the sort of weekend I'm aiming for...

not for picking

Arizona is a great place to grow citrus, 

our hot summers and cool winters produce

a fuller flavor fruit than those produced

in consistently warm or mild climates.

in fact, our oranges can be so 

sweet, some folks have to go to lengths 

like these to keep people from

taking their pick. 

a day in the mid 70s

it was a gray day and very 

sprinkly, off and on.

and then there was a rainbow!

show of support

*rooftop near kyrene & southern*

this cardinals fan was no doubt disappointed today.

the cardinals gave it a valiant effort, but were 

outmatched by the 10-1 new york giants. 

neighborhood trees

*10th street and ash avenue*

the newest piece of irrigation

standpipe art celebrates the

diversity of trees in the

maple ash neighborhood. 

purple orchid, 

cork oak, chinese pistache, 

shamel ash, aleppo pine and 

arizona sycamore and a northern 

flicker (bird) are featured.

this standpipe art is one of 8 

works decorated with ceramic tile 

to beautify old concrete irrigation

cylinders. nina solomon 

is the artist. 

 i previously featured "the windows of maple ash" standpipe here:

2008/06/public-art-irrigation-standpipes.html

garage door feature

*hardy & university*

in the blue recycle bin shadow 

chosen graffiti stenciled on a garage door 

let's hope that a new tone will pervade

that we will not question every last motive

that we will have optimism

that everyone will feel included

and responsible for what happens next

grand opening

Tempe's first fresh & easy store opened today, on the corner of kyrene and baseline. i have been anxiously awaiting this store, a pleasant half mile walk from my home. don't forget to bring your own bags! 

i'd be remiss if i didn't also mention that the clouds in the background brought us incredible rains shortly after this photo was taken. i happened to be at carver dog park walking around the track with my dog, baloo and looked up when i heard a commotion coming from the nearby soccer field. i saw parents and young girls who'd been at practice scramble as a wall of hard rain and hail moved swiftly toward us. it was amazing! i was frozen for a split second, mesmerized by the sight, before yelling "run!" and crossing the field to get baloo's leash and get out. the first drops began to hit and when i reached the leash and unclipped from the fence the downpour was full force. it was chaos as 15 people and their dogs all tried to exit. soaked. then the hail began. i was parked close, but couldn't get my keys out of my pocket (trying too hard!). baloo was quick to jump in the car (that's a first!) and the hail continued for about 5 minutes. 

ode to the supremes

strange sight

it is strange to see a large tree fully uprooted and resting on the side of a house. one of many large old trees that were uprooted in the storm that came through a week and a half ago. lots of damage in the neighborhoods near ASU and at tempe lake where giant trees and rows of mesquite that had just begun providing decent shade were victims of heavy winds.

warm sky on a friday night

the big arizona sky provides a perfect showcase for our lovely sunsets 

Joshua tree

Named by Mormon pioneers, it is a symbol of the Mojave desert; also a small California town which serves as the gateway for a national park of the same name, and the title of an immensely popular album - the 5th studio album by U2 released in 1987 - inspired by the open spaces of the western United States; Yucca brevifolia is only pollinated by a specific species of yucca moth. It is not found in the Sonoran desert, but can be seen occasionally in a random neighborhood in Tempe, like this one near College Avenue and Southern.

People Watching at Casey Moore's

No smoking indoors these days. This tattoo'd gal in lizard skin cowboy boots reminded me of a groupie character from the movie, "Almost Famous." The shorts, tshirt, hairstyle, sunglasses, boots, and cigarette are sooo 70s.

Thomas the Cat

Thomas the cat, lounging at Casey Moore's Oyster House and Bar, a popular hangout for people and cats.

Public Art Irrigation Standpipes

Just west of Arizona State University and south of downtown, the Maple Ash Neighborhood is the oldest extant neighborhood in the city of Tempe. It is a neighborhood of front porches, sense of community and wonderful, lush vegetation. Flood irrigation is largely responsible for the oasis of greenery and is delivered through a series of irrigation standpipes prominently perched on street corners throughout the neighborhood.
The standpipes are often magnets for graffiti, garbage and transients. To bring visual interest to the neighborhood and deter unwanted elements, a multi-phase project was initiated to transform the irrigation standpipes into works of art. Each standpipe will have a unique but related design that will be of mixed media and will carry historic architectural elements reflective of the heritage of the neighborhood. The design also will be unreceptive to graffiti, garbage and vagrancy. The design, fabrication or installation will be done collaboratively with neighborhood artists and neighborhood children. This one features a Gila woodpecker in a colorful mosaic.

Outdoor Gym

While riding my bicycle through random Tempe neighborhoods I stumbled upon this tree ornamented with punching bags - I figured there are names for all types of punching bags and checked on Wikipedia - looks like they have a speed bag, maize bag, focus bag, and heavy bag here.