Photo: Large Cacti for Sale at Desert Botanical Garden

This is a portion of the sale area for large cacti at the Desert Botanical Garden's semi-annual plant sale last weekend.

These large cacti require framing and bracing to move and transplant.  The prices start at about $600 and range up to about $1,500 for the large cacti.

This week we are showing some of the marine life in the Sea of Cortez, Mexico on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Saguaros for sale at the Desert Botanical Garden

The Desert Botanical Garden plant sale is an excellent opportunity to buy a saguaro cactus.  This is the area of the plant sale that features small saguaros.  The small saguaro pictured here ranged in price from about $180 to about triple that amount, depending on the size.

These are rather small saguaros, of course.  All someone would have to do is dig a small hole, plant the cactus, water it occasionally, and wait until the saguaro is about 80 years old, and the saguaro will grow to about 12 tall and sprout its first arm.

The slow growth and expensive price are why it is so sad when a storm like the two recent  heavy wind and rain storms we have recently had causes saguaros to topple over, as I have shown in some photos recently.

Today is the last day of the DBG's semi-annual plant sale, but I am sure that all of the saguaros are sold by now.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos posted  on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  This week we are showing some of the marine life in the Sea of Cortez, Mexico.

Photo: Desert Botanical Garden Plant Sale

This weekend is the Desert Botanical Garden's semi-annual plant sale.  Thousands of plants are displayed in the DBG parking lot.

Yesterday the sale was reserved for members of the Garden, and today and tomorrow it is open for everyone.  It is a great opportunity to buy cacti, succulents, and other plants native to the desert.   It is also an excellent way to support a superb community asset.

This week we have photos of the people of the people of Bhutan posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Boujum Tree

This magnificent boujum tree is in the Desert Botanical Garden.  I tried planting a boujum tree in a pot on my patio, but it did not survive.  I will have to do more research on the proper care and watering.

This week we are showing photos from our cruise along the east coast of Baja California, with some samples of the marine life in the Sea of Cortez on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Desert Botanical Garden from the air

I have posted a lot of photos over the years from the Desert Botanical Garden, as has Sharon on her Phoenix Daily Photo site.  Here is a different perspective on the DBG.

In the center of this photo is a butte.  The Desert Botanical Garden is on the far slope of that butte.  You can see a slightly more green area and a band of buildings.  The buildings are the entrance, area, gift shop, restaurant, a classroom building, a multi purpose room where special events are held.

One of the Salt River Project canals slices through the right side of the photo.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  This week we are showing some underwater photos from the Sea of Cortez, including several photos of sea lions swimming underwater with us.

Photo: Chihuly Boat at Desert Botanical Garden

Several days ago I posted an iPhone photo of the Chihuly boat at the Desert Botanical Gardens.  I mentioned that we often go to the Friday night concert series at DBG and I should bring a real camera to take more photos.

We went to the concert in the Garden last Friday evening.  Here is a photo of the same scene I posted several days ago, but this time taken with a "real" camera.

This week we have photos from our recent cruise in Mexico's Sea of Cortez posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Chihuly Beluga Installation

This is the Beluga exhibit as part
of the Chihuly installation at the Desert Botanical Garden.

It is a challenge to photograph the contrast between the white glass in the night darkness.  The glass is interspersed amidst saguaro cactus ribs.

This week we have photos of the Galapagos Islands posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Night Reflections of a Chihuly Boat

Two weeks ago we went to one of the Friday evening concerts at the Desert Botanical Gardens.  On the way out we took a detour and walked by some of the Chihuly installations on exhibition.

We had only our iPhone, but we took some photos anyway.  The water pump near the boat was turned off, which increased the clarity of the reflections.  During our past visits the little ripples on the water from the pump diminished the clarity of the reflection.  This time, it was like a mirror.

We have tickets to future Friday night concerts, and maybe we will take one of our "real" cameras.  The contrast between the light reflecting on the back of the boat and the darkness of the night photo was too much of the iPhone, even in HDR setting.

This week we have photos of the Galapagos Islands posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Agave at night

After attending the concert at the Desert Botanical Garden last Friday night, I could not help but take a few photos on the way out, even if it was dark and all I had was an iPhone instead of a real camera.

This agave will die, of course, once it sends out a shoot that will tower above the plant.

This week we have photos of the Trinity College Library in Dublin, Ireland posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: The Del Rayz - Sistah Blue Concert at the Desert Botanical Garden

We enjoy the Friday night "Music in the Garden" series at the Desert Botanical Garden.  Last Friday's band was the Del Rayz, which is comprised of many of the members of the former band Sistah Blue, which was an award-winning blues band.  Last Friday several of the former members flew back to Phoenix to perform.

The top photo shows part of the band during a number.  After the concert the band posed for a photo in front of the stage, and we poached a quick iPhone photo to take advantage of the pose.

They recorded the concert, so perhaps a recording will be available in the future.  I already have one of their CDs in my car.

The Music in the Garden series is a cabaret format, with food and drinks available to enjoy during the concerts.

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 Trinity College Library in Dublin, Ireland.

Photo: Road Runner Perched on a Rock

This road runner is posing while using this rock as a pedestal.  It is unusual to be in a good position to capture a photo of a road runner standing still in a clearing.

My mother took this photo with her iPhone while at the Desert Botanical Garden on Sunday.  This is a cropped photo to show the road runner.  Below is the full photo that shows the overall scene where she took the photo.  She was at the Ullman Terrace outdoor dining area of the Garden and looked over and saw the road runner right next to the terrace.

The iPhone takes surprisingly good photos at times.  Perhaps its best feature is that it is always available and can record the countless situations in which one would otherwise not have a camera present.

This week we are showing photos from our recent trip to the Galapagos Islands on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Agave and Chihuly Glass

This is the final photo in the little series on the Chihuly installation at the Desert Botanica Garden, which I have been showing during the past week.

The Chihuly exhibition is a big success, just as it was several years ago, as it brings out additional crowds to view the Garden.

The timing of the exhibition is good, as this is the heart of the tourist season here in the Valley of the Sun. We have recently had the Barrett-Jackson and other classic car auctions have been completed.  The Phoenix Open Golf tournament and Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show are next, followed by Spring Training baseball.

This week we are showing photos of Raboul, Papua New Guinea on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  It is the former capitol, but has been destroyed by volcanic eruptions.

Photo: Lavender Chihuly and Cactus

The lavender color of this Chihuly installation at the Desert Botanical Garden added a delightful color to the black and white installation that was nearby, which I showed a couple of days ago.

This week we are showing photos of Raboul, Papua New Guinea on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  It is the former capitol, but has been destroyed by volcanic eruptions.

Photo: Detail of Chihuly Glass in Front of a Saguaro Cactus

This is a close-up telephoto shot of the tip of one of the Chihuly glass sculptures at the Desert Botanical Garden that I showed yesterday.

One of the things I like about Chihuly glass is its aesthetic appeal both when viewed as a whole from a distance as well when a small portion is viewed in isolation.

This week we have underwater photos from our recent trip to the Galapagos Islands posted this on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Black and White Chihuly Glass and Cacti

Chihuly glass sculptures are most widely recognized for their twirling shapes and bright colors.  But he also works in black and white.

This is not a black and white photo.  It is a color photo.  It shows a black and white Chihuly glass installation amidst some cactus at the Desert Botanical Garden.  The scene was lighted, so the lights bleached out the color of the cactus at night.

This week we have underwater photos from our recent trip to the Galapagos Islands posted this on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Saguaro Cactus Silhouetted against Chihuly Tower at Night

I like the Chihuly glass sculptures even better at night than during the day.  This is the same tower that I showed yesterday, taken from a distance to create an where an angle to silhouette a saguaro front of the sculpture.

I signed up for a special evening photo shoot at the Desert Botanical Gardens in order to take pictures with very few people around.  My husband and I enjoyed the session, but found that the two-hour time period was not long enough.  We have signed up for another one.

This week we have underwater photos from our recent trip to the Galapagos Islands posted this on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Chihuly Tower and Saguaro Cactus

I will show a few more photos of the Chihuly exhibition that is on display at the Desert Botanical Gardens.

I wonder if they will again have a fundraising campaign to buy one of the installations as a permanent addition to the Gardens like they did, successfully, last time.  And I wonder which of the many installations on display will be the one that they try to make permanent.

This week we have underwater photos from our recent trip to the Galapagos Islands posted this on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Holidays Cactus and Lights

This shows some of the holiday lights at the Desert Botanical Garden casting a glow on the barrel cacti.  It is a treat to walk among the 8,000 hand-lit luminarias and other holiday lights at the Desert Botanical Garden, which we do every holiday season.  This year the DBG has the added bonus of the Chihuly installation.

This week we have photos of the spirituality of the people of Grenada, Nicaragua posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Luminarias at the Desert Botanical Garden

Because they don't allow tripods at the luminaria nights at the Desert Botanical Gardens, one way to try to get a clear, hand-held photo at night is to get down on the ground and use the ground to steady the shot.

But then instead of a tripod being a tripping hazard, perhaps the photographer is a tripping hazard.  Better have a spotter to be a buffer for those who are looking at the luminarias and the plants instead of the path in front of them.

This week we are showing photos of the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, Morocco on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Luminarias on a trail at the Desert Botanical Garden

The Desert Botanical Garden luminaria evenings allow people to walk along the garden trails illuminated by luminarias, with musicians, food and drink located at different places in the garden.

They do not allow tripods, however, as it is dark, there are a lot of people walking around, and it would be a tripping hazard.

This week we are showing photos of the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, Morocco on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.