there.

There are plenty of outdoor spaces for employees and students and researchers to relax.

And, there is plenty for me to photograph whenever i walk around the area.  

Not My Cup of Tea

There is a new place at the Scottsdale Fashion Square Mall called Boba Tea Company.  They serve all kinds of tea blends but, it's teas blended with other things, not blends of teas.

I do love a good iced tea but, apparently I don't care for teas blended with other things.  I gave it a try and although I ordered an unsweetened variety pictured here, it was so sweet tasting that I couldn't finish it.

I guess I'm a bit of a purest when it comes to tea.

The Man in White

About two weeks ago, I was driving around in Tempe exploring an area of town that I used to live in a long time ago when I spotted this fellow standing in front of an older apartment complex.

The apartments were all single level and the place was full a tall trees for shade.

I didn't see a name for the complex or any sign as to what this sculpture was all about.  It looks like he might be a lover of all things windy surrounded by all those whirly-gigs.  

It's certainly a unique greeting from the main street.

I'm off to California for a few days so I might not be able to stop by your sites.  I'll be back to normal on Monday.

Poppies

There is something about poppies that just makes me smile.  I found a couple blooming along the side of a building recently.

They looked like they just volunteered to grow there!  How sweet of them!

Graffiti Murals

I caught a glimpse of some murals in an alley near downtown Phoenix so I made a turn into the alley to get a closer look.  The walls all along this alley were covered in that combination of graffiti and art work.

This looks more like graffiti to me but, that's probably just my opinion.

This section is a little more artistic.

And a nicely done portrait appears in this section.  

Ghost Signs and Art

About four years ago, I did a post about attending an open house event in a new Arizona State University Art Space in downtown Phoenix.  They had acquired an old warehouse and created some innovative artist spaces inside.  The outside of the old warehouse building has a number of ghosts signs on it.  At the very top I can make out the word "Southwest" but, I'm not sure about the rest of that line.  It might say "Cotton".  The sign below it about Machinery Repair looks like it might be new but, that phone number proves that wrong.  There haven't been phone numbers like that in many, many years.

At ground level is this piece of art that looks a bit scary.  It's been on the side of the building for many years, long before any of the recent ASU students arrived.  Someone told me that it's called "Decompression" and depicts how the skull might be opened to relieve pressure on the brain after a traumatic brain injury.  There is no sign to give further explanation or to identify an artist.

A Recently Added Memorial

Wesley Bolin Plaza is a park area that sits in front of the Arizona State Capitol.  It's named for Arizona's 15th Governor who served from 1977 to 1978.

Recently when I was walking around the area, I spotted a new memorial (2015) that I hadn't seen before.  This archway is dedicated to Ernest W. McFarland, Arizona's 10th Governor who also served as a U. S. Senator from Arizona as well as Chief Justice of the Arizona Supreme Court.

MacFarland was a man of many achievements, not least of which was to secure the interests of the Central Arizona Project protecting Arizona's rights to water in the Colorado River.

It's a beautiful memorial to one of Arizona's accomplished men.

I have a new post on Sharon's Sojourns today.  Stop by and see Arizona's oldest hotel.

Thursday's Weather

Around 3:30 Thursday afternoon, I was headed to Scottsdale for a hair appointment and I was noticing all the white puffy clouds in the sky.  When I got to the salon, I snapped a photo and thought to myself that I might get some more pretty cloud shots when I was done.

However, about 45 minutes later when I exited the salon, the sky was dark grey and by the time I got to my car, it was raining.  It rained very hard for about 30 to 45 minutes and there was a lot of wind to go with it.

When it stopped raining, there were rainbows.

Beautiful rainbows!

Perfect monsoon weather for here in the desert southwest.

Symphony in Red

Earlier this week I saw a huge hibiscus bush growing in a planter at a local shopping center.  It was full of bright red blooms and I just couldn't resist taking some photos.

I don't think I had ever seen a bush with so many blooms at once and they all seemed so perfectly shaped.

Hibiscus is another flower that has a short life span so I immortalized these by recording them for all of you to see.

Obviously, these particular flowers are long gone but their beauty is living on through the magic of photography and blogging!

Grey Skies

Lots of grey skies in the Phoenix area this week but, very little rain has appeared.  At least there has been very little rain in my area of town.  Some of the outlying cities have probably gotten more then we have.

I'm not complaining about the clouds.  We don't get them often so when we do, I enjoy the change of pace.

A Visit With My Favorite Feathered Friends

Look who else I ran into at the Desert Botanical Garden last Sunday.  It was a group of those adorable peach-faced lovebirds.  I miss seeing them play in my back yard before I moved so, I'm always happy to find them out and about around the city.

This fellow and his pals were chowing down on the seeds left by the flowers that were blooming in the wildflower garden.

This guy even obliged with a lovely pose! 

Theme Day: Young at Heart

Today is the first of the month so it's theme day for City Daily Photo Bloggers and today's theme is "Young at Heart".

I saw this couple at the Desert Botanical Garden one day taking a stroll through the garden and pointing out different plants and having a lively discussion about the birds and the butterflies.  I didn't think to snap a picture of them until they were leaving and I was walking behind them.  There was just something about them that said young at heart to me.

To see other City Daily Photo Blog posts on this theme, click here.

Steamy Walk in the Garden

A storm rolled through the area Saturday evening bringing some showers in certain parts of the valley so when I got up Sunday morning it was cooler than usual.  Cooler and wetter.  In fact, it was about 70% humidity but, it was still cool enough to take a walk so off I went to the Desert Botanical Garden.

And, I'm so glad I did.  I didn't expect to see so many cactus blooming and the overcast skies made perfect light to get some pictures.

Usually this time of year, I only see white blooms but yesterday there were white, pink and yellow blooms on the different varieties of cactus.

I especially noticed that the Octopus Cactus had blooms all over their skinny, long legs.

See what I mean?

I had a good long walk even though the weather felt more like Costa Rica than Phoenix.  

The Colors of the Market

I was having a craving for some of that chili cheese bread that I get at the Farmer's Market so yesterday I braved the heat and strolled around the big market on Central Avenue.

I was probably only there for 30 minutes but, it was enough time to admire all the colorful vegetables so beautifully displayed.

There seemed to be an abundance of chilies and other peppers at the different farm stands.  There must have been a bumper crop.  Even with the huge coolers placed at the four corners of the market, it's still too warm to be outside for very long.  I don't know how those vendors manage it.

I have a new post on Sharon's Sojourns today.  I'm celebrating the Mother Road.

All Sizes

Phoenix police cars come in all shapes and sizes.  

Some are compact.

And, some are down right tiny!

And this group doesn't show the ordinary four-door sedans that are usually patrolling the city.

Mystery Man

These shots aren't candids but, I have had them around for a while so I thought this might be a good time to post them.  I was attending a special wine tasting event in downtown Phoenix when I spotted this guy looking very mysterious.  I asked if I could take his picture and he willingly obliged.

There certainly is a air of mystery about him, wouldn't you agree?

What to Wear to a Game

When my friend Janet takes me to a Phoenix Suns Game, one of the things I enjoy seeing is the wide variety of attire worn by the spectators.  I'm usually wondering why someone would dress up so fancy to go to a ball game.

However, when I saw this young lady, I was totally flabbergasted.  I can't begin to imagine why anyone would purchase and outfit like this let alone wear it in public.

It's a mystery to me!