Untitled

Picture this wall immediately to the left side of the picture of the Old Outdoor Fireplace in yesterday's post.  This is still not the wall I originally went to photograph when I stopped by this place.

Old Outdoor Fireplace

There is a large vacant lot about a mile from my house that I pass frequently.  One day last week I noticed a block wall on one side of the lot that had some deteriorating stucco over red brick with a beautiful patch of bougainvillea cascading over the top of it so I made an appointment with myself to go back early some morning to check it out further because I've become fascinated with old brick and old stucco.  I made sure to leave my sandals at home and wear good shoes because the ground was covered with lots of dead brown  grass, and who knows what lurks in such stuff.  While checking out the wall I happened to notice in the far back corner of the lot along the wall that separates the property from the adjacent owner this old outdoor fireplace.  It has a brick hearth, a flagstone and brick patio, the red brick bench, a wood cabinet and even the remnants of burned wood in the fireplace.  There obviously once was a home here (I've been in the area 30 years and I don't remember a house in this spot) and this is all that remains.  I love how the early morning sunlight pokes its head through the vines and the trees to splash in dappled masses on the patio.  Maybe tomorrow I'll show you the wall which originally drew me to find this treasure of a spot.

Phoenix Union High School

The Auditorium

The Auditorium was rebuilt, but maintains the original 1911 cornerstone, in 1929 to be more energy efficient and to seat a greater number of students.

The Domestic Arts and Sciences Building

Return to the main blog for the third building of the PUHS campus and a short history.

Milk Can

7/100 Strangers - Carissa

I met Carissa last week at the farmers market at a farmers market booth.  No, that is not redundant.  The organization that hosts the farmers markets in the greater Phoenix area has a booth that disseminates information about the market and this year has instituted a service where one can charge their purchases on a credit card.  Many of the merchants are cash only but now they will give shoppers a receipt for their goods and the customers can present the receipt to Carissa who will process the credit card charge.  Carissa, a native Nebraskan, immediately agreed to be one of my "strangers."  I was initially attracted to her Western hat, her feathery earrings, and the reflecting sunglasses.  She is extremely photogenic.  Every picture I took was a keeper!  Thank you, Carissa!

Red Brick, Tarnish, and Rust

Timpson, Shelby County, Texas, August 2009

Today's Temperature, 113; Humidity, 3 % ~ That's what we call a dry heat!

Blue

Got the blues?

Love the blues?

Want the blues?

Then Midweek Blues is the place for you.

Visit the bluest site on the web HERE to see blues, blues, and more blues.

6/100 Strangers - Phillip

Phillip showed up at my door yesterday to do the summer maintenance on my AC.  After chatting with him for a few minutes here and there, it seemed very natural to ask him to participate in my 100 Strangers project as he sat down to do his paperwork and charge me for the bad capacitor he found in my unit.  He and his wife moved to Phoenix almost a year ago from Washington State.  They live in Surprise, a suburb to the west, and have for the past several years been foster parents to young boys.  It didn't take long to realize that he is Canadian ~ I immediately knew the first time I  heard him say "aboot."  Thanks, Phillip!

Artichoke Flower

Merrryman Funeral Home Door

This is the front door of the Paulina Miller Gallery, formerly the Merryman Funeral Home, formerly the Charles E. Palen house.  This property is listed on the City of Phoenix Historic Property Register.

5/100 Strangers - Guy

Guy Gillespie is the purveyor of delicious tomatoes and other vegetables at area farmers markets.  He and his family live on a home-based farm called On the Vine, LLC, outside of  Casa Grande (about 50 miles south of Phoenix ~ a long-time agricultural area in our state).  The produce is picked fresh and sold within 24 hours.  Guy is a quiet-spoken man with kind eyes.  I was particularly impressed that his bags for customers are made from corn starch and are totally biodegradable.  He says they cost the same as plastic bags.  Now can anyone tell me why our grocery stores aren't purchasing these types of bags!  If you live in the Phoenix area you can access Guy's website at http://www.on-the-vine.com/ to see which farmers markets you can find his produce, what crops he grows, and a harvest calendar.  He tells me he has tomatoes 10 months out of the year!  Whoo-hoo!

RETURN TO KATHY GOES A RAMBLIN'

Lois Grunow Medical Clinic

The lobby of the Grunow Clinic is called the Renaissance Room. The period-style furniture appears to be original.


The exterior of Phoenix’s most beautiful building with its Spanish baroque façade (and its history linking it to one of Arizona’s most fascinating murder mysteries) can be found at my picture-a-day site HERE.

Phoenix Children's Hospital

Two of the beautifully decorated walls at Phoenix Children's Hospital.

                                                            One of the hospital classrooms. 

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4/100 Strangers - Johannah

Johannah was manning the Great Harvest Bread Company booth at the farmers market.  She recently graduated from high school and wants a dual career of nursing and culinary arts.

NOTE:  Stranger No. 1, SD, posted on 6/12, e-mailed to inform me she plans to undertake a 100 Strangers Project this summer.

Cat in Camouflage

1-3/100 Strangers

I recently became aware of a photo project called 100 Strangers. The goal is to take photographs of 100 people who are unknown to you but being sure to get their permission to take the photo and then to post it on some forum. Most of us find it intimidating to approach a stranger and ask for such a request. This project will help hone your street photography, make you step out of your comfort zone, and improve your photographic skills.


Find out more about it at http://100strangers.com/and see sample pictures at http://www.flickr.com/groups/100strangers/pool/. I plan to post my pictures on this blog rather than flickr.

Last week while at the farmers market I ran across three lovely young girls manning a booth filled with tie-dye. I asked could I take their picture and they agreed and it was lovely, but I had not asked if I could post it on my blog and was uncomfortable doing so. Today I used that experience to approach them again and explain the 100 Strangers project and they each agreed that I may take their photograph and put it on my blog.


These girls are all teenagers of different ages and own a business called Darts Arts. They make and sell tie-dye clothing at farmers markets and at DartsArts.etsy.com. They also do custom pieces and host tie-dye parties. Two of the girls are sisters and the third is a friend. Their profits help pay for college expenses. All three seemed very level-headed and asked that I use their initials only and not mention where they go to school. I thought that was very smart for three young women. Their entrepreneurial spirit is also very admirable, especially at their age. And how many other teens do you know that are out working their business on Saturday morning at 7 a.m. SD and ED are sisters. SD is a college student; ED is the youngest but is already taking college courses (about two years earlier than others her age); DH will be attending college soon.

                                                      This is SD, the oldest of the three (1/100)

                                                              Meet ED, the youngest (2/100)

 
                                            This is DH, the one with the beautiful red hair (3/100)
 
                                                   Thanks, girls, for being my first “Strangers”!
 

Sunface

Inverted Colors Reduced to Black and White

Texas Fire Ants

Nacogdoches County, Texas, 2009

 See that big clump of red dirt in the bottom left?  That's fire ants.  And you'd better stay away! 

Precious Shade

The commencement of summertime and our daily triple-digit figures are very hard on our city's homeless population.  I photographed this man napping under the shade of a couple trees overlooking one of our city parks about a month ago.  Since then our temperatures have climbed as high as 110 degrees.  Summer is very hard in the desert Southwest.

Kissed by the Sun

Doorway

This doorway is simply a crop from the picture posted here yesterday of the door of the Luis Lugo Bakery with some texture and tint added for depth.

Comments:  Ann:  The texture of the masonry is typical of cast concrete blocks used for building structures during this era.
Sara:  There is nothing that compels owners of historic properties to maintain them (In fact, there is nothing to keep them from being torn down.  I have run across several properties that are on the National Register that simply do not exist anymore and are only memories on a vacant lot).  This property is not owned by the Lugo family.  It is owned by a group of people named Fung according to the county assessor's office.  It is sad that historic properties are allowed to decline but if they are privately owned, who is going to step in and rehab them?  In fact, there are many historic properties in Phoenix that are owned by either the State of Arizona or the City of Phoenix that are in disrepair and due to current economic conditions it is not likely they will be rehabilitated for many years.

Luis Lugo's Bakery

                                                     This is a side view of the bakery building.

The Phoenix Historic Preservation Office lists the address of the bakery as 415 and 417 W. Sherman.  417 is the official address of the building which was the bakery.  The house to the east, which is actually attached to the bakery building, has a mailbox next to the sidewalk with the numbers 415.  My logic tells me the family probably lived in this two-story house. The boundaries of the property are surrounded by a chain link fence and the house is within the fenced perimeter.

COMMENTS  SFBakstad:  The door with the peeling paint - the effect was created through some of the effects offered at Picnik.com (free and easy to use).  I just try a little dab of this and and a little dab of that.  As I recall this one was some cross-processing, a little HDR, some vibrance, and a bit of yellow tint.

RETURN TO THE MAIN BLOG to see the history of Luis Lugo's Bakery.

Rainier Cherries

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Wanted: Paint Scraper

Take Me Home, Country Roads

               Red dirt country road bordering  my family's farm, Nacogdoches County, Texas, 2009

I love the dapples of sunlight that stream through the openings in the dense foliage to contrast the shadows on the road.  With the exception of an occasional barking dog in the distance or the bellow of a cow calling her calf, the silence can be deafening.  It is one of the most peaceful places on earth.  The woods are thick and tangled on the right side of the picture, meeting in a canopy overhead with the brambles and vines and small saplings that hide the pasture on the left. At the top of the picture the road curves to the left, dips in elevation and crosses a small creek.  Take me home, Country Roads.

Junk Shot

Junk Shot - a phrase new to our language.

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