Mirrored Monarchs

A pair of monarch butterflies mirroring each other on a single branch.

Arena

The U.S. Airways Arena in downtown Phoenix is home to the Phoenix Sun’s Basketball team and many special events.  I caught a U.S. Airways jet flying overhead on its way to land at the airport.

Looking up

The Maricopa County Courthouse that I’ve shown before, looking up toward the top of the terra cotta building.  A different view altogether. 

Dragonfly

A brightly colored dragonfly sitting on the very tip of an Aloe leaf.

Royalty

The Monarch Butterflies are back at the Desert Botanical Garden.

Stylish Office

I have long admired this office building.  It has such beautiful style.  It’s located in the Willo Historic District.

Bridge over a troublesome wash

This bridge is located on the campus of Phoenix Country Day School, a college preparatory school for kindergarten through high school. It is a nonsectarian school that prepares graduates for admission to the nation’s top colleges and universities. You can read more about it here.

The campus is split by a wash that is mostly dry, but during heavy rains can fill with rushing water coming off of the mountains that cut through our city.

When I stopped to take this photo, I notice that the school was celebrating it’s 50^th anniversary. 

Neighborhood color

I spotted this colorful pot full of colorful flowers at the end of a driveway in a nearby neighborhood. 

Artistic License

In my library of photos, I found this photo of a Jimson Weed bloom that I’ve been keeping for some time.  Many of my fellow bloggers have posted photos and stories about this plant before.  It is a highly toxic plant that is one of a group of plants known as the “belladonnas”.  It is known to have hallucinogenic properties and with that in mind, I decided to alter the state of my photo just as this weed might alter the state of one’s mind.  So, here you have my hallucinogenic version of a Jimson Weed blossom. 

Downtown Mural

Another mural on the back of a building in downtown Phoenix.

Urban Lifestyle

This is a new building in downtown Phoenix that accommodates businesses on the ground floor and condominium living on the upper floors.  An old idea, updated.

Sales Technique

An interesting way to entice shoppers into a clothing store.

Simple Portrait

Of nature’s beauty

Climbing

People love to climb up to the hole-in-the-rock at Papago Park.

Big Eyes

What big eyes for such a small creature.

Release the Fear

A mural that is on the side of a vacant building near downtown Phoenix.

Getting “arty” with the art

An artistic shot of the three Chihuly glass artworks that remain at the Desert Botanical Garden.

Another Cactus Flower

The cactus that produced this bloom now makes a good background for this close up shot.

It’s always a good idea….

....to look before you leap!

Coming in for a Landing

Through the filter of some monsoon clouds.

Modern Day Castle

The Copenhaver Castle clinging to the side of Camelback Mountain. I told the story of this “home” in 2008. Click here to read it.

Frequent Guest

I just had to show you one more photo of one of the peach-faced love birds that have been frequenting my yard lately. With my new telephoto lens, I’m able to snap a few good shots without scaring them off.

Modern View

One of the homes on the slopes of Camelback Mountain. A modern look with a nice view.

Pool with a Grand View

This is where I took yesterday’s photo. It’s one of the model homes inside the One Lexington tower on Central Avenue. I did a whole series of photos on the building right out the window. You can see them here, and here, and here.

Pool Anyone?

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Brand new, brightly colored pool balls. Makes you want to play a quick game.

Sunset behind the White Tank Mountains

A sunset shot taken from a Central Avenue high-rise.  There was some sort of fire going on in the city.  This was taken with the little point and shoot camera because it's all I had with me at the time.

St. Francis

The St. Francis is a new restaurant in central Phoenix that has developed quite a following.  Everytime I've gone, the dining room has been packed.  That might be because of the great food and service.  I took this photo from the second floor looking down at the bar.  That is a garage door you see on the one side of the bar.  When the weather is nice, they open that door and have bar stools on the outside too! 

Bird of Paradise

A perfectly shaped Bird of Paradise bloom growing in a planter just outside the door to a grocery store! It’s enough to brighten my day!

Bounty of the Market

There are two things I’m always after when I head to the Public Market on Saturday morning, fresh baked bread (lower right) and flavorful tomatoes. It’s the tomatoes that are the real challenge. Although plentiful, finding one that tastes like the tomatoes I grew up eating is the real problem. I’ve had some success shopping at the Public Market if I look carefully and take a whiff of the stem end before buying. The heirloom tomatoes come the closest to that Midwestern taste.

Speaking of “whiffs”, see that basil in the upper left corner? The wonderful aroma of fresh basil whets my appetite while I’m shopping and probably prompts me to buy even more than I had planned.

Theme Day: Open Air Market

Open air markets in Phoenix, in the summer are a bit of a challenge, but we do have several around town that are thriving. The one I go to on the edge of downtown Phoenix, uses huge evaporative coolers at the ends of some of the aisles to help keep the temperature tolerable for the vendors and the shoppers alike. A little music to entertain the shoppers helps too.

Tomorrow I’ll give you a taste of why I go almost every Saturday morning in spite of the heat.

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