Photo: Close up of an agave stalk

This concludes the three-part series on the death of an agave.  This is a close up of the fibrous stalk that this agave sent skyward.

In recognition of the upcoming holiday season, there are photos of a special Christmas Eve in Vienna that my husband and I enjoyed several years ago at a unique restaurant posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Death of an agave; part 2

This is a closer view of the same agave stalk that I showed yesterday. Often agave stalks have tight geometric patterns.  This one was quite different.  It was an explosion of vibrant yellow worm-like shapes. It resembles something that might give inspiration to Dale Chihuly to mimic in glass.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos posted  on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  In recognition of the upcoming holiday season, we are posting photos of a special Christmas Eve dinner in Vienna that my husband and I enjoyed several years ago at a unique restaurant.

Photo: A stalk signaling the death of an agave; part 1

It is both sad and a source of wonder when one of the agave plants in our yard sends a stalk up to the sky, often ten times greater in height that the height of the plant.  It signals the beginning of the end for the agave, as it will die following the sprouting of its one stalk.

This stalk seems to be mimicking the palm tree under whose shadow the agave has lived for about a decade.

I have had to take a brief break from my Scottsdale Daily Photo posts for the past several weeks due to the press of work and travel.  I plan to be able to return to more frequent posts in the weeks ahead, including two more installments on the death of this agave.

Photo: Agave stalk

I have shown agave plants during the last few days.  This is the top of an agave stalk. When agave plants send out a stalk, they will soon die. Fortunately they usually send out shoots or pups, which spread new agave plants in their place.

This week we are showing some more photos from my recent trip to Guatemala, featuring the market town of ChiChi and Guatemala City on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: A narrow leafed agave

This is a very unusual type of agave.  It has the same basic structure as the traditional agave that I showed yesterday, but the leaves are narrow spindles rather than broad paddles.

This week we are showing some more photos from my recent trip to Guatemala, featuring the market town of ChiChi and Guatemala City on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  

Photo: Agave

This photo illustrates a landscaping tip for agave plants.  They are adapted to the desert by having leaves that collect rain and channel the water to the base of the plant.   The same design also collects leaves or other plant debris that blows by in the area.

The collection of leaves and twigs in the base of the plant can result in a disease because the leaves trap and  moisture around the base of the plant.

This photo shows some leaves gathered at the base.  TH solution is to use a hose on high power to try to blast out the loose plant material.

This week we are showing some more photos from my recent trip to Guatemala, featuring the market town of ChiChi and Guatemala City 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: Moss and Manzanita

This is a photo of a small patch of moss at the base of a manzanita bush.

When hiking in places such as Sedona, it is easy to be so enthralled at the scenery of the cliffs that at times one can overlook the more delicate aspects of the setting.

I like the reddish color, smooth texture and twisting shapes of manzanita bushes, but they are a challenge to photograph those features well.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos posted s week on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  This week we are showing photos from an old district in Rabat, Morocco.  Some of the houses might make you think that they are in Greece.

Photo: Agave at night

This is another of the photos that Dave took at the iPhone Photo Workshop at the Desert Botanical Garden.  It was the first time that they offered the workshop in the evening.  The instructor initially said that he thought it was not advisable to have the class in the evening because it would be much more difficult to take photos in the garden at night.

By the end of the class, the instructor said that he liked the night class.  Dave agreed.  Photos like this one of an agave can be more dramatic at night because the plant is highlighted and the background is not visible, so the plant stands out more against the dark background.

This week we have photos of a colorful tannery and an ancient madrasa in Fez, Morocco, posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Night iPhone Photo Workshop

Here is another photo that Dave took from the Desert Botanical Garden Night iPhone Photo Workshop.

The concept behind the iPhone photo workshop is that the iPhone is a camera that you will always have with you, so people should learn how to use the various applications and features to improve the quality of the photos that are taken on the many photo opportunities when people do not have a regular camera with them.

This week we have photos of a colorful tannery and madrasa in Fez, Morocco posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Snow on an agave

Agave plants are well adapted to the desert, as their leaves catch the rain and funnel it into the center of the plant.

Three days ago, the agave in our yard gathered the rare snowfall that fell in Scottsdale, as shown in this photo.

We are showing some more photos of Africa this week on our  Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Old Palm Tree Trunk

After zooming in on the top of the palm tree that I showed yesterday, I zoomed the camera in for a closer shot of a section of the trunk catching the light at sunrise.

This is a tall, old palm tree.  Its trunk shows the effects of age, similar to some humans.  We often see woodpeckers poking away on this tree.

We are showing some more photos of Africa this week on our  Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Top of a tall palm tree

This is a zoomed in photo of the top of the tall palm tree that I showed yesterday.  You will notice that some of the older, lower palm fronds have been cut off.  It the palm trees are not trimmed every year or so, the dead branches will hang on in an brown clump and add even more weight to the top of the tree.

It is hazardous work for someone to climb up the tree and saw off the dead branches.  If the trees are not kept trimmed and there are bunches of dead branches and leaves, the clump of dead leaves can be a haven for scorpions to live.

Fortunately, we do not have scorpions where we live.  We have never even seen one in our house or yard.  When my brother moved into a house in an old citrus orchard with a few tall palm trees that had been neglected for years, he hired someone to trim the palm trees.  When the man climbed up and started to cut the branches, he became covered with scorpions and he quit the job.  I don't blame him.

There have even been a few instances of tree trimmers who have suffocated when they were tied to the trees and thick branches came down and smothered them.  It is important to keep the trees trimmed regularly so they do not get overgrown.

We are showing some more photos of Africa this week on our  Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Tall Palm catching the morning sun

Although I went out into our back yard on a recent morning to take the photo of the sunlight hitting top of Camelback Mountain that I showed the day before yesterday, glancing up at the tall palm tree in our neighbor's yard also provided an attractive scene.

The tall palm caught the first sunlight of the morning.  I worry about this tree at times, as during the occasional summer monsoon storms it will sway in the high winds.  It is amazing how a tree so top heavy with such a tall, slender trunk can withstand the occasional summer wind storms.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos posted on our  Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  This week we are showing some more photos of Africa.

Photo: Lady slipper plant in soft light

Here is a wider view of the lady slipper plant that I showed yesterday.  It is catching the soft light at the end of the day in a corner of our back yard patio.

The cactus in the pot on the left is struggling.  A family of quail made a nest inside the pot, so David did not water it very much, so as not to disturb the eggs and the quail.

This week we are showing photos of the amazing ancient Khmer temples of Siem Reap, Cambodia posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: lady slipper plant

Not all of our backyard plants are cacti, of course.  Here is a robust lady slipper plant.  At times they will bloom with tiny pink flowers, which hummingbirds love.

This week we are showing photos of the amazing ancient Khmer temples of Siem Reap, Cambodia posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  .

Photo: Shade of a Palo Verde Tree

In the desert, shade is a premium.  This photo from Rita and Tim's side yard shows the pleasant shade provided by one of their palo verde trees.  This photo is from the Spring, when the palo verde trees drop a carpet of yellow blossoms.  

We are showing photos of the menthol blue waters at the bottom of the Grand Canyon on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Colorful Backyard

I mentioned yesterday that Rita and Tim have a colorful back yard.  Here is a photo of a corner of their yard.  They have a little cactus garden in this area.

Rita and Tim recently had their swimming pool removed, as it needed renovation, and they expanded their patio area and added landscaping and other decorative touches to their yard.  It was a lot of work, but they did a wonderful job.

The pot on the left is cast concrete.  I doubt that Tim will be moving it again, ever.

We are showing photos of the temples and trees of Cambodia on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Art on a backyard wall

This is a photo of part of the back wall of some dear friends of ours who live in Scottsdale right behind Papago Park.  Rita and Tim are both artistically inclined and creative.  They have decorated their yard extensively with cactus and art.  In this portion of their back wall they have mounted glass, similar to Chihuly glass art, on their wall.

Both the glass art and the nearby bougainvilla capture the sunlight to accent their colors.

Enjoy our travel photos of my river raft trip down the Grand Canyon at Viva la Voyage!

Photo: Palo Verde Blossoms Covering Barrel Cactus

Yesterday I showed the carpet of palo verde blossoms along one of the streets in downtown Scottsdale.  I mentioned that were a few lumps aong the ground.

Those lumps were barrel cactus covered with palo verde blossoms.  The blossoms look like little pieces of buttered popcorn.

People who think of the Arizona desert as desolate have never been here.  Our desert explodes with color at different times of the year, as illustrated by the blossoms of the palo verde trees and saguaro cacti flowers that I have shown recently.

This week we have photos of dazzling Bangkok, Thailand  posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.