Those parking lot geese were raising quite a ruckus Sunday morning so I went out to see what all the noise was about. I think they were announcing the arrival of this years babies. Only there was only one this time.
Even though there was only one little gosling, they were still proudly marching it around all the pathways in the complex.
They seemed to be very proud of this little guy!
The bright red hibiscus blooms are always a favorite of mine.
There are some new bougainvillea plants around with huge clusters of blooms on them.
There are also a few of these plants scattered around. I think this might be something called Texas sage. Whatever it is, purple blooms always catch my eye.
I drove past that bottle brush tree that I like to photograph every year and was happy to find it full of those wonderful brush-like blooms.
I took all these photos with the telephoto lens from across the street so I was surprised to see that I had captured a bee on that one bloom.
However, the tree was looking a bit shaggy these days. It looks like it might have lost some branches toward the top.
I have a new post on Sharon's Sojourns. Have you ever heard of the Fourth Plinth?
When I was at the Wrigley Mansion last Saturday, I spotted this gorgeous Arizona sunset painting by Ed Mell in one of the dining rooms. I mentioned Ed Mell in a post on March 6th, just days after he passed away. There wasn't any sign and I didn't ask, but I'm pretty sure that candle was placed in front of the painting to pay tribute to a great artist and great man.
I was with friends at a birthday celebration at the Wrigley Mansion last Saturday night and was able to tour around the building once again. The last time I was there I posted photos of the grand staircase. This time I have some photos of other rooms. At one time, the room above was a bedroom for the Wrigley family. Today it is a special meeting and dining room.
The room above was the families main dining room.
The room to the left was another bedroom.
It's always fun to wander around in this majestic place. I always seem to learn something new on every visit.
You can see more photos from this place here, here and here.
The iris and the baby ducks weren't the only beautiful things that caught my eye at the Japanese Friendship Garden. There were several shrubs in full bloom with these dainty pink flowers.
On the water were several very gorgeous water lilies.
Scattered among the bed of iris plants were these two-tone blooms.
And, these pretty lavender flowers were also popping up here and there. There were a lot of spring flowers to enjoy.
The flowers weren't the only thing I enjoyed seeing at the Japanese Friendship Garden last weekend. I spotted a very proud momma duck showing off her tiny brood of ducklings. Here she is teaching them a bit of rock climbing. I see six little ones in this shot.
After climbing the rocks, she shows them how to cool off in the grass. Now I could see seven little babies gathering around momma in the cool spot.
Finally she decides to cross the path and head toward the water. Now I can clearly see that she had eight little ducklings following her lead.
This little encounter with the duck family was just an added bonus to a sunny walk at the Japanese Friendship Garden.
I made a trip to the Japanese Friendship Garden over the last weekend to see how spring was looking in that environment. As it turns out, it was looking very good.
I was hoping I'd find some flowers that I don't usually see and I wasn't disappointed.
The iris patch was full of beautiful blooms.
The blooms were impossible to resist.
I must have taken a dozen photos of these delicate blooms.
The trip to Japanese Friendship Garden was a colorful success.
I snapped this photo the same evening I had dinner at the Barrio Cafe that I mentioned a couple of days ago. This mural is in the alley behind the restaurant which is a space full murals. In fact, I've posted photos of other murals in this alley before but it's been a while ago. This isn't the best photo. As you can see, I was shooting into the sun. Not always the best idea.
Taking part in Monday Murals.
I did take the time to capture a few birds with my camera when I was at the garden last weekend. Here is a favorite, a Gambel's Quail perched on a rock.
This fellow was examining the tables and chairs near the little cafe. I checked my bird guide and I think this might be an Abert's Towhee.
This female Gila Woodpecker was busy poking her head in and out of the hole in the cactus. She might have been feeding some young in there. Either that or she was looking for a new nesting spot.
Last Saturday night I had dinner with close friends at Barrio Cafe, a restaurant that has been in business over twenty years and has become well known across the country. Chef Silvana Salcido Esparza has earned the respect of everyone she meets and her food is loved by all. She is a James Beard nominated chef who has brought real Mexican food to the city while becoming a vocal community leader and activist.
Chef Slivana will be closing at the end of May so we wanted to make sure we had dined there one more time before it closes. Chef Silvana will be missed on the local restaurant scene. I wish her a comfortable retirement.
These tiny little flowers caught my eye at the Desert Botanical Garden. I've seen these flowers before but this striped variety was new to me. I always thought they were tiny pansies but I learned that they are actually called violas. They are so pretty.
There were a variety of cactus blooms to admire last Sunday when I was at the Desert Botanical Garden. I'll share just a few today. The colors were so vivid.
Such a pretty shade of pink!
An orange bloom!
They came in all shapes and sizes.
Even a short little cactus can push out a pretty bloom.
Pretty blooms on the claret cup cactus. It was a feast for the eyes.
I hadn't been the the Desert Botanical Garden in a while so I decided it was time to go. It was busy but I was able to enjoy the blooms.
There were lots of cactus blooms like the prickly pear bloom above.
The wildflower trail was bursting with color.
This is the perfect time of year for blooms so I need to get over there more often this month.
