Beautiful Accent

A rose by any other name...

Respite in Downtown Phoenix

A Spanish gate graces the entryway of an otherwise relatively modern building in downtown Phoenix, AZ.  The interior courtyard reclines in beauty, serving as a place of respite.  We could all use a respite from the tumult of life from time to time.  To enhance the drama, I utilized a black and white color scheme, intensifying the drama with noir.

Hipster Senorita

Yesterday, after my visit to the Phoenix Art Museum, I ate lunch at Carly's in the Roosevelt Row district, after taking a photo-snapping stroll around the area.  Here is a detail from a mural I really loved.  Again, the Day of the Dead, which is a favorite theme of mine.

Artifacts

THANK YOU, Phoenix Art Museum, for making some of your exhibits available for visitor photographs.  I always enjoy being greeted by this Buddha, on display in one of the main halls.  I also love the intricate beauty of this example of traditional Asian attire (below).

The Phoenix Art Museum is one of my favorite cultural venues in central Phoenix.  Currently, they are featuring two excellent exhibits.  The first is their 2014 installment of The West Select, an annual exhibit devoted exclusively to Western American themed art, which always includes work by two of my favorite Western artists, Ed Mell, a local Phoenix artist, and Arturo Chavez of Santa Fe, New Mexico.  Two outstanding, but very different artists.  They are also featuring Vanitas: Contemporary Reflections on Love and Death from the Collection of Stephane Janssen, for those of us (like myself) who love skull art, like in the Day of the Dead.

Anyone visiting Phoenix must visit the Phoenix Art Museum.  

Spotlight

Took this photo recently. Couldn't resist the palm trees illuminated by ground lights at night.

Remnants

Today, on the way to Prescott: Remnants from last night's storm passing across the desert.  Phoenicians woke up this morning to more fallen trees and flooding.

Nature's Wrath

A casualty from the storm that just hit us.

Spectacular Sunset

One of the things that I love about the desert: vividly colorful sunsets.

Blue Respite

This morning, after last night's dust storm, a clear blue sky in Phoenix...for now. We are expecting thunderstorms tonight and for the next two days, and I confess to looking forward to a brief break from blue sky and sun.

Quirky Locations

The people of Arizona Mills really want you to stay in their shopping mall for a good, long while.  Inside the mall, off to the side of the food court where I infrequently indulge in a Phoenix-style Philly cheesesteak (I confess!) stands this carousel.  Of course, since I was here today for an early movie, I arrived early enough in the morning to find it desolate and stationary, just waiting for me to snap this photograph.  I can't help but find the location of this carousel to be a bit random and quirky.  But then, when it's 110 degrees or more outside, who wants to spend a lot of time outdoors?

Cloud Graffiti

I took this recently, one morning after a long, hard desert rain.  Followers of this blog know of my fascination with cloud formations, and this display was beautiful.  Shabbat Shalom.

Valley Overview

Just a photograph with Camelback Mountain in the background, taken from Banner Good Samaritan Hospital.

Healing Art

Just details from columns gracing the healing garden at Banner Good Samaritan Hospital.  Beauty for healing.

The Sepia Editions

I have always loved sepia photography, but have never used that mode myself.  Now, for the sake of doing something a little different, I am posting these photos from my trip yesterday to Sedona and Prescott. Enjoy.

A play with shadow and light.

One solitary tree stands in the distance.

Respite

Close to downtown Prescott, AZ, lies Granite Creek.  While still in the thick of town, the creek has an accompanying trail that seems secluded enough to offer residents respite from the crowds and gift shop browsing.  Here, there is a hint that silent serenity lies within.  Looking at this today, I could not help but remember the Boulder Creek Trail in Boulder, CO.  Fond memories, inspired by a beautiful sight.

Old Tucson, AZ

I have a confession: I've been lazy these days.  The result has been my neglect in posting photos from Old Tucson.  As I mentioned previously, Old Tucson is a theme park with an American frontier theme.  Multiple Western films, including Tombstone with Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer, have been filmed here.  For any history buff, Old Tucson provides a good time.  In addition to gift stores and restaurants, there are exhibits and cowboy-themed performances throughout the day.  One of the times I visited here they were holding a reenactment of a gunfight.  Here are some choice photographs from my recent visit.  Enjoy.

I didn't manage to have this confirmed, but I believe this church facade served as the church in the opening scene of the movie Tombstone.

I have always thought antique wanted signs from the Old West were cool, including these reproductions.

This reminds me of a Gypsy caravan, or a circus wagon.

Classic Old Western scene.

Ending with a cowboy serenade.

The Saguaro in Bloom (Saguaro National Park, AZ)

Well, as I said earlier, last Sunday I managed to make it to Saguaro National Park, near Tucson, and finally snap some photos of the saguaro in bloom.  Years ago, when I first moved to Arizona, I had no idea that the saguaro cactus bloomed, and when I first saw it the flowers seemed unreal to me, like oversized artificial flowers someone would purchase as a home accent.  Since then, I vowed to get a few good photos of them.  These photos are as good as I got last Sunday.

Even though this is only a partial profile, this photo, above, is my favorite, as I managed to capture significant detail of the saguaro's immaculate white blossoms.

This bird took me by surprise.  Snapping the photo above, I was unaware that it was flapping its way to this saguaro cactus, not until...

I found it chirping its song at the summit, and I couldn't resist photographing its serenade.

Cowboy Show in Old Tucson, AZ

Today, I took a drive south to Saguaro National Park to get photos of the saguaro blooming, a goal of mine for a few years now.  The best of those photos will be posted here in the next day or two.  The second part of my excursion took me to Old Tucson, an Old West theme park where many Western movies have been filmed, including Tombstone, featuring Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer.  I have photos of the town scenery, also to come.  In the meantime, to provide a nice break from my flower photo focus, I wanted to use this post to feature a human being.

This cowboy proved himself to be a pro at spinning and moving his lasso.

Finished, amidst much acclaim.

But just when you thought he was going to walk off into the sunset...

He devotes the last part of his show to twirling and juggling his guns.  A show well-done.