Condos, #3

This condo community appears to be a victim of the bad economy. They are sitting there vacant and not quite complete. This group has little front entrances.

Condos, #2

This set of condos has a bit of and eastern look to them. A few days ago, I said you don’t see many picket fences here in Arizona but here’s another one.

Condos, #1

Lately I’ve been noticing how uniquely designed condo communities are. So, I took a few pictures to share with you. This first one is very different with second floor looking like it’s a big box sitting on top of the first floor.

The second photo shows the view from the side.

Summer Dreams

This building is now sitting vacant, possibly a victim of the sad economic times. I don’t know what type of business used to be housed here, but visions of splashing waves are on the mind of we Phoenicians as the hot summer months roll by. Perhaps the former tenant had sweet dreams of cool ocean breezes and thought this mural would make him feel cooler when the temperature rises to triple digits.

A Promise....

.....of future beauty.  A bud on a large cactus.

 The bud is beautiful so I bet the bloom will be too.

Building a Mansion

I drove by this place a little over a year ago and there was a large brick ranch-style house abandoned on this lot. I remember it well because it was unusual to see an abandoned home in such an upscale neighborhood. I drove by again last week and saw that the old home was gone and someone is building a new home on the spot. It’s going to be a big one.

I’ll have to drive by again in a few months and show you the finished product.

Pueblo Style

The landscaping around this pueblo-style home is quite dramatic. The fountain to the right was attracting birds and the flowers along the front are a nice touch. I wouldn’t be surprised if the owner was a landscape architect.

Taylor’s

There is a little restaurant across the street from where I work called Taylor’s. They have great salads and a charming atmosphere! I snapped this shot one day when I was finishing a late lunch and the normal lunch crowd had already left.

Sunflower

I found a patch of huge sunflowers growing in the space between the sidewalk and the curb just a few short blocks from the high-rise buildings of downtown Phoenix. Look at all the patterns in this beauty.

Tableau

Just a little Farmer’s Market tableau spotted at yesterday’s market.

Long Wong’s

I can’t review this eating establishment because I’ve never been inside. However the eclectic (or maybe I should say ‘strange’) collections of artifacts on the outside always attracts attention. This crazy looking place has been here a long time so it must have appeal to some.

A Touch of Greece

You might think I took this photo somewhere in Greece, but I didn’t. While driving around in central Phoenix, I spotted this home with the blue door and thought about how much I’d love to visit the Greek Islands. Maybe soon.

Monastery of Saint Anthony

I discovered this place quite by accident while driving around town. I saw this tiny chapel through a chain link gate. That explains that black line in the corner of this photo. I tried to take the photo through the fence but couldn’t quite get it without one of the links showing.  It appears to be a small Greek Orthadox Monastary.

The two smaller photos show the roof lines of the chapel seen over the wall that surrounded the place and the tile sign that was placed on that wall. I looked up Saint Nectarios of Pehtapolis and found this information.

Facelift

How do you modernize an old house? These people have given this old house a very appealing update.

The smaller photo shows the house next door and presumably what this house looked like before it was updated.

Theme Day: Funny Signs

This mural is painted on the side of a bar and it appears that an unknown critic has done a covert critique of this work. According to the spray-painted remarks on the side, this piece has beer (that’s what the ad is for), it has boobs (can’t deny that), but can you call it art? Not so much!


Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Art & Water

Here is an interesting piece of art that serves as the center piece for a fountain in front of the Falcon Court Office Building. I looked for an artist’s name, but couldn’t find one.

The Saguaro & The Moon

A stately saguaro laden with blooms and the moon peeking out from behind.

Palo Verde

The Palo Verde trees have been in full bloom the last few weeks. When the wind blows like it did all of last weekend, it leaves a yellow carpet on the ground.

Art Preserved

These sand cast panels were originally part of a mural on the side of a retail store that was torn down years ago. The panels were preserved and placed at the Biltmore Fashion Park Shopping Center so they could continue to be enjoyed. I’m at this shopping center quite often and I just saw these Monday evening. I don’t think they’ve put them in a place prominent enough for many people to enjoy them. In fact, I doubt many people have seen them at all. The artwork dates from 1963 and the artist is John Smith.

Enjoying the fruits of Nature

A hummingbird enjoying the blooms of the Century Plant (Agave).

Picket Fence

Here is something you don’t see very often in the city of Phoenix, a picket fence. This is from another one of the historic neighborhoods in Phoenix. This is the Woodlea Neighborhood. This would look very mid-western if it weren’t for the two palm trees lurking in the background.

In a Historic Neighborhood

Here is another house from one of our many historic neighborhoods.  This neighborhood is called the FQ Story Neighborhood.  I love the trim around that high, slot-like window and the trim on top of the chimney.

Memories of Spring

Summer is upon us and 100 degree plus heat has already arrived. I thought I’d take one last longing look at the wonderful spring beauty that greeted us such a short time ago. This tulip is just glowing in the Arizona sunshine.  The tulips may be gone, but my photos of them linger on.

Screen Door

When I was growing up, I remember a screen door similar to this one in our kitchen. As a little kid, I’d watch the world go by out that door and as I grew older, I learned to come and go as I pleased. Great memories of home!


This screen door is at my friend’s cabin north west of Phoenix in the town I mentioned in yesterday’s post and where I’m spending this weekend. More great memories in the making.

Blast from the Past

This little historic gas station is located in Yarnell Arizona, a tiny town located atop a granite hill north west of Phoenix. When special events happen in this town, they roll out the classic cars and those parked at the gas station add to the historic aura of this place.