Pretty little building, isn’t it? This is where Tony’s band (blues and rock ‘n roll) rehearses, which is part of the property of one of the band members. I went along with him on Sunday because there was a party after practice.
Today I had jury duty and we had to hoof it around downtown from court to court in the unbearable heat. Shade was not at all present so it was reasonably unpleasant. I wasn’t chosen for a jury so tomorrow it’s back to the old grind.
But it’s a short work week! And so is next week! There are some good things about summer.
Candace
Filed under: Art, Phoenix, Photography | Tags: Art, Murals, Phoenix, Photography, Travels
Today was a little hot (106) to be driving around in a convertible in Phoenix but there she was, a couple of blocks from my house.
Good thing there wasn’t much traffic because she didn’t have her eyes on the road.
What’s she doing?
Oh, it’s not real! It’s a trompe l’oeil, part of this mural~
which goes on and on down the street~
It’s all part of this building’s property.
Pretty colorful for a commercial building. We used to see the artist painting this mural, little by little, in the evenings a few years ago. I was never quite sure what the nature of this company’s business was but I think it might be vacant now. It has an “Available” sign out front, kind of a shame after all the work they put into it. It’s right in the midst of a residential neighborhood very close to our house.
So, my plan to get a lot of photo fodder stored up didn’t work last weekend and now that it has gotten so hot, after being really nice most of June here, I don’t know how much I will photograph this weekend either. Good intentions don’t always pan out. It makes it really hard to blog without any photos and, in fact, it’s been 3 days since my last post for just that reason. I’ve got the words, just not the pics.
Hope you have a fun, productive weekend.
Candace
Mystery
Octavio Paz
Glittering of air, it glitters,
noon glitters here
but I see no sun
And from seeming to seeming
all is transparent
but I see no sun.
Lost in transparencies
I move from reflection to blaze
but I see no sun.
The sun also is naked in the light
asking questions of every splendor,
but he sees no sun.
This is a city park about a mile from my house, Los Olivos, an old olive grove.
Fortunately, since we’re in the desert, olive trees tolerate drought well, thanks to their sturdy and extensive root system. Olive trees can be exceptionally long-lived, up to several centuries, and can remain productive for as long. The cultivation of the olive began more than 7,000 years ago.
The olive tree made its appearance in the Mediterranean region thousands of years ago and spread to nearby countries from there. Over the years, the olive has been the symbol of peace, wisdom, glory, fertility, power and pureness. Many Greek and Roman writings refer to the olive and its beneficial role. References to the olive are found as much in the Bible (over 30 times) as in the Qur’an. From the Book of Genesis in the Bible, a white dove carrying an olive branch is a sign of peace.
Candace
Someday this~
will yield this~
which will yield this~
I hope.
The cats (well, okay, I did) got Tony an arabica coffee plant for Father’s Day. I ordered it from Amazon, very inexpensive, and it arrived packed in a box filled with shipping peanuts a couple of days later.
“The coffee plant, cultivated on farms for its beans, is also commonly grown as a houseplant for its dark green, glossy foliage. Although it is not practical to grow indoors solely for coffee, the plant does flower and produce enough beans for a pot or two of coffee after three or four years.”
So we have a bit of a wait and it might be a challenge because coffee plants do require a lot of humidity and this is Arizona (translate “dry heat”). They’re also prone to scale and there were some little chew marks (or something) on a couple of the leaves when it arrived. So I washed its leaves with soap and water and am keeping it isolated from my other plants. We also have to hope it’s not appealing to cats.
But, if all goes well, someday we’ll have grown our own pot of coffee! And I hope to blog about it.
From a little book of poetry Starbucks put out a few years ago entitled Poems from the Coffee Lands:
When Between Us
Ana Cristina Cesar
When between us there was just
a letter certain to come
complete
correspondence
the train the tracks
the window open
a certain landscape
without stones or
alarms
my high heel
balancing
the glass of water
the wait for coffee
Candace
There are two means of refuge from the misery of life – music and cats.
Albert Schweitzer
We have plenty of both in our house!
Google and Marbles share a special “brotherly” moment, above.
Ebony and WB act silly.
I don’t have any brothers…or sisters…sad, huh? But at least all of our many indoor (3) and outdoor (8-12, depending on the day) cats have many familial relationships (and sibling rivalries).
Ebony and Ivory go at it over a fallen branch.
Have a great weekend. I hope to get some photo fodder for future blogs.
Candace
