Bird Candy

I was on my way into the Desert Botanical Gardens for a class tonight and it seemed that every other saguaro lining the roadway had bright red fruits poking out of its crown; each one had its own white winged dove nose deep in big red refreshing plum-sized fruits.

beautiful moon

the moon was beautiful tonight (and sharper around the edges than my photo!)

Whole Foods - Baseline and Rural

One of my favorite places to food shop is Whole Foods Market. I've figured out a big part of the appeal is the aroma when I walk through the door. To the immediate left are fresh cut flowers, and straight ahead are fresh fruits, vegetables, and nuts. A big bin of strawberries is the first thing I see. All this translates into bright, vivid color, and sweet, fresh aromas. Other stores, I walk in to stacks of top ramen, cases of gatorade, pyramids of cans and a stale, forgettable smell.

There's a cost. Whole Foods is expensive, more so than those stack and case fluorescent lit stores. So I shop at multiple stores, spending as little time as possible in the big unfriendly stores and savoring my time in the smaller markets like Whole Foods. Wouldn't it be something if the presentation, cleanliness and smell of all food stores were this satisfying?

P.O. Box

Today was hot. The high was about 112 F. What does 112 F feel like? Imagine standing in front of a camp fire on a hot summer day. Kind of like that. But I'll take 112 over a day with humidity any day. Call me crazy, it's just my personal discomfort preference. We all have to put up with a bit of discomfort at some point during the year, this is ours. Though after sitting in my icy cold office all day 112 actually feels pretty nice. For about a minute. Then it's hot again. What does this have to do with P.O. Boxes? Nothing. I just went to the post office at Southern and College today. Nothing too exciting, just outgoing mail.

Yucca Tap Room - Mill and Southern

One of Tempe's famous dives, the Yucca Tap Room is a nondescript little bar in an old strip mall that features live music 7 nights a week. One of the best small venues in Tempe to see a live band has inexpensive beer, plenty of parking, and no pretense. In the mid '90s, The Refreshments used to play at the Yucca every Sunday night. It wasn't advertised and there was no cover - only those in the know actually knew. I knew some diehard Refreshment fans who let me in on the little secret and was lucky enough to see them play one Sunday. There's nothing like seeing a great band play in a little dive.

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.

Deportes

I love that there are so many soccer/futbol fields scattered around Tempe. Just like in so many places throughout the world, though found less often in other parts of the U.S., futbol is simply available to anyone who has a ball and a few friends.

Slider on a Stone

It must be great to be a turtle, all day basking in the sun and when it gets too hot, a dip in the water. Taken at Kiwanis Park.

Boats on the Water plus a Duck

This photo of paddle boats was taken at Kiwanis Park - a great park half a mile from my house with a large lake and baseball and soccer fields, batting cage, fishing, an indoor pool with a wave pool, outdoor movies in the summer, an occasional small concert,

barbeque grills, ramadas....all the essentials of summer.

Look, here comes the Ice Cream Man!

It's the ice cream man! I remember being young and hearing that faint sound of a song, coming from down the street - it sounded tinny, and sometimes slow like it was coming from a wound-down music box. My favorite ice creams were Good Humor Chocolate Eclair bars. The ice cream man is more of an "endangered species" these days, but I'm glad that some of them still patrol my neighborhood and parks.

Sunday Post

White on blue. An attempt to learn to use photoshop.

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.

Intellectual Capital

The Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University is working to improve human health and quality of life through use-inspired biosystems research and effective multidisciplinary partnerships. The buildings and surrounding landscape are beautiful. The Institute is made up of several Research Centers that focus on finding solutions to global challenges. For example, the Center for Environmental Biotechnology is working toward creating a more sustainable future through a better understanding of microbial ecology - microorganism communities - by understanding how these complex communities work.

Field Trip

Well, I wasn't in Tempe much today so I figured I'd post a fresh photo from my road trip. Here's the sign outside the "Space Age Restaurant" in Gila Bend. It's just about the only building not crumbling in Gila Bend along I-8 which runs through town. The funky space age looking building with a flying saucer on top is eye catching. The food however, is not their specialty. I was in town to spelunk into a lava tube cave.

Park Bench

Serene

"Bulldog in Progress" Art Dog for a Good Cause

Today I received word my Tempe Daily Photo is officially a member of the CDPB Community. I am really excited about this, so to celebrate I went out to Arizona Art Supply to buy new colored pencils. While there I got my photo for the day - a drawing of a therapy "bulldog in progress" in the showroom. The bulldog drawing has been gridded off so patrons can artistically fill in a square for $1 to benefit GABRIEL'S ANGELS, Pets Helping Kids. That made me even more excited because I am in the process of preparing my dog, baloo, to be a therapy dog for Gabriel's Angels.

The bulldog portrait is part of Arizona Art Supply's summer project to benefit a local charitable organization. Gabriel's Angels' mission is to deliver healing and pet therapy to abused, neglected, and at-risk children, nurturing their ability to love and trust, thereby freeing them from the cycle of violence (http://www.gabrielsangels.org/). Starting June 1 at Valley locations and Tucson, Arizona Art Supply patrons will have the opportunity to use their artistic talents to help Gabriels Angels. Each of the stores will have a gridded portrait of actual therapy dogs. For a minimum donation of only $1, customers can "paint a grid, and help a kid"!! At the end of the summer, the completed dog portraits will be given to Gabriel's Angels for their future fund raising efforts along with the monetary donations. Stop in to Arizona Art Supply's 4 valley locations and make a difference in the life of a child.

Serious about Chocolate

I know today's theme is corner stores, but I've posted several store fronts and scenery shots. What this blog really needs is a shot of a kid with chocolate and strawberries all over his face.

Camelback Mountain to the North

Looking north from "A" Mountain, a nice view of Camelback Mountain. The resemblance to a resting camel is obvious and is probably the most recognized landmark in the Phoenix metro area. The mountain itself is not too far outside of Tempe and can be seen from many Tempe vantage points.

Tempe, as Seen from "A" Mountain

A hike up "A" Mountain is better than a stairmaster! Very steep, very fast. The reward is many beautiful views of the city. In this shot, looking southwest you see South Mountain; in the foreground is a new high rise condominium that will have a Whole Foods and other retail in the lower floors - all aimed at transforming Tempe into a walkable, light rail sort of city.

Harkins Valley Art Theater - Enter Here

Wood frames around movie posters, nice doors with window rounds, stars on the walkway and a free standing ticket booth outside. The Valley Art shows one movie at a time, usually an independent or cult popular film.

Harkins Valley Art Theater on Mill Avenue

Harkins is synonymous with movie theaters in several southwestern states. The Harkins Valley Art Theater has been a part of Tempe for 70 years, and is an icon of the downtown area. Originally called the College Theater, it was constructed in 1938 by Dwight "Red" Harkins. This was Harkins' third theater in Tempe. He opened his first theater, the State Theater, in 1933 on Fifth Street, and operated an unsuccessful outdoor theater for one year in 1934. The College Theater was a successful expansion of Harkins' theater operations in 1938. Later, Harkins and his son, Dan Harkins, expanded their theater operations across the Salt River Valley. The building is importantly associated with Depression-era business in Tempe. Entertainment was one of the few areas that were economically successful during the Depression. Also, the theater contained new innovations such as glow in the dark carpet, headphones for the hearing impaired, and automatic drinking fountains.

The Harkins Valley Art building is significant as the only Depression-era theater constructed in Tempe. Virtually intact, it provides a positive contribution to the historic character of the streetscape along Mill Avenue. Character-defining elements include the wood frame movie poster cases and freestanding ticket booth.

The Hippie Gypsy

The Hippie Gypsy store, 601 South Mill Avenue downtown. Wild clothing and patchouli incense smells to the sidewalk. Peace, love and groovy songs keep the granola crowd coming back to shop.

Flags on Mill - Happy Memorial Day!

What an unbelievably gorgeous day it was. The temperature was perfect, what a treat for late May. Thank you Veterans, we salute you!

Nice Boat!

This big boat looks like it's floating on grass. At Mill Avenue across from the
hospital.

More Wall Art

Chicken-headed wall art figures running....to catch a bus, maybe?

Green Heron Hunting

The Green Heron is one of my favorite birds, they are intent fishers. And, they are one of the few birds in North America that will use a "tool" to fish with. They'll use a feather, leaf, or some little bit of something they find and place it on the surface of the water to lure a little fish to investigate. Then it's snack time!

Flaming Hot

We officially hit the triple digits for the first time last Saturday. Today is a cool low 80s with rain - quite a treat for late May. After March or April it usually doesn't rain again until late July. I was already set on using this car with flames photo for today (I'm out of town) - even though it's not blazing hot - it will be again soon!

Lizard on a Unicycle?

Art on a wall on Mill Avenue south of Broadway.

Balloons in a Tree

I was walking in my neighborhood, looked up, and there I saw this bunch of red and yellow balloons in a tree. Set free or escaped? Reminds me of a movie I saw when I was very young, The Red Balloon or Le Ballon rouge - a French short film, 34 minutes long. It won numerous awards and is the only dialogue-free film to ever win an Oscar. The story of a young boy named Pascal who discovers a large helium-filled red ballon on his way to school one morning. The balloon follows Pascal all over until a group of bullies destroys it. Then balloons from all over come to Pascal and take him off into the sky. For my 7 year old self, it was magical.

Mucho Gusto Mexican Restaurant

Mucho Gusto Taqueria & Mexican Bistro is a stylish mexican eatery located just a few blocks west of downtown Tempe, Arizona. Mucho Gusto prepares and serves numerous gourmet authentic Mexican dishes and some of the best margaritas in town! One of my favorite restaurants, with a great outdoor patio. The old Chevy pickup sits just outside.

Chevrolet Apache 36 Pick up

Classic Car

A broken down truck in front of a great restaurant near downtown. I took several shots of this so I'll post a couple more over the next couple days. I am enjoying getting out in Tempe to take photos and am noticing things I'd not really paid attention to before. Like this red truck parked outside one of my favorite restaurants.

Eye To the Sky

I photographed this inca dove near a construction area downtown.

A Little Bird Told Me...

I shot this photo of an immature verdin, difficult to capture as she flitted around in the coral pink yucca flowers at an eastern ASU entry corridor. Young verdins are plain gray all over. I wouldn't have known she was a verdin by her color, I relied on her size (just a little bigger than a hummingbird) and behavior - she was active and flitting and sounding a call that is familiar to me (I love when these little birds visit my Palo brea tree). Adults have yellow heads and rufous-colored shoulder patches. A very attractive little native bird, found in the southwest U.S. and Mexico.

Telling Secrets to Water

Three giant hares sit next to a pool and fountain in a small courtyard downtown. This one is my favorite, he seems to be whispering something to the bubbling fountain. Maybe it's, "how about this weather - it's unbelievable"

Patterns and Reflections

The windows of a building in Tempe downtown show a new high rise building under construction. Lots of building going on downtown to make it pedestrian friendly and the place where people want to live and work and become less reliant on the all-mighty car.

Greetings from Tempe!

Now that the Tempe Daily Photo blog is underway, I think it is about time that I include a welcome sign. This one is located in Plazita de Descanso Park downtown.

Umbrellas on a Sunny Day

Umbrellas are particularly useful in Tempe, not to keep us dry but to block a few sun rays. Tempe probably averages about 330 days of sunshine a year. I like this black and white umbrella. This photo taken of a group as they leave the graduation festivities held yesterday at ASU's Wells Fargo Arena.

Saguaros in Bloom

All around the Sonoran Desert, Saguaros are in bloom. Their flowers are beautiful and white to attract nighttime pollinators. There are plenty blooming all around Tempe. This photo was taken right outside the Biodesign Institute at ASU.

Light Rail

Light Rail is coming to Tempe! Planning and construction has been underway for a few years, and this December the rail will be functioning to link Mesa and Tempe to downtown Phoenix.

Gone Batting

Okay, so I admit that I plan to OCCASIONALLY post photos from just over the Tempe border in some of my favorite nonTempe places. All within a couple miles. Here's one place, just into Phoenix, near infamous Camelback Mountain there's a concrete flood control tunnel with several thousand bats living inside. It makes for a nice evening to go to the tunnel and watch the bats fly out and there's usually an owl hanging out too. Tonight's event was especially nice because lots of families had come out to watch too. My biologist co-workers and I talked to the kids about bats, they loved the bat wings we had for them to try on. This young nature lover is demonstrating what a bat at rest looks like (imagine her upside down for full effect).

Coffee!

I just love coffee. And coffee shops. You can bet there are going to be a lot of photos of local cafes on this blog. Especially the independents, which I love the most. Today I was tired. An all-day coffee would have helped.

Mill Avenue Travel

Tucked away in a quiet courtyard on Mill, this travel agency has been here since the mid-80s. They specialize in European travel - I'm ready to go!

Golden Barrel Cactus

A whole herd of golden barrel cacti, common in the desert wilds of tempe.

A Stroll Down Mill Avenue

The Shoe Mill has been in business downtown for over 20 years. It's a great place to get a pair of Birkenstock's.

A Stroll Down Mill Avenue

Hayden Flour Mill

Across the street (on Mill, likely Tempe's first named street) from Monti's La Casa Vieja is the Hayden Flour Mill. The mill opened in 1874, built by Tempe founder Charles Trumbull Hayden. A fire destroyed the mill, but Hayden rebuilt a second one in 1891. A second fire destroyed that mill, which was replaced with a concrete building in 1918.Water powered the mill through the mid-1920s.It was the longest continuously operating industrial business in Arizona when it closed in 1998.

A redevelopment is planned beginning in June to restore the iconic mill - and to reveal rarely seen equipment and stonework that's been out of view for most of the last century. It will take 14 to 15 months to restore the mill, add a glass-and-steel structure beside it and open about six restaurants, bars and boutiques.

A stone arch and waterway will become an entrance after spending decades under dirt - hidden so long that many feared the 1890s-era stonework had been destroyed. But as archaeologists explored the site in the past year to look for relics from Hohokam and European settlers, they discovered that stonework was undamaged since its burial in the 1920s.

Back of the Bus - 65N

Happy May Day! Whew, almost didn't make the post today. It would have been easier to post a photo from Flagstaff, where I spent the day. I was really bent on posting a number photo for theme day. Normally, I avoid avoid getting stuck behind a bus but tonight on the way home from the dog park I was happy that this Valley Metro was in front of me, a perfect daily photo op, complete with a number.