Photo: Guadalupe Mexican Market items

These items are a little more customary for what one would expect of an outdoor Mexican market.  In fact, our friends Rita and Tim bought the talavera ceramic hanging fountain that you see at the bottom of this photo.  They (and we) passed on the large mask.

Rita and Tim have a very colorful yard, and the fountain will look good at their place.  I showed a photo of the glass art on their back wall a few weeks ago, and I have a few more photos of their yard coming up tomorrow and the next day.

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

Photo: Guadalupe Mexican Market Dinosaurs

I was unaware that dinosaurs are popular in Mexico, but if you need some dinosaurs to accent your yard, the Guadalupe Mexican Market is the place for you.

I think we will stick with the much smaller St. Francis and Buddhist statuary that we have in our back yard and pass on the dinosaurs.

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

Photo: Guadalupe Mexican Market

The Guadalupe Mexican Market has, well, what you would expect in a Mexican market.  Lots of brightly colored pottery.

Tomorrow, I will show you what they have for sale outside.  It is not what you would expect for a Mexican market.

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

Central Scottsdale and Camelback Mountain

As long as I was showing a few photos from central Scottsdale, I thought I would post this photo, taken from the roof of the Nordstrom's parking garage at Scottsdale Fashion Square, looking west to Camelback Mountain.

The office building is the building where I used to work in the 1980's that I showed a few days ago. On the right is the Neiman Marcus store, also a part of Scottsdale Fashion Square, as the mall includes two enclosed bridges of shops that cross Camelback Road and Goldwater Boulevard.

You cannot discern the distinctive shape of Camelback Mountain from this angle because you are looking at the back end of the camel. But the prime attraction of this scene, in my opinion, is the wispy clouds.

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 details of the Villa Balbianello in Lake Como. It is one of our favorite places on earth. If you have not been there, you owe yourself a treat to take a look.

Photo: Neiman Marcus

Here is a photo of the Neiman Marcus store at Goldwater and Camelback Roads in Scottsdale.

This is the only Neiman Marcus store in Arizona.

It is located at the Scottsdale Fashion Square shopping center, which is the largest shopping center in Arizona. It is upscale and popular.

Other stores include Barney's, Nordstrom's, Macy's, Dillard's and more.

You can see Mummy Mountain peaking over the top of the store.

And for drama, after we took this photo, the security guard came and forbade us from taking photos from the roof of one of the parking garages of the shopping center.

Check out fabulous travel photos from the unique architecture of Chicago at Viva La Voyage!

Photo: Boy and Red Balloon

Here is a photo of a darling little boy with a red balloon.

He has such big, beautiful expressive eyes.

He is enjoying shopping and the balloons at the fun Pro's Ranch Markets.

These are great supermarkets with festive music and atmosphere.

Check out beautiful travel photos of Lake Como and Bellagio at Viva La Voyage!

Statue of a shopper and child

We have all been tired shoppers at one time or another, so why not a statue of a resting shopper with her child at a mall? This bronze statue sits on the edge of a water feature between the escalators that lead up from the food court in Scottsdale Fashion Square, the largest shopping mall in American Southwest, one of the 30 largest malls in the country, and one of the 10 most profitable malls in America.

The statue is called Mother and Child by Marc D'Ambrosi and was completed in 1990 during an expansion of the mall. While the mother is devoting her attention to her child, you will note that she has beside her a shopping bag full of purchases. I am sure that the mall owners commissioned the artist to make sure that it showed a shopper who had purchased things.

The packages the bronze shopper has bought do not have labels, so we do not know if she bought things at Neiman-Marcus, Nordstrom's, Barney's New York, Macy's, Dillard's, Gucci, Cartier, Tiffany, or any of the other several hundred stores that provide more than 2 million square feet (180,000 square meters) shopping. No wonder this bronze shopper has stopped for a rest.

I live less than a mile from Scottsdale Fashion Square, and we frequently walk to restaurants in the area. The mall has helped spur development of the nearby Scottsdale Waterfront Project and Old Town Scottsdale and its arts and entertainment district, which is just across the canal from the mall.

This week we are showing photos of Costa Rica on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

The Colors of El Pedegral

This is a high level perspective of El Pedegral in north Scottsdale.

The architectural elements and colors make El Pedegral a fun place to visit and shop.

There are also good restaurants.

Click the label of El Pedegral for more photos and details about this interesting shopping venue.

Check out our travel photos of Buenos Aires, Argentina at Viva la Voyage!

Gallery Row in Old Town Scottsdale

Old Town Scottsdale is world-renowned for its many galleries and museums.

Today I am providing you three photos of different styles of galleries and their unique architectural styles.

Some galleries on Main Street include: Colores, Victoria Boyce Gallery, Gebert Contemporary, Biltmore Galleries, Bonner David Galleries, Duley-Jones Gallery, Expressions in Bronze, Faust Gallery, Gallery Russia, Joan Cawley Gallery, King Galleries of Scottsdale, Legacy Gallery, Legacy Contemporary, LeKAE Galleries, Leslie Levy Fine Art, Ostrovsky Fine Art, Overland Gallery, Paul Scott Gallery, Scottsdale Fine Art, Simic Galleries, S.R. Brennen Galleries, Willow Gallery, and more.

Check our more galleries at Scottsdale Galleries.

Art is such a wonderful experience to enjoy! Remember, Scottsdale also has the Art Walk every thursday from 7 pm to 9 pm. Just follow the ArtWalk logos on the sidewalk.

Shopping with Live Music on the Street Corner

Today's photo shows the activity on one of the street corners in Old Town Scottsdale. Live music and shoppers enjoying the day.

You can see how colorful the decor is, and there are lots of plants and flowers.

There are also lots of places to sit and enjoy the moment.

The area is a favorite of the Valley of the Sun and locals regularly come to Old Town Scottsdale for the music and the fabulous diversity of restaurants.

Old Town Shops at Night

Here is a friendly shopping scene at night as the stores stay open for tourists to shop in the evening in Old Town Scottsdale.

The lights strung around the trees makes the atmosphere festive.

The stores have shade cover to protect shoppers from the sun in the daytime, and they are well lit at night for your viewing and shopping pleasure.

There are many galleries in Old Town so it is fun to stroll through Old Town to get exercise, while viewing amazing pieces of art and jewelry, and then having a glass of wine and dinner at one of the many great restaurants in this very pedestrian friendly area.

Arizona Hot Means Jalapenos!

Arizona loves the heat! And, I don't just mean the temperature in the desert.

We love jalapenos, salsa, chilis, tamales, and even hot cinnamon items from hot cinnamon toothpicks to Hot Tamales candies (one of my favorites!)

We have some great tourist stores to provide you many shopping opportunities to buy Arizona products to take back home and share with your family and friends.

Cactus Carlos Hot Stuff is one of several unique stores offering you desert heat for your mouth to take back home.

Come on in for Turquoise Jewelry!

Ok, remember this week I am showing you the kitschy part of Old Town Scottsdale. And yes, you do see these wood statues to entice you in to shop or to stand next to the statue for a photo.

The wood statues are generally made from chainsaws. You will see them made into soldiers, cowboys, and Indians.

Arizona has lots of turquoise, which is a type of rock used in Native American jewelry. This store has lots of Native American jewelry for sale.

The word "turquoise" was a French word meaning Turkish.

There are two reasons for the word. First, it was the color popularly used in tiles made in Turkey.

The second reason was that Turkish stones were introduced in Europe by Venetian traders who purchased at bazaars in Turkey. The stones were referred to as turquoise even though Turkey actually does not have the turquoise stone anywhere in that country.

Arizona is the leading producer of turquoise in the United States Arizona still has two active turquoise mines: (1) Sleeping Beauty Mine in Globe, Arizona (83 miles East of Scottsdale); and (2) Kingman Mine, located outside Kingman, Arizona (180 miles Northwest).

Gilbert Ortega

Everyone who visits Old Town Scottsdale loves to visit the Gilbert Ortega stores, which are like mini-museums.

Gilbert Ortega stores have an immense inventory of Native American jewelry from silver concho belts to turquoise squash blossom necklaces, Navajo rugs, Hopi kachinas, and more.

There are several Gilbert Ortega stores in Old Town Scottsdale. Look at the fancy red cars in front of this particular store.

Howdy Pardner!

Welcome to the West's Most Western Town!

Scottsdale promotes itself with its Western charm, shopping, arts district, and lively entertainment in its historic Old Town. Nightlife is very active in Old Town Scottsdale.

Over the next few days I will share photos of some of the parts of Old Town that are popular with tourists.

As locals we can be in the same vicinity as the tourists who frequent the shops and restaurants, but our habits don't include visiting the tourist shops even though they are very popular. We do, as locals, go to many places in the vicinity of the tourist shops, however. This is probably true of many resort communities.

It is Sunday and our new travel photos are posted on Viva la Voyage. Today's photos share people in Morocco at a seaside village. They evoke a real sense of culture and sense of family.

Paolo Soleri's Gift Shop

What a cool gift shop. You can see Paolo Soleri's architectural style in this wonderful innovative design at "Cosanti."

Note the use of concrete and the interesting shape of the room. I was glad I could capture this photo with my new wide angle lens.

It is fun to walk the grounds of Cosanti. And to wander through this very large gift shop to enjoy so many unique creations of art. It is like walking through a museum.

The textures and colors are amazing and each bell is so different. I enjoy the two Soleri bells I have hanging on my tree in the backyard. They have a distinct sound. I can hear them in the house and know when the wind is blowing.

Bischoffs Colorful Downtown Store

Bischoffs has a very inviting entry into their store, which is located at Scottsdale Mall, in Old Town Scottsdale. 

Bischoffs has beautiful artistic and historical elements outside the store. They have integrated tile, plants, cactus, and trees as part of the experience.

Anselm Bischoff founded the store in 1971 and it is located on the site of Scottsdale's first general store.

One of the stores is called Shades of the West and is located at 7247 E. Main Street in Old Town Scottsdale. It is on the southwest corner of Brown and Main. For Southwestern memorabilia, click Bischoffs.  Happy Fourth of July! Now, go shopping!

Live Andean Music and Chili Ristras

As I was walking the quaint streets of Old Town Scottsdale, I heard this wonderful live Andean Music below these chili ristras.

The musicians were playing in front of Bischoff's, a long established family who have retail stores in Old Town Scottsdale. Tomorrow I will show you the front of one of their stores.

I love Andean music and really enjoyed hearing live music. I have lots of Andean music CDs. 

The chili ristras add a nice visual effect to the downtown scene.  

Shopping in Old Town Scottsdale

This photo shows the colorful and inviting shops to stroll through in Old Town Scottsdale. 

There are shade structures through most of Old Town Scottsdale so you can enjoy the afternoon, look for gifts and Southwest art or Native American jewelry, and stop at a cafe for lunch or dinner. 

Oftentimes, there is live music from a Peruvian band on one of the street corners in front of Bischoff's store. You can also take a carriage ride through the streets of Old Town, which has a Western style and feel. Tourists love to walk through this area and the adjacent Scottsdale Mall, which is an outdoor area.

The Kiva and Harpist at El Pedegral

The harpist is making melodies on a nice sunny day on the Courtyard Stage at El Pedegral. The design of the Courtyard Stage looks like a kiva. 

Note the painted wood poles that are holding up the yellow sunshades.  The kiva-style structure does provide shade and is definitely an interesting and colorful style.  We are always designing shade into our lives when we live in the desert.

It is nice to have the ancient boulders in the background as you enjoy the ambiance of the afternoon. The water cascades down towards the stage. The flowers are fresh and add a splash of color. 

  
El Pedegral is like a park, but it is an artsy outdoor shopping center.

El Pedegral is located at the southeast corner of Scottsdale Road and the Carefree Highway in Scottsdale and it is situated among the beautiful Sonoran Desert.