Ladee's Travels

I was awake before dawn and decided to take a local photo tour to capture dramatic lighting and early mornings sights.  I incorporated my black and white photography work in to this trip. I had my smaller lens because I intended to only work on landscapes. But when I saw this beautiful bird in Papago Park, I had to quietly approach it to get close enough for a photograph.  I was ready to take this "bird in take off position" type of photograph.  This is a view of Papago Park.  Today it is a municipal park in Phoenix and Tempe.  The area is know for the desert plants and the geological formations.  It is a former national monument (1914) but the ownership was transferred to Arizona in 1930.  This is the First Solar office building.  It is interesting with the top part of the wall leaning away from the main part of the building.  This is the new Salt River Project (SRP) office building.  This is a stunning lobby with the neon ar...

My host recommended that I come to this area to photograph these delightful half timbered homes.  Right on the mark!

I started the holiday Monday with a short geocaching adventure.  It took me to an area near to my home but one that was new to me.  The geocache was placed to bring us to this forest in the city to see these adobe homes from the 1930s. Phoenix Homestead Historic District was part of the federal government's program to resettle disadvantaged farmers and unemployed urban workers to planned, part time subsistence farm projects. This experimental program was initiated by Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal Administration in 1933. The Phoenix Homesteads were established in two sections on a piece of land originally known as the Baxter Tract, located approximately four miles east and north of downtown Phoenix (just north of Thomas and 27th Street). The first section, known as the Rural Homes of Arizona, was located on the southern forty acres of the Baxter Tract. This land was subdivided into forty lots; twenty-five homes were built in this section in 1935. The homes were design...

Built in 1904 for two Riordan families, this is the impressive reminder of gracious living in a small territorial logging town. The mansion is an example of Arts and Crafts style architecture featuring a rustic exterior of log-slab siding, volcanic stone arches, and hand-split wooden shingles. The expansive home has forty rooms, over 13, 000 square foot of living space, and servants' quarters. The Riordan mansion was designed by the creator of Grand Canyon's El Tovar Hotel, Charles Whittlesey. (Source: http://azstateparks.com/Parks/RIMA/] I could only take photos of the exterior.  The tour of the interior is $10 and well worth it.  The two Riordan brothers married two sisters. The mansion is actually two full homes connected by a common area complete with fireplaces and pool table.  Reminded me of PA!

Kalen suggested that we go out for a unstructured night with the " Arizona Night Photographers " Meetup group to shoot the First Friday events.  The group is led by Beth Ruggiero-York, a night photography instructor from the Arizona Highways Photo Workshops . Kalen and I bought a new 50 mm lens with f1.8 and set off to learn how to use our new tool.  Here are some of my results. The group was to meet at Hotel San Carlos , so we left the car at the Central and Camelback parking lot and took the Metro Light Rail down town to 1st Avenue and Van Buren.  We walked over to Central Avenue and south to the Hotel San Carlos.  Interesting place and I will need to stop by again to see what the "Bonjour Vietnam" corner pub has to offer. ( Click here to view the video about the historic San Carlos.   It is very interesting.)  Next time I need to photograph the Italian Renaissance Revival style and the detail work on the building, and maybe ask for a quick view of...