Estampes

Besides being a set of three piano compositions by Claude Debussy, estampes is French for prints or engravings. In other words, a depiction of a scene. Here are a few that I collected during our three-week visit to Scottsdale.

Look up to see a family of brothers and their cowboy fantasies in Old Town Scottsdale.

This is the famous Dog Rock at Granite Mountain. Full disclosure: Mary Anne and I call it that.

When William Wrigley Jr. built his fifth home – his “little desert cottage” – in 1931, telephones were still pretty high tech. The mansion had its own switchboard and the operator worked in a small room wallpapered with the foil wrappers from the chewing gum that made Bill rich.

An overview of the 2025 version of Scottsdale’s Canal Convergence.

We went to the opening of the Phoenix Art Museum’s exhibition of the works of Eric Fischl. Ever hear of him? Me neither. It turned out to be an interesting collection of large-format paintings that some find unsettling, perhaps a little depressing.

The quote relates to the artist’s feelings about growing up as a Boomer at what (for some) was America’s zenith, and what has been since lost.

I had firsthand experience with how fragile the illusion of Paradise is,

Having grown up in Eden before the Fall,

how devastating its loss.

Eric Fischl

There’s always something new under the sun. Dining tables at Christopher’s at the Wrigley Mansion have a drawer for each diner. Choose whatever utensils you find necessary.

I spotted this while walking around our neighborhood. Never seen one before. The paper-like texture made me wonder if it was a nest built by some ground-dwelling insect. My AI buddies think it’s the dried-out remains of a fungus that appears after heavy rains.

While awaiting the start of the Dia des Muertos (that’s Day of the Dead, Gringo) concert, I admired the Phoenix Symphony logo: a little bird made from a bass clef.

You have to respect the never-say-die attitude of the little ball sprouting from a broken saguaro branch.

This is the Amuse Bouche that began our memorable dinner at Christopher’s. There’s creme fraiche under the salmon, a disc of compressed herbs and a bit of caviar above, and a tiny flower on top. The spoon was edible.

Paintings of Frida Kahlo, every Mexican artist’s favorite subject, in the Symphony lobby.

A winner in the saguaro “most branches” contest.

Mary Anne prepares to tackle our chocolate-laden desert course at Christopher’s.