Photo: Phoenix Skyline

Here is a photo of the Phoenix skyline.

I took it with a tripod from the Desert Botanical Garden.

I am amazed at how crisp and clear the image turned out.

Check out the magnificent region of Atacama in Chile at Viva La Voyage!

Frank Lloyd Wright, Cactus, and Light

Scottsdale and Arizona have a lot of wonderful Frank Lloyd Wright buildings and architectural details. This is a photo of the Frank Lloyd Wright spire located at the southeast corner of Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard and Scottsdale Road at the Scottsdale Promenade Shopping Center.   

The colors of the lights with the silhouette of the agaves and the Frank Lloyd Wright angles and perspectives combined for what I thought was a magical photo.  I took many photos but none were as great as this very last one I took.  

The spire was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in the 1950s for a state capitol complex at Papago Park that did not materialize.  The plans sat in a drawer until the spire was built in 2004.  It has teal and blue translucent panels and cost approximately one million dollars to build.  The spire is approximately 125 feet high and weighs about 40 tons.  

I will take you on a tour of Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West during the next couple of weeks. He referred to Taliesin West as his Desert Camp and it is spectacular.

Hoop Dance Festival

The 19th Annual Heard Museum World Championship Hoop Dance Contest at the Heard Museum was overflowing with people, culture, and energy from the contestants who have worked so hard to be at this major event. Contestants must have poise, athleticism, agility, extreme coordination, rhythm, and be excellent dancers. 

In the first photo, I was able to capture a relaxed moment of this handsome dancer who has a captivating smile. He just has that look. His jewelry, native designs and symbols, long dark braids, overall contentment, and in-control demeanor really stood out.

The second photo shows hoops stacked against a tree. The dancers use many hoops in their dances, from 1 to 50 hoops. Contestants use the hoops to create images of being a butterfly, riding a horse, and they make boxes and images of the world out of these magical hoops-- all while dancing to the drums and chants.

Contestants also have vibrant costumes with native bling. These were not the outfits I used to see at Indian Festivals when I was growing up in rural Arizona.

The outfits today are captivating and really complement the hoop dances being performed at the festival. Hoop dancing has truly evolved and it is great to see so many young men and women competing.

If you want to see some excellent modern interpretations of native fashion, check out Virgil Ortiz, who is a truly creative native designer from Cochiti Pueblo. click here for a video of Virgil Ortiz's fusion of native and modern fashions at last year's Scottsdale Fashion Week
I was able to attend Scottsdale Fashion Week at the Waterfront last year and actually saw Virgil Ortiz's debut of native fashion and it was awesome. I especially liked the native violinist model who you can see in the video. Ortiz's use of feathers, blindfolds, and masks on his models is a very unique way to highlight his designs. The men's jean designs were very cool. Dancing and fashion ties right into the Hoop Dancers.

The third photo shows one of the dancers performing for the audience and judges. You can see one of the poses made during a hoop dance. Next year I will have to try to make a video and upload it onto my website so you can really feel and see a hoop dance.

The Mission's Bar

The Mission's Bar has style.  The lit candles and glass make for a hip, trendy, Spanish ambiance. My Spanish-speaking friends in Latin America would say "Tiene mas nivel," which means it has more level or it is high level or high class.

The bowl at the bar in the top photo is holding fresh lemons and limes. What a great place to have them displayed and quite functional for the bartender. The candle in the photo below with the wax dripping down creates quite a sculpture.

The Mission is a nice location in Old Town Scottsdale to have a drink at before going to a play at the Scottsdale Center for the Arts, or to have dinner at after a stroll through the Scottsdale Mall after viewing the LOVE sculpture and listening to live music, or to visit for a cup of hot tea after seeing modern art exhibits at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art.  All of these art venues are within very close walking distance of the Mission.   

The Mission has smooth margaritas, especially the Mission or Palmarita margarita, but it also has great tea.  I always judge a restaurant by their attention to detail, including their selection of tea and whether they offer brown sugar.  I once had tea at a restaurant called Nikki's in Vienna, Austria on Christmas Day and they served six types of sugar.  What a presentation of sugar to go with our tea.  There was white granular and brown granular sugar, white and brown sugar cubes, and white and brown sugar rock crystals.    

Most restaurants can have good ambiance, unique menu, but then they serve two types: English Breakfast tea or chamomile and that is it.  Uggh!  I prefer a choice of at least a few teas. The Mission serves "two leaves and a bud" tea  www.twoleavesandabud.com. The tea has nice flavors and is served  in a see through clear bag and uses whole, not crushed, leaves and buds.  I had Jasmine Petal, a green tea.  A good cup of tea is a very nice ending to a delicious meal.