Phoenix, Arizona - Chinese New Year Festival

The 2014 Chinese New Year Festival was held in downtown Phoenix at the Margaret Hance Park.  Entrance to the event was free and there was a lot of activity.

A man was explaining how an abacus works. It was very interesting and is something that I have always wanted to know how to do.  The girls were getting his undivided attention.

 There were a lot of booths with stuff...

 And booths with things to do. This one had arts and crafts.

 Eventually the stage caught my eye and I wandered over to see what was going on.  I saw that a family was performing and while dad was on stage in costume and whirling a stick...

 The children were the funniest. One little boy was playing with the cymbals.

 ...while his older brother was wondering when this was all going to end.

 Soon a two man dragon took center stage and weaved and bobbed.  Every so often the front actor would raise the dragon head so that children could see and understand that this was just make believe.

 A woman sang an opera and played both the man and woman's part.

 A troupe of butterfly dancers fluttered around the stage and ended with a great photo op (minus the man's head!)

 Children were in costume.

 The organizer of the event spoke to the group and thanked everyone for making it a huge success.

 The local Tai Chi organization had a competition earlier in the day at the main branch of the Phoenix Public Library.  First, second and third place medals were given.  This woman was waving at someone in the audience.

 After the award ceremony, the group put on a Tai Chi demonstration.

There were a lot of food booths and plenty to do. It was a good festival.  Happy New Year!

Phoenix, Arizona - Chengdu Concert

Chengdu is Phoenix's Sister City and a delegation of artists traveled to Phoenix to celebrate Chinese New Year. The concert was held at Arcadia High School.  The entertainers had a wide variety of styles to demonstrate the different periods in China's history.  I arrived early to get a good seat near the front.  These are taken with my point and shoot camera so that I could be discrete during the show.

Qiang Ethnic Song and Dance: Wonderful Music of Qiang Mountains.  This was a singing and dancing performance.  The bags played a significant role.

 Suona Solo: Happy Happenings.  A four string guitar like instrument.

Sichuan Opera Puppetry: A Fish Fairy in the Garden. This was a marionette and she told a story about a fish fairy.  She also came into the audience and "shook hands" with people. The artist did an incredible job controlling the puppet's hands and she was able to swirl a scarf and grab the long trailing feathers.

Yi Ethnic Song and Dance: Ah Mo Girls.  Song and dance with umbrellas.

 A local chorus sang "Descendants of the Dragon" and "Seeking Blossoms in the Snow".

 Guzheng Duet: Fragrant Jasmine.  String instruments.

 Classic Solo Dance: The Beauty of the Tang Dynasty.  The dancers in the "sleeve dance" have long sleeves to swirl around.  I like this dance style and it makes me want to have long sleeves to dance with!

 Acrobatics: Rolling Cups.  This woman was a contortionist and could balance the stacks of cups as she moved around.

Sichuan Opera Stunt: Face Changing.  It is fascinating to watch this.  The photos are poor but I wanted to mention these performers.  They swirl the cloak over their face and their mask changes.  I also recognized the blue headdress from a visit to Dalian in May, 2013.  (Click here to see the Dalian post.)

Tibetan Song and Dance: Ballad of Prosperity.  Long sleeve dancing in a group.

 The group posed for a group photo.

It was a delightful concert and I am so glad that I attended.

Phoenix, Arizona - Chihuly at Desert Botanical Gardens

These are a few of the photos from the night time photo shoot at the Desert Botanical Gardens.  The art is by my favorite, Dale Chihuly.  It was fun to be in the gardens at night with very little moon.  These are "pre-released" because I haven't printed them yet to see what they look like outside of the camera and computer.

Hauai, Hawaii - Waumia Canyon Pano

The Grand Canyon of Hawaii. This panorama was taken with my iPhone. It was beautiful.

Pacific Ocean - Breakfast Faces

The friendly faces that I saw each morning at breakfast. I liked to go to the International Cafe for a ham and egg sandwich, yogurt and a cappuccino. The staff works the International Cafe, the barista was from the Philippines, and the waitstaff from Bulgaria.

Mid-Pacific Ocean - Food at Sea Part 1

Life in board ship does not lack in a wide variety of good food. Here are some of my favorites.

Ensenada, Mexico - Port View

This is a pano I created of my view of the port from the ship.

Video and end product. You may not be able to see the video in an email.

Phoenix, AZ - Redhut Coffee

Red Hut Coffee, Espresso and Yogurt is on the northwest corner of 7th Street and Roosevelt in downtown Phoenix. I tried the coffee and it is a nice brew. I will try the espresso and report back. The shop is roomy and has 10-12 table grouping. Six wall booths have laptop power and their wifi has recently been upgraded. This looks like a nice meeting place.