Photo: Scottsdale Portales Fountain Sculpture

This is a closer view of the Portales office building sculpture that I showed yesterday, taken looking into the direction of the sun peaking through the sculpture.

This week we are showing photos of the architecture of Grenada, Nicaragua on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Scottsdale Portales Office Building

This is the entrance to the Portales Office Building just north of Scottsdale Fashion Square shopping center.  My husband and I walk through this office project on our way to enjoy the restaurants of downtown Scottsdale.   There are some law firms and other businesses in this building.

This week we are showing photos of the architecture of Grenada, Nicaragua on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Camelback Mountain Ridge Line Cactus

This is saguaro cactus on the ridge line of Camelback Mountain, taken with a telephoto lens from the Phoenecian Resort at the base of the mountain.

Consider that it takes about 80 years before a saguaro grows its first arm.  This cactus is certainly well over 100 years old.  It started to grow long before there was any contemplation that tourists, and residents, would like  looking up at scenery such as this.

This week we are showing photos of the architecture of Grenada, Nicaragua on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Barrel cactus buds that look like mini pineapples

The buds of this barrel cactus looked to me line miniature pineapples.  I took this photo on the cactus garden walk at the Phoenician Resort, which we always do after enjoying afternoon tea there.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  This week we are showing photos of the architecture of Grenada, Nicaragua.

Photo: Palm tree and the evening sky

Sunsets often bring different bands of color, was the case the evening that I took this photo from our back yard.  The bottom of the cloud layer caught the glow from the setting sun, but  the clouds were too thick to allow the color to penetrate.  The skies were clearer closer to the horizon.

Our neighbor's palm tree accented the scene.

This week we are showing photos of wild animals and a coffee plantation in Tanzania, Africa on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Girl in the fountain at the Optima Camelview Condos

One of the benefits of a strong telephoto lens is that from a vantage point such as the view that I showed yesterday, I can zoom in on a small scene, like this girl who was enjoying dangling her feet into the fountain at the restaurant in the courtyard of the Optima Camelview condo project.

This week we are showing photos of wild animals and a coffee plantation in Tanzania, Africa on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Optima condo courtyard

The Optima Camelview condo building is close to our house, and we cut through this center courtyard whenever we walk to a restaurant in downtown Scottsdale from our house.  It is more pleasant to walk through here than along Scottsdale Road, where there is a lot of traffic.

There is a new restaurant in this courtyard, which we must try.

The Optima Camelview project has about 750 units, designed with more than 200 different floor plans.  One might think that the builder would have complained about the architect, but the builder and the architect were the same.

This week we are showing photos of wild animals and a coffee plantation in Tanzania, Africa on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Blue Hibiscus Macro

Here is a closer view of the center of the blue hibiscus that I showed yesterday.  The blue hibiscus flowers are smaller than traditional red and yellow hibiscus.

This week we are showing photos of wild animals and a coffee plantation in Tanzania, Africa on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Blue Hibiscus

I love our blue hibiscus plants in our back yard.  They are unusual.   If one of them dies due to a cold spell in the winter, I always buy a replacement at  the next Desert Botanical Garden semi-annual plant sale.

I arrive at the plant sale when it opens on the the Members preview day in order to get the blue hibiscus and other choice plants before they sell out.

This week we are showing photos of wild animals and a coffee plantation in Tanzania, Africa on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Photo Lineup at High Tea at the Phoenecian

This is a view of the scene that I showed in yesterday's photo.  Dave and I were enjoying high tea at the Phoenician Resort with four dear friends, as we do every year for their birthdays, and seated near us was a group of young women celebrating a birthday.

One of the mothers at the birthday party took a photo of the group, but their shoes attracted the attention of my camera, as I showed yesterday.

I think high tea at the Phoenician is the best anywhere.  It is far superior to the fabled tea at the Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong.  Our friends and I particularly enjoy our favorite server, Wanda, and we successfully ask her to show us photos of her grandchildren.

This week we are showing photos of the animals and a coffee plantation in Tanzania, Africa, on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: It's the shoes

Here is a fun photo.  It illustrates the fashion trend of high heel shoes, which is not shared by me.  I will tomorrow show a wider view to put this scene into context.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  This week we are showing photos of animals and a coffee plantation in Tanzania, Africa.

Photo: Barrel Cactus & Buddha

This is a night view of a corner of our backyard, which has some barrel cactus in front of a large Buddha head.  We like to accent our yard with some statuary, and a lot of plants.  It is not the traditional Arizona yard decor of an old wagon wheel or cow's skull.

This week we are showing photos of street scenes of Marrakech, Morocco on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Evening sky

I haven't shown a sunset recently.  This is a rather subtle sunset, with a few wispy clouds catching the glow of the setting sun.

This photo is from our backyard, with the slope of Camelback Mountain on the right.

This week we are showing photos of street scenes of Marrakech, Morocco on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Sun on the patio wall

I have shown some photos recently of the arts fair at Scottsdale Waterfront.  We bought this sun metal art at one of the booths at the art fair.   The woman buys the metal and paints it to a high gloss using automotive paint.

The splash of color accents the neutral tones of the house on our patio.   The color of the house is subject to the concurrence of the architectural committee of the home owners association of our neighborhood, which is common in the Phoenix area, but there is no restriction n the color of things that you hang on your patio.

This week we are showing photos of street scenes of Marrakech, Morocco on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Mexican fencepost cactus flowers

A few days ago I showed the buds on the spine of a Mexican fence post cactus.  Here is a closer view of a few of the flowers into which the buds blossom.

This week we are showing photos of street scenes of Marrakech, Morocco on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired shopping center detail

This is a little design feature in what would otherwise be a plain, blank wall on the exterior of Scottsdale Fashion Square.  You can see the influence of Frank Lloyd Wright in Phoenix/Scottsdale in this design element.  Frank Lloyd Wright's winter residence and school, Taliesin West, is located in Scottsdale.

This week we are showing photos of street scenes of Marrakech, Morocco on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Scottsdale Fashion Square Palm Trees

This is a photo of a row of palm trees  along side part of Scottsdale Fashion Square, which is the largest shopping mall in the Phoenix metro area.  It has managed to have attractive features despite growing in size.  Over the years it has been extended over Camelback Road to add a Nordstroms and over Goldwater Boulevard to add a Neiman Marcus.

Dave and I live only a mile from here, so we often walk to one of the restaurants.  I do not like to shop in malls, however.  I am a catalog shopper.

This week we are showing photos of street scenes of Marrakech, Morocco on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Gila Woodpecker on Mexican fencepost

I mentioned a couple of days ago that birds like the buds that sprout on the ridges of Mexican fence post cactus.   Here is a Gila Woodpecker perched on the top of one of our Mexican fence post cacti.

I took this photo from our kitchen window, using a zoom lens.  It looks like the bird has spotted me and is making sure that I do not pose a threat.

We have a big block of bird seed in our back yard to help feed and attract birds.  The Mexican fence post cacti make a good perch for the birds to survey the scene and pick their moments to come get some food.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  This week we are showing street scenes of Marrakech, Morocco.

Photo: Mexican fencepost cactus buds close up

This is a closer view of the Mexican fence post cactus buds that I showed yesterday.  These have not yet blossomed.  They have little specs of sap on them.

This week we are showing photos of an endangered species at the bottom of the Grand Canyon on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Mexican fence post cactus covered with buds

This is a Mexican fence post cactus in our backyard. It is the time of year that they sprout buds and flowers.  This group of Mexican fence post cacti do particularly well, and they are unusually plump, and covered in buds that crowd their spine.

The buds fall and sprout new cacti.  The birds and bees like them as well.

This week we are showing photos of an endangered species at the bottom of the Grand Canyon on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Glass artisan adding color to his work

This will follow up on and conclude my little series about the glass artisans at the art fair at the Scottsdale Waterfront.  The portable furnace is in the background.

After heating up the glass, the artisan would roll it in colored beads or flakes, which stuck to the glass and added color that would melt into the glass.  It was an entertaining process to watch.

This week we are showing photos of an endangered species at the bottom of the Grand Canyon on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Theme Day -- The Creative Artisan

Today's worldwide Daily Photo theme for the first of May is "The Creative Artisan."  This photo shows two artisan glass blowers at work at the Sunday morning crafts fair at the Scottsdale Waterfront.

After the glass blowers got the glass quite hot in the furnace, as I showed yesterday, they took the glass out of the furnace and the artisan at the left  shaped the warm glass ball while the other artisan blew through the tube to enlarge the glass object.

The artisans invited a child from the audience to sit with them as they worked on making the glass, as you see here.  I think his family was buying the glass object for which he had a front row seat.

This week we are showing photos of an endangered species at the bottom of the Grand Canyon on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

To see how other City Daily Photo bloggers have interpreted the theme of artisans at work, click on this link.

Photo: Molten Glass

This is a photo of molten glass in a portable furnace at the the Scottsdale arts and crafts fair that I have been showing during the past week.  This will set up the photo for tomorrow's Daily Photo Theme Day.

This week we are showing photos of an endangered species at the bottom of the Grand Canyon on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: The Girl's Satisfaction with Application of Her Lipstick

The girl looks like she is satisfied with her application of lipstick.  She is now ready to join her sisters and friends in the dancing performance at the art fair at the Scottsdale Waterfront.

This week we are showing photos from the bottom of the Grand Canyon, including a rare endangered species, on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Girl Applying Lipstick

I think this girl who is so intent on applying lipstick is about 12, going on 22.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  This week we are showing photos from the bottom of the Grand Canyon, including  a photo of a rare, endangered species.

Photo: Concentrating on Lipstick

This young girl was preparing to perform some Hispanic dances, but first she concentrated on applying some lipstick.

We will check in on her again tomorrow so see how she progressed with her lipstick application.

This week we are showing photos of the colorful architecture and street scenes of Grenada, Nicaragua on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Latina Dancers

The Sunday morning arts and crafts fair at the Scottsdale Waterfront also included some young Latina dancers.  We did not have enough time to stay for the performance, but we did chat with some of the dancers who were walking around before their performance.

It is good to see Arizona celebrate its Latino heritage.

This week we are showing photos of the colorful architecture and street scenes of Grenada, Nicaragua on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Segway Tour of Scottsdale

While I was taking a photo of the art installation along the canal I noticed that across the canal was a Segway tour of Scottsdale rolling by the walkway on the other side of the canal.

That looks like a fun way to cover a lot of territory to see the area, although I would prefer the exercise of walking.

Also, I suspect it would be hard to take photos while zooming by on a Segway.

This week we are showing photos of the colorful architecture and street scenes of Grenada, Nicaragua on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: The Wedding Party

This is a daytime view of the entire Wedding Party art installation.  I showed a night time view of several of these Scaphalopod figures a few days ago.

This art, created by Pete Goldlust, is part of the Canal Convergence art installation on display through this summer along the Scottsdale Waterfront.

This week we are showing photos of the colorful architecture and street scenes of Grenada, Nicaragua on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Sunday crafts fair on the canal bridge

This is a photo of part of the Sunday crafts fair that is located on the pedestrian bridge that connects the Scottsdale Waterfront/Scottsdale Fashion Square shopping areas with the Southbridge/downtown Scottsdale shopping and entertainment district.

The crafts fair is also set up on the plazas on both sides of the pedestrian bridge.  My husband and I walk over this bridge many times on our way to dinner at one of the many restaurants in downtown Scottsdale.

It is nice to live close enough to walk to dinner at dozens of restaurants, which is a rarity in Phoenix/Scottsdale, as most people have to drive everywhere.

This week we are showing photos of the colorful architecture and street scenes of Grenada, Nicaragua on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.