look out below!

today i took my first ride on the light rail.

it was great, i look forward to being a frequent 

rider. while waiting at the tempe transportation

station, several paragliders sailed high overhead. 

i believe they launched from nearby "A" mountain. 

they are no doubt practicing

landing in sun devil stadium (directly below

this glider), where the minnesota golden

gophers will go against the kansas jayhawks for

tomorrow afternoon's insight bowl.

little boys and trains

tempe's light rail celebration included a farmer's market 

(planned to be a permanent tempe fixture beginning in 

April), displays of hohokam pottery found along the

 rail site, chronology of light 

rail planning and construction, and miniature trains 

like this one, chugging around a fanciful carnival. 

light rail celebrations

the cover band known as "the chris parker project"

played in the parking lot across from the new 

tempe transportation center yesterday while 

people drank hot chocolate, ate brats, and walked

to the light rail station at veterans way/college avenue.

they sounded great!

big turnout

today was the official launch of light rail. judging by the

turnout at the 2 tempe stations 

i visited, our new transportation is going to be very 

popular. there were so many people waiting to board

i decided to wait until tomorrow or monday to take

my first ride. each train can hold 575 people and each 

train was completely full of riders all day. i'm 

not sure how many trains are in the fleet, but they come

by every 10 minutes (20 during off peak hours). it was

quite a festival-like feeling in downtown tempe where

music played and crowds of people walked down mill 

avenue and along the side streets. 

more light rail art

light rail art

several works of art adorn the dorsey/apache 

light rail station, including this saguaro 

skeleton. when a saguaro dies, the flesh

decays leaving a beautiful woody skeleton. 

this rendering looks just like the 

real thing.

countdown to light rail

in just 5 days light rail will begin to transport 

commuters from mesa through tempe to phoenix. as 

typically happens when a new change goes into effect, 

there are cynics and proponents. i am among the 

excited and am hopeful that the train will be so successful 

that north-south extensions will follow in the 

not-so-distant future. until then, i plan to ride from tempe

to downtown phoenix, try out new restaurants, 

go to the phoenix library, catch a suns game - all without 

a thought about where to park. and on the way, 

i'll read a book. 

twas the weekend before christmas...

and all through the parking lot,

not a space was available, 

except in the very back - but that makes it easier to 

remember where you parked!

it was cars galore at arizona mills mall and everywhere 

from Normal to ASU

Arizona State University first opened as the Tempe

Normal School in 1885. it was renamed to Arizona

State College in 1945, and then was given university 

status in 1958 (by ballot initiative and 2-1 voting majority), 

becoming the only higher education

institution to have achieved university status by 

popular mandate.

tall man

this metal sculpture stands tall (30

ft?) near city hall.

Philomathian Bench

the philomathian bench was given to ASU in 1929

by the literary philomathian society. it is located 

near the piper writers house at the main campus. 

house sparrow

female house sparrow sitting on an 

agave stalk near Tempe City Hall. 

house sparrows were introduced to 

New York in 1850 and spread to 

California by 1910, they are now

found all across the U.S., Canada,

and Mexico. in the nearly 100 years 

since their expansion, they have 

developed some geographic 

variation due to varying environmental

conditions across their range. northern

populations tend to be larger and 

our southwestern birds are a bit paler

than those in the eastern and Pacific parts

 of the U.S.

Manzanita Hall

with its signature triangular windows, ASU's 

Manzanita residence hall was once its largest.

Many new dorms have been constructed in recent years, 

but Manzanita is still one of the most 

recognizable. it's located just north of 

university drive, right across from the noble science

library. the word manzanita is from the spanish manzana

meaning apple. in the southwest, Manzanita

is known to refer to several species

of evergreen shrubs found in chaparral habitats of 

western United States and northern and central Mexico. 

Their stiff twisty branches are beautiful,

 smooth and usually red or orange. 

upside down

Tempe's city hall building, built in 1970, is award-winning 

and unusual. its unique architecture - an upside down

pyramid - was designed by Michael and Kemper Goodwin

to conserve energy by allowing less light into the building.

the Tempe architects received an award of 

excellence from the American Institute of Steel 

Construction and an award of merit from the 

Western Mountain Region of American Institute

of Architects. 

festival of lights entertainment

musicians and dancers were part of the 

entertainment at the festival of lights boat parade.

snow on a 70 degree day...

it snows in some areas of arizona - it's 2 hours to the

ski slopes of flagstaff - but it's a certainty that there 

will not be snow in tempe, except on special occasions

when the someone gets the snow machine out. 

this afternoon, amidst sunny

skies and short sleeves, there was a big pile of the 

cold stuff for the kids to play in. it was part of the

festivities at tempe lake leading up to the 

fantasy of lights boat parade.

where we live

tempe homes are practical, functional, and if you like 

spanish style - beautiful. flat-roofed haciendas, cozy 

ranch style, flagstone, saltillo tile, arched entryways, 

rounded windows, smooth stucco, iron trim, terra

cotta tans and burnt umber browns. 

holiday displays

on tempe butte ("A" mountain), wise men

make their way east by camel. 

obscure

in the same little mill avenue courtyard next to Carlyn's 

barbershop (featured Monday) is a little

import shop - Yucatecan Imports. a great little store

that's been around for a while. if you're looking 

for a unique gift or a shirt unlike the mass produced

tees available from a chain, then this may be up 

your alley. specializing in hand-woven wallets and

clothing, bags, and necklaces from Mexico, Central

and South America as well as Thailand, Turkey, India, 

and Tibet.  

easy rider

*mill avenue*

some days i think it would be so nice to be pulled 

around in a small suitcase. 

Carlyn's Barber Shop

tucked away in a quiet courtyard on mill avenue,

Caryn's Barber Shop has just enough room for 

customer waiting and one in the barber seat. 

sneak peak

*mill avenue*

sneaking a peak over the shoulder of an artist

at the art festival. the colors in 

his painting are true to the colors of Arizona 

sunsets - vibrant.

festival of the arts

*Fall Festival of the Arts, Mill Ave*

for 40 years, tempe has hosted a festival

of the arts, usually the first weekend 

in december on mill avenue. so many unique 

arts and crafts, jewelry, photos, curios, 

paintings, tchotchkes, trinkets for the 

wall and garden. it was a gorgeous day 

and thousands came to shop and look around. 

So - oh!

so-oh contemporary boutique,

a mill avenue store

beauty in the details

*mill avenue*

i love artistic details. why have plain tile when 

a few tiles like these can add such flair?

that's what i enjoy about photography - finding details

through a lens.

stately bird

arizona's state bird, the cactus wren, is one of my

favorites. they're bold and inquisitive and even 

though their song is not really musical, i love 

the familiar chugging sound, which was described

to me once as the sound of a car not starting:

krrr krrr krrr....krrr krrr krrr

hard to spell what i mean, but when you hear it, 

you'll know.

notable: cactus wrens never cock their tails 

like other wrens do and form permanent pair bonds 

(like many birds) - i wonder if that's a civil union, a

marriage, or if they just decide to stay together?

will it go round in circles...

the chihuly exhibit at

the desert botanical garden

 provided an excellent opportunity

for December's circles and spheres theme: a rowboat

full of beautifully colored globes.

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