NOTE: The article below and accompanying video is being presented on the JBRish blog with permission from the originator, Rocket and the Pickleball Rocks Team. You can check out their website at the link below:
When you build a shrine to anything, there comes a certain responsibility.
In the case of the city of Surprise, Arizona, the Surprise City Pickleball Courts, since opening 4 years ago, have become somewhat of a shrine to the sport of pickleball. But the shrine may be crumbling.
The Villages of Florida is considered THE pickleball vacation spot in the country simply because there are so many available courts.
But as we travel the U.S., when you ask people where is the mecca of pickleball, it is overwhelmingly Surprise, Arizona. Everywhere we go, people talk specifically about The City Courts.
As a matter of fact, the Surprise City Courts have become so famous nationwide that most people just refer to them as THE CITY COURTS. When players mention The City Courts, everyone knows they are referring to the 8 courts at 14534 W. Tierra Buena Lane next to Dreamcatcher Park.
There is Yankee Stadium for baseball, Pebble Beach for golf and The City Courts for Pickleball.
But sadly, The City Courts are now so overcrowded that it is starting to become a negative.
It is hard to believe that the city of Surprise isn’t falling over themselves to expand that facility in order to maintain their brilliant, pickleball-tourist attracting reputation.
These courts are packed with people waiting to play. At just about any time, you can catch some of the best pickleball players in the world, including National Champions, Gigi LeMaster, Steve Wong, Mark Friedenburg, Scott Lennan and others, mixing in with men and women brand new to the sport. It is a wonderful experience that has become famous throughout the sport of pickleball and its two million plus players.
It is (or was) truly THE place to play pickleball when you travel to Arizona.
It is interesting to watch the surrounding communities now building pickleball courts at breakneck speed in order to capitalize on the mega growth the sport of pickleball is currently experiencing.
Hope the City of Surprise realizes it before it’s too late. Sadly, based on what we’ve seen, the mecca will soon be moving.
We continue our series of personalized (vanity) license plates in Arizona. To maintain individual privacy, we try to show as little information about particular cars as possible as long as we can reveal the license plate.
NOTE – License plate photos may have been archived for quite some time. The years indicated on the registration stickers DO NOT necessarily reflect the current status of any given plate!
Much of our lives were spent in the northeast and although we now live in the southwest and we are fond of the desert, once in a while we get the urge to experience a true change of seasons like those we experienced during the fall in our rural New Jersey home.
When this happens, we look to northern Arizona to satisfy our yearning. Recently we decided to take a November foray to an area just north of Sedona, AZ and hike the trail of the West Fork of the Oak Creek.
The trail is located off of highway 89A between mileposts 385 and 384. As always, dress appropriately, be sure to have waterproof/resistant footwear and perhaps bring an extra pair of socks. One other hint…many will find hiking sticks useful especially during the stream crossings. If you don’t have hiking sticks, a dead branch can usually be found along the way and often they are left at the trailhead sign.
Soon after we began, we were treated to this beautiful, red rock fall scene. It was a very crisp, clear fall day at the Oak Creek.
We were aware that it had snowed a week or so before our planned excursion, but we did not realize remnants would still be found. Mary picked up a handful; something we can’t do in the Valley of the Sun.
As you may note, there are no officially maintained crossings of the stream which number thirteen each way for a total of twenty six. All hikers are left to decide the best route to attempt. Rocks are not always steady, logs are sometimes slippery and the dry footholds may be far apart. This provides some excitement and challenges. Many hikers brought their four-legged companions along for a frolic.
Gymnastics training could come in handy.
The creek widens and narrows along the route providing interesting and contrasting vistas among the red sand and rocks.
Of course we need to mention the leaves; yes the leaves. In the desert, we don’t have fall leaf colors and shapes like these.
The contrast of reds, yellows and bronze against the dark bark and red cliffs was very pretty.
Change was definitely in the air. Leaves were donning their seasonal finery as they fell to the ground or attempted to cling to the branches just a bit longer.
The patches of dried, brown foliage also provided a pretty foil for the remaining snow which provided the background for the patterns of fall.
To be continued…
For more information about the West Fork of Oak Creek, Sedona including hours of operation, fees and restrictions, see the links below:
The Carefree Desert Gardensis hosting a pumpkin fest this year and there is a schedule of events for family fun. Some of the days provide opportunities to watch sculptors at work creating their special brand of Jack-O-Lanterns. You can find more information by clicking here.
This is part three of a three part series about the Carefree Desert Gardens Pumpkin Festival. You can read the other posts here:
One of the more interesting venues at the Carefree Desert Gardens Pumpkin Festival is the ability to watch expert pumpkin sculptors at work. There is ample seating and shade for a good number of spectators so find your holiday inspiration here.
A few of the carved pumpkins were quite whimsical and interesting. The appendages, it is noted, are not made of natural materials because they would be difficult to maintain and fashion according to need.
A very clever displays is the one with the pumpkins diving off of a high stone wall into a bucket of water. Ooops! Apparently one pumpkin missed.
Of course this is not to take away from the more artistic, if not serious, offerings.
The planners put a lot of thought into this production as evidenced by the pumpkin picnic scene which is partially shown in the pictures below.
Once again, I should mention the ever present gardens which are beautiful in their own right and what desert planting cannot be improved with some nested pumpkins?
It is not easy being a pumpkin at this time of the year so after putting on such an interesting show, I think you will agree that these pumpkins have earned a good rest!
Happy Halloween and safe Trick or Treating!
JBRish.com originally published this post
*NOTE: The pumpkins in the scenes were made using artificial resources to keep them from being eaten by the native wildlife such as Javelinas. Also of note, some of the metal stands supporting the pumpkins in the “scenes” have been removed in the photographs.
Our previous post (see it here) about the Carefree Desert Gardens Pumpkin Festival provided a good overview of what you might find at the exhibit. In our second post we will follow up with more posed pumpkin scenes…*
Such as this Motorcycle pumpkin daredevil with feet flying behind as he ramps over his “volunteers.” Is that pumpkin all the way to the left praying?
Pushing your special pumpkin friend on a swing is always a fun activity.
Or perhaps you would rather go for a wheelbarrow ride, but I don’t suggest being too pumpkin bossy!
This pumpkin looks persnickety as he is walking his gourd dog!
For that very special pumpkin in your life, roasting marshmallows together is a very Halloween thing to do,
But try to ignore the eerie looking toadstools growing at the left end of the log!
Scootering is one way to travel around the festival to visit your pumpkin buddies.
Golf appears to be a very difficult sport for pumpkins.
Halloween mischief may be at hand with at least one pumpkin spotted with a slingshot.
Carving pumpkins can create a mess and someone needs to help clean up.
And after the cleanup, there is time for a siesta!
Of course don’t forget there are gardens to look at as well and I must explain that they have some very unusual “crested” cactus like the one pictured below. Also look for the large crested saguaro which is quite rare.
*It is noted that the pumpkins in the scenes were made using artificial resources to keep them from being eaten by the native wildlife such as Javelinas. Also of note, some of the metal stands supporting the pumpkins in the “scenes” have been removed in the photographs.
Just because we have temperatures over 100 degrees in the month of October doesn’t mean we don’t celebrate Halloween. That holiday is alive and well in the Sonoran Desert and the town of Carefree, AZ is in a spooky mood!
The Carefree Desert Gardensis hosting a pumpkin fest this year and there is a schedule of events for family fun. Some of the days provide opportunities to watch sculptors at work creating their special brand of Jack-O-Lanterns. You can find more information by clicking here.
To preserve the carved pumpkins, they are treated with a brine mixture and some are submerged in brine containers. In the picture below, for example, there is an artificial saguaro cactus containing a brine-filled glass container housing a carved pumpkin. Signs warn that although the saguaro may be fake, the needles are real; one way to discourage touching!
In the close up you will notice that there is a highlight at the top which is created by a blacklight. The gardens are open after dark and my assumption is the lighting adds to the mystery of the presentation.
There were many carvings in brine such as this bulldog
a ferocious wolf
an Imp
and a devilish character!
*Other exhibits include pumpkins posed in human-like activities:
There was a William Tell wannabe and his target friend (not pictured),
It’s not easy being a pumpkin the desert so a nap is required every now and then
or perhaps a break relaxing by the pool.
There are more than just pumpkins. There are witches hats although not the standard black issue.
Of course it is all about the carving by master pumpkin carver Ray Villafane.
*It is noted that the pumpkins not enclosed in brine were made using artificial resources to keep them from being eaten by the native wildlife such as Javelinas. Also of note, some of the metal stands supporting the pumpkins in the “scenes” have been removed in the photographs.
As noted in previous posts, I live in the desert southwest and one thing we have in our neighborhood is snakes. Yes, we have a good number of snakes. We don’t seem them every day, but every spring and summer we encounter several of them.
Unlike some people, I like snakes. I even like the poisonous snakes because they fulfill an important role of keeping the rodent population in check. I just wish the would have larger appetites so we didn’t see as many rodents in the desert.
One day I peered outside to see a Coachwhip commonly referred to as a Red Racer(Coluber flagellum piceus) because it is very fast. I had to be quick to get these two photos because once the snake decided to take off, it exited a break neck speed.
I think there is a lot of beauty in the coloration of this particular snake. The blurb below from the Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum explains the derivation of the name.
This long, slender snake reaches lengths of 3 to 8¼ feet (90-260 cm) long. Quite variable in color, it can be tan, gray, pink, black, reddish-brown, or any combination of these colors. Broad crossbars may be present. The scales are smooth and the eyes large; the head is distinct from the body. Unlike the adults, young may have obvious dark brown or black blotches or bands on a light brown background. This snake receives its name from the braided appearance of its scales which resemble the whip used by stagecoach drivers in earlier days. Quote courtesy of the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
Picture Courtesy of Trey’s Website http://tour.treyratcliff.com/
On this very hot day, it was a cool thing to do! Trey Ratcliff, known world wide as the father of modern High Dynamic Range photography, was going to be in my town, Phoenix, Arizona. His Photo Walk Across the USA had made it to the west.
Of course most people don’t come this way during the heat of August, but Trey is a trooper as is the rest of his crew. They were making their way through several major cities to publicize a number of things and to give fans a chance to do a photo walk with them.
The Phoenix photo walk began at the Irish Cultural Center. I never knew there was such an organization until I needed to find the location. As you can see, it is a beautiful building.
Trey likes to refer to his tour bus as a megabus and it was!
For someone who has earned quite a bit of celebrity, Trey is very approachable. You can imagine how uncomfortable it was in the heat of the desert in a paved parking lot, but he continued to meet and greet people and take photos with them for way more than an hour.
Here I am (wearing the light cap) with others talking to Trey.
Picture Courtesy of a screen grab of Trey’s footage of the Walk – http://tour.treyratcliff.com/
My wife came along, but tended to stay in the background. She likes photography, but isn’t a picture taker. The yellow arrow points to wife Mary and the green arrow is me again (sorry).
Picture Courtesy of a screen grab of Trey’s footage of the Walk – http://tour.treyratcliff.com/
I guess you can call Curtis Trey’s right hand man. He can be seen on videos and webinar type experiences offered through the Stuck In Customswebsite. He provided some helpful hints and guidelines prior to the walk.
As time approached for the walking tour to begin, the crowd began to form.
Trey was wearing some amazing Nikes
But he wasn’t the only one!
A note needed here – I don’t own a camera that is able to take quality pictures in low light. The best I could do was with my trusty iPad and my Canon PowerShot A590. So…many of the shots that remain will be grainy, but I think they still offer a good “feel” for how the night unfolded.
As we began to walk around downtown and without knowing where the tour would lead, the sun began to set. One of the first photo opportunities was a church that was barely lit, but had a nice courtyard.
Trey was using the new Sony a7R Mark II which has great low light abilities as well as being at the top if its class and, according to the initial reviews, surpasses many of those in other classes as well. Do you detect camera envy?!
After another brisk walk, we stopped at this street corner. Trey explained that he liked the mix of the mural on the wall and the building lights.
One of the best things about the photo walk was that the participants could ask questions which TR was glad to answer. He discussed the composition and the details indicating why he thought each shot would make a good picture.
Trey wasn’t taking single shots either. He was taking HDR photos which call for a series of three exposures; one properly exposed, one two stops over and the other two stops under. These are later combined to yield the HDR picture bringing a high dynamic range to the photo with details in shadow areas as well as those that are strongly lit.
As the traffic light was changing, other photogs were asking questions; a walk and talk kind of experience.
There was another picture opportunity at a concert in the park where this modern structure made of optical cable or wire was being illuminated by changing lights. (I will provide a link to better pictures at the end of this post) so you can appreciate the full effect.
At this stop (below) trey provided another “Mind Vitamin” (something to think about) as he pointed out how converging lines help give depth to a picture and offer the viewer somewhat more than a two dimensional experience.
He stated that he loved the green trees, i.e.Palo Verdes.
Others took the opportunity look at his camera (as he had it set up to take the pictures on a time delay) so they could examine the settings, etc.
One of the AV crew members was wearing this shirt which I thought had a slightly ironic twist.
Trey selected this shot because of the pattern of light and dark and the reflections. This picture doesn’t do it justice, but I think you get the idea.
Once again, Trey stopped to discuss scenes that cried out to be photographed.
Another example of converging lines drawing the eye into the picture.
This was one of the last stops of the tour before the after party so we headed back to the car since we had a long ride home.
On the way back to the car (a nearly two mile trek) through downtown Phoenix, we came across this scene. I know it is just a water fountain, but it struck a responsive chord with me especially after reading the sign (The Little Fountain That Could).
If you want to learn more about HDR photography and the story behind Trey Ratcliff’s photography experience, you can check my former blog post,Founding Father of HDR Photography – Trey Ratcliff, which includes a link to Trey’s inspirational TED talk!
NOTE: The order in which the birds and narratives appear are not the actual order in which they were seen during our bird walk.
As a follow up to Part 1 of our bird walk at the Gilbert Water Ranch, in Gilbert, AZ I am posting some additional pictures and narratives. As you might expect at something called a water ranch, this is a habitat for numerous ducks and other water fowl although having it in a desert is somewhat unique. The Mallard pictured below watched us as we watched him strike up a nice profile.
We also came across what appears to me (and I’m no expert) a Snowy Egret. He was looking intently in the water for some victuals.
Every once in a while he looked up to allow me to snap this shot of him.
The group spotted a nest in this tree and there was a fair amount of activity around it. We saw a Verdin poised next to it. There was another nest nearby and we were wondering whether one was a fledgling nest while the other was home for adults.
Although I had seen American Coots on a number of occasions, this is my best picture so far of the bird with its white beak. I also like the color of the eye against the dark feathers; nice! While this bird looks somewhat like a duck, it has a classification of its own.
This fellow looked to me like a Great Egret.
One of the last birds we saw this day, which was a surprise sighting since we were sitting around having snacks and reviewing which birds we had identified, was a Cassin’s Kingbird. He just appeared high in the tree and stayed for a while so we could marvel at his beautiful coloration.
I will finish the bird walk next week with some more notes and photographs. Which bird photo did you find most interesting?
I awoke at 3:30am this morning to prepare for my “bird watch” outing at the Gilbert Water Ranch in Gilbert, Arizona. We had to be at the park by 6am and my wife and I were going to car pool with a person we had never met so we needed to be on time. Their home was 22-25 minutes away and they wanted to leave at 5:25. Of course I needed my requisite cup(s) of coffee and I also needed to get my STATUS QUOtes out to my mailing list.
[Self promotion here: If you like quotes, really good quotes, check out my STATUS QUOTes posted daily on this blog. Click here – STATUS QUOTes– to view the entire category.]
In any event, all went smoothly and we met up with our tour guide, Kathe, and proceeded to the Gilbert Water Ranch arriving on schedule. We saw a good number of birds this day. I might also mention that this is a transition time for birds in our area and some are moving out while less are moving in ahead of the long, hot summer days.
As we started our tour, a some birds already on my seen list were spotted. The first new-ish experience for me was a Mourning Dove in the crook of a Saguaro cactus. I have seen many Mourning Doves, but not in the arms of a Saguaro! Most likely this was a nest built by a Curve-billed Thrasher and usurped by the dove.
As we walked along the paths meandering through the reclamation ponds, we came across a white-crowned Sparrow. I am sure I had seen these before, but never noted it so this was a new entry on my list.
Even though this is the desert, we do have riparian and oasis-type areas that draw water birds. One such resident this day was the Neotropic Cormorant.
Walking on the path ahead of us was an Abert’s Towhee.
Disclaimer here: There wasn’t much light early on the walk because it was cloudy. My Superzoom really needs a lot of light to render crisp, clear shots so this may be a bit “fuzzy,” but certainly good enough for my bird-spotting history.
There were several sightings of Great Blue Herons. This particular bird remained perched on a man-made platform for some time so we could get a clear picture.
When we came to the bird below, there was some discussion whether this was a Lesser Yellowlegs or a Greater Yellowlegs. For those non-birders, this is what we do! After referring to the the Sibley Field Guide and a brief debate, it was decided that based on the size of the bird and markings, it was a Lesser Yellowlegs.
As I might have mentioned in one of my previous posts somewhere on this blog and most certainly on my previous Internet persona, Gardening on the Moon, we live on the edge of the desert and one bird we have in large numbers is the Gambel’s Quail. These birds are round and not exactly aerodynamic and thus they would rather walk or run than fly. Approaching them in a car often causes them to scurry ahead, but when forced, they do take to the air. It is unusual to spot them perched high in a tree as the bird below was spotted posing for its closeup.
The last bird I will present today is a Green Heron. It is an unusual name for a majestic bird that doesn’t actually contain much green anywhere in its plumage! Supposedly under certain conditions, it has a blue-green “gloss.”
We saw a good many other birds this day and I will post our other sightings soon. Until then, I hope you have enjoyed following me along my birding journey.
