Poinsettias & Cactus

Holiday time in Arizona
Have a fun and safe New Year's Eve!

Dreary

Phoenix is experiencing dreary and wet weather right now.  It was a good day to spend some time at the Phoenix Art Museum where I took this photo out a window looking north.

Horse Fountain

A few people requested that I show the whole fountain that I featured yesterday so here you have it.  The Bob Park’s Horse Fountain on Scottsdale’s Fifth Avenue.  This street is a fairly well known shopping area popular with tourists and art collectors.  It’s chock full of shops and galleries.

Holiday Horse

I took a little drive yesterday to seek out some interesting shots.  I ended up on Fifth Avenue in Scottsdale which was full of tourists out in shorts and t-shirts enjoying the Arizona sunshine.  I noticed that the horses in the Bob Park’s Horse Fountain were all wearing their holiday attire. 

Pop-Up Gallery

While I was at the Town & Country Shopping Center I discovered this Pop-Up art Gallery.  These pop-up galleries appear from time to time in vacant stores around town.  Sometimes they are there for 2 weeks and sometimes they are around for 2 months.  It just depends on the owner of the buildings and how long the space is vacant.  It’s always fun to discover one and browse around the interesting art.

Holiday Atmosphere

I did a little holiday shopping at the Town & Country Shopping Center just before Christmas.  It’s such a quaint little center with fountains, huge trees and brick walkways.  I thought these lights with their holiday trim were a perfect touch.

Merry Christmas

An ornament from my tree with a little bit of digital enhancement.  Have a wonderful day everyone!

Happy Birthday to my sister Judy of Prescott Area Daily Photo!

Holiday Dinner Party:

Last night I had friends over for a holiday dinner party.  I got out the good china and the holiday trimmings and I snapped this picture before the guests arrived.  I must say it was a fun night!

Magical light

I took this one just minutes before I took yesterday’s photo.  I loved the way the light was fanning across the golf course in golden shafts.

A tiny bit of light

In contrast to yesterday’s photo, here is a home with no outdoor light at all, but it still gives off that holiday feeling.
I featured this same house in the Del Norte Historic Neighborhood back in October.

Happy Birthday to my sister Pam.  Go out and celebrate today!

An abundance of light

This was one of the stops on the London Bus tour and it has to be one of the largest light displays I’ve seen. 

These two photos don’t even capture it all. 

London Bus Tour

For the second year in a row, I took the London Bus tour with a group of friends to see some holiday lights.

As you can see form this photo, everyone had a good time.

Tomorrow I'll show you some lights we saw.

Texting

Even Santa is texting these days!

Eagle Crossing

I’ve never seen a sign like this before.  It is sitting up against a wall on a residential street.  I wonder if there is an eagle nest near by.

Ever wonder….

what goes on in the mind of a dog?

BioMythic Mask

There is a wonderful display of BioMythic Masks created by artist Gwynn Popovic in the gallery at the Desert Botanical Garden.  The masks blend textures and shapes of natural habitats to form three dimensional masks incorporating a variety of materials.  The top photo is a close-up the mask named Shadow.

The small photo shows the whole mask with all of it’s decorative trim.

Holiday shopping

Here is the annual poinsettia Christmas tree at the Biltmore Fashion Park shopping center.  I took this photo on Sunday and as you can see from the shopper’s attire, we are having some very warm weather here.

Long lashes

Look at the long lashes on that VW.  It must be a girl thing.

Night in the Garden

It seems I can’t resist an opportunity to photograph the beautiful Chihuly sculptures that grace the entrance to the Desert Botanical Garden.  I snapped this shot Saturday night when I was there for the Luminarias.

Happy Birthday to my dear friend David! Celebrate the day!

Luminarias

Last night I joined friends for a Luminarias Night at the Desert Botanical Garden.  It was a perfect night, great friends and beautiful weather.  A good way to get the holiday season rolling.

Let’s all eat cake

The very top of a chocolate wedding cake!

Insect Family

An insect family residing on a milkweed plant.  You might have to enlarge to see them all.

Purple Water Lily

For a desert city, I sure find a lot of water lilies in various places.

Stone Cottage

This little stone cottage is located in one of the central Phoenix historic neighborhoods.

Chandelier

An unusual chandelier made of wood.  It was found at a south Phoenix conference center.

I have no idea why the lights have those streaks but I like it.

Carefree Resort

Another photo from the Carefree Resort.  The fireplace in the lobby is very inviting.

Old West

Western décor outside the Carefree Resort in Carefree Arizona.

Pizza

I had dinner with a friend earlier this week at Cibo a urban pizzeria in downtown Phoenix.  They have outstanding pizza and pasta in the warm atmosphere of a home that was converted to a restaurant.  I just snapped this little table top photo before the room filled with people.

I’m away for a few days and won’t have access to the internet for most of the time.  I’ll catch up with all of you in a few days.

Yellow House

This lovely yellow house stood out in a neighborhood of single level ranch style homes!

Tricked Out

This tricked out motorcycle with a side car was parked in front of the local Starbucks.  When I stopped to take a photo, the owner came out and said “I love this bike, it always attracts the women”.

Theme Day: Time……

.......as told by Mickey Mouse!

<Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

At Work

And, here is yesterday’s little hummingbird back at work.

Preening

I found this little guy making himself look presentable.

Aesthetically Pleasing

I had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday with great friends who happen to live just down the street from me.  At the entrance to the house was this lovely welcoming display that just seemed to be perfect for the chilly weather and the pleasing aroma of food cooking wafting through the house.

Theatre Night

Last night I went to the theatre with a good friend to see “Hairspray” by the Phoenix Theatre Company.  The performance was spectacular and every bit as good as the original cast production that I saw in New York a few years ago.  I was genuinely wowed by the incredible talent on that stage.  As I was leaving, the star Lillian Castillo (playing Tracy Turnblad) and Chris Eriksen (playing three parts) were in the lobby so I snapped a picture.  Great job Lillian and the entire fabulous cast.

Blazing Sky

On my drive home from work Tuesday evening, the sky was a bit overcast and then suddenly it started to turn this amazing shade of orange.  I was sitting in the middle of heavy traffic and knew I couldn’t get out of my car so I shot this right out of the windshield. 

Happy Thanksgiving

It’s Thanksgiving in the US.  There will be a lot of turkey and pumpkin pie consumed.  Have a great day everyone!

Behind Bars

I wonder what they did to deserve their incarceration.

Wagon Wheel Bench

Found at a south Phoenix conference center

Rusty Stars

On the side of a building

I think that I shall never see…..

….a poem as lovely as a tree.

Alfred Joyce Kilmer

Teeth

Many desert plants have strong teeth.

Idyllic

An idyllic spot at the Orange Tree Golf Resort in north Phoenix.

Is anyone home…

I love this birdhouse I spotted at a new business called Arizona Aqua Botanicals.  They make gorgeous fountains and ponds that liven up landscapes.

Sapphire Showers

I’m starting to see a lot of these Sapphire Showers plants in different public places.  I think it produces such beautiful flowers.

Sunrise

I love the glow of sunrise on the tall buildings in downtown Phoenix.

Copper

The Sheraton Hotel in downtown Phoenix makes a perfect backdrop for the copper dome on the rectory at St. Mary’s.