Cupcake Love-In

On Sunday I headed over to the Hotel Valley Ho for the second annual Cupcake Love-In.  This non-profit event helped support the Central Arizona Shelter Services (CASS) which has been empowering homeless individuals and families to become self-sufficient and effectively end their homelessness.  So I ate delicious gourmet cupcakes to help homeless people.  You get a choice of seven cupcakes for your donation, but one of the bakers were giving them away without a ticket, so I ate 8 cupcakes.  Honestly, I could have eaten a few more, but I could feel my blood sugar rising. 

Out of the 8 cupcakes I tried, my favorite cupcake was from Cupcakes By Design.  They had a cupcake called a  Lemon Tree which was a lemon cake with lemon filling and lemon icing and they had a edible butterfly on top.  Pure Heaven!

I had to leave before they announced the raffle winners, so I just gave my raffle tickets to a man standing there with his little daughter.  I hope he won something.  I had to leave because I had to go to my monthly Meet-Up group meeting which was also our Halloween Party.

We had a guest speaker Cynthia Crawford at our Meet-Up group Halloween meeting.  She sculpts all different kinds of ETs, and has just as many different and interesting stories to tell about each one she sculpts.  My mother's favorite film of all time is Steven Spielberg's E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial.  After seeing that film, she bought herself a leather ET doll and kept it on her bedroom dresser.  I am definitely my mother's child...it's in my DNA!



Oliver! @ Desert Stages Theatre

On Saturday I went to the afternoon performance of Oliver! at the Desert Stages Theatre.  I have never seen a live production of this play, I only saw the film once when it came out in 1968.  I was six years old and my parents took me to see it at one of the large movie theaters in downtown Chicago.  I remember the gist of the storyline, but not the whole story.  I thought by seeing this live production the story would flood back into my memory...NOT!  Okay, I have to admit it was like seeing it for the first time all over.  Usually, I read up on anything I go see.  I like to know ahead of time about the plot and who all the characters are, but I didn't do it this time.  I really thought I would remember all the characters from seeing the film in 1968.  Every time someone new came on stage, I thought to myself...who is this???  I guess I have killed a few brain cells over the years.  Anyway, I really enjoyed this production.  The actors were brilliantly cast, and all were superb -  especially the kids.  I always keep my programs from all the plays I attend.  I just know that someday I will say that I saw this super famous talented movie star when they were just a kid in a local community theatre play.

Zachary Denious as Oliver

Delphine Cortez

This Wednesday's performance at the Mayo Clinic was Delphine Cortez, another fellow Chicagoan.  I brought my visiting relatives from Chicago with me for this concert.  They loved the concert, and thought the Atrium Music Series at Mayo Clinic is the BEST kept secret in all of Scottsdale.

After the concert instead of doing my normal Wednesday of errands and grocery shopping, we went to the English Rose Tea Room in Carefree for a formal afternoon English Tea.  We all brought our own hats with us too to wear.  We all had a very nice afternoon of smooth jazz and English tea.

Silhouette

WOW!!! I have another new favorite group...Silhouette.  They rocked at the el Pedregal on Sunday.  They have played there before, but this was the first time I heard them, and won't be the last.  I can't wait to the Spring Wine and Jazz concerts to hear them again.  They were fabulous.

ArtFest of 5th Ave.



On Saturday I got up early and went to the ArtFest of 5th Ave. in Scottsdale.  It's the first Art Fest of the season, so I get really excited to just get out and walk around and browse.  One thing I like about this ArtFest is that it's never really crowded.  Okay, bad for the artists, but good for me.  I like actually talking to the artists, and because it's less crowded they actually have the time to talk to you too.  I was talking to one artist and she said she remembers me from all the other Art Fest's I have attended.  I bought a few small things and stopped and had a lemonade and listened to one of the street musicians for awhile.

I headed over to see up close and personal the public art piece on the corner of Scottsdale Rd. and Camelback called The Doors by Donald Lipski.

The piece of artwork has been there since 2007, and I have driven by it hundreds of times, but I never knew anything about it until I took last month The Ulitmate Art and Culture Tours. On the tour I learned that when you stand inside this kaleidoscopic sculptor you'll find multiple reflections of yourself, an oculus that creates the optical illusion of a geodesic dome overhead.  Plus, I learned the experience within The Doors is enhanced by sound artist Jim Green. You can hear the sounds of the Soleri bells at Cosanti, and other selections.  Very COOL!  After hearing the Soleri Bells and walking across the Soleri Bridge, I decided to go over to Cosanti to gawk at all their amazingly beautiful windbells.  They had a sale going on this weekend so there were plenty of windbells to admire.

Jazz In The Hills

On Friday night it was another 1st for me...I finally made it to Jazz In The Hills in Fountain Hills. I have always heard about it, and how wonderful it is, but never seemed to ever go.  So my hubby's cousin and her husband were in from Chicago, they own a townhouse in Fountain Hills.  They always want to get together with us when they are in town, so I suggested to them going to Jazz In The Hills.  They had never been either, so it was a new experience for all of us.  The evenings performance was by Armand Boatman and the Fred Forney Duo.  We had a lovely dinner and a relaxing evening listening to smooth jazz.

Tributeart LIVE! @ The Royal Palms Resort



Last night hubby and I went over to the Royal Palms Resort to see Randall Hedden's Tributeart Live! Show in their beautiful Mansion Courtyard.  It was a fabulous evening of live music, art, cool breeze, starry night, and half price martinis and appetizers.   You just can't ask for more in life.  :-)

I first became familiar with Randall's work when I saw him at the Scottsdale Arts Festival last March painting each of The Beatles while the Beatle Tribute band Marmalade Skies performed.  I was really wowed!  Last night the live music was from the Rat Pack, and Randall painted on 4' x 4' canvases portraits of Dean, Sammy and Frank all choreographed to the music. We had a table right up front and both of us were amazed just how fast he can paint a picture.  The Mansion Courtyard is a perfect intimate setting for this marvelous show.

Before we went over to The Royal Palms we stopped by SMoCA to see Knight Rise Skyspace by James Turell.

After we left The Royal Palms we headed over to Old Town Scottsdale for their Western Artwalk.  We walked up and down Main Street and ventured into several galleries to browse.  We had a glass of wine, and a delicious cupcake.  A sweet way to end a very sweet evening.







Mariachi Pasion

What a truly delightful, delightful day I had listening to the beautiful songs and music of Mariachi Pasion.  I could have stayed a lot longer to listen to them play and sing.  Today's performance included three woman, and one gentleman.  They all sang, and what great voices they had.  The woman who I sat next to was getting all choked up and teary-eyed listening to them.  She knows how to speak Spanish and was telling me what the songs were about.

I love that the Mayo Clinic's Atrium Music Series has such a great assortment of music...last week was country/bluegrass and this week beautiful Mariachi music.  After the concert I headed to Costco and other stores to do my weekly grocery shopping.  I didn't know what I was going to make for dinner tonight, but now I was inspired to make chicken enchiladas, Mexican rice, and a pitcher of margaritas.  Yum!

Mariachi Pasion play on Friday and Saturday evenings at the Spotted Donkey Cantina on Hayden Rd.  I will definitely have to go there for dinner and listen to them again.



Life X 3

Today I spent a lovely afternoon seeing a play at the Theatre Artists Studio, Life X 3.  It was written by French playwrite Yasmina Reza whose later play God of Carnage won the 2009 Tony Award for Best Play.  This play is three versions of two couples at a dinner party.  Well it was suppose to be a dinner party, but the invited couple show up a day early....OOPS!  So all the hosts have to serve them on short notice are chocolate finger cookies, Cheez-Its and lots and lots of wine...which turns out to be toxic for this social get together. The cast was absolutely stellar, and I really enjoyed the play. 

I had a whole day of fun activities planned for Saturday, but they got all F'd up.  No one to blame for this...just myself.  Well I got my act together and had a pleasant Sunday...thanks in part to the wonderful cast of Life x 3.

Scott Hyder, Drea Pruseau, Dominik Rebilas, and Andrea Dovner

Doc Rolland Duo

Another Wednesday of running errands and doing my weekly grocery shopping, but not before heading over to Mayo Clinic to hear Doc Peter Rolland and his daughter in concert.   Doc sings and performs on fiddles and guitar.  He is a  3-time National Certified Division Fiddling Champion and performs cowboy and country music.  Listening to this duo definitely puts a some pep in your step.  :-)



Desert Botanical Gardens

I like to go the Desert Botanical Gardens whenever I get a chance.  Not only do I like just walking through the beautiful gardens, but I also enjoy all their special exhibits.

Each Fall the garden has a Mariposa Monarch Butterfly Pavillion.  I could just sit down in there all afternoon to watch these majestic creatures.  I also like talking to the people working inside the pavillion.  They are always so pleasant to talk to and very informative.

 

The new Fall exhibit at the garden is sculptor David Rogers' Big Bugs.  He  has carefully created these creatures from fallen or found wood, cut saplings, twigs, raw branches, twine, bark and other natural materials.  There are 11 HUGE sculptures to view ranging from seven feet to 25 feet long, and weigh from 300 to 1,200 pounds.

The last exhibit I saw was photographs of Monet's Giverny by Richard Nilsen.  His exhibit features images from Impressionist painter Claude Monet's famous garden in Giverny, 40 miles outside Paris, along with images taken at a dozen other gardens, private and public, from around the U.S. and Europe.



Another perfect day in paradise!  :-)

Sunday's in Paradise with Dennis Rowland

Today was another first for me.  I went to Sunday's in Paradise at The Sanctuary Resort to hear Dennis Rowland.  The day could not have been more PERFECT!  The weather was the best, the setting for the concert was beautiful, the food and wine were scrumptious, and Dennis Rowland and his band was soothing and relaxing.  Definitely what I call a Sunday in Paradise.



Greek Festival



On Saturday, October 8th I attended the 51st Annual Greater Phoenix Greek Festival at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox community center. This was my first time to this festival.  Last year I attended the Scottsdale Festival of Greece.  The day could not have been nicer...temps in the low 80's, plus plenty of sunshine.  The Greek food though was the highlight of the day.  I ate too much and was so full, but before I left I still managed to eat a whole plate of saganaki (flaming cheese).  What's a Greek Fest without saganaki?  I bought of box of Greek pastries and took them home.  I enjoyed them with my morning coffee today.

I enjoyed watching the little kids doing their Greek dancing, and listening to a traditional Greek band.  I checked out the new Hellenic Museum of Phoenix with vintage photographs of pioneer Greek families as featured in the book, Greeks in Phoenix.  I  browsed around the Greek market and all the jewelry vendors,   also went inside the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral.  The church is beautiful with all its stunning stained glass windows.

I get ticked off when I hear people from Chicago, New York, or any big city say there is no culture here in Arizona.  Really!  These people are obviously not looking too hard.

Scottsdale International Film Festival

The Scottsdale International Film Festival started on Friday, September 30th and ran through Tuesday, October 4th.  I had a busy weekend going to the Fountain Hills Oktoberfest Friday night, then spent Saturday downtown at the Herberger's Festival of the Arts, then a concert on Sunday at the el Pedregal Wine and Jazz Fest, so I never made it to the film festival until Monday and Tuesday.  But I am glad I did.  On Monday I saw a film from Sweden called Among Us.  This is my type of film...mystical and mysterious, and with a happy ending.

On Tuesday I went to see a film from France called The Women on the 6th Floor.  It turns out this film won the audience award for Best Film at the festival.  I enjoyed this one very much too.  It was very funny and entertaining even though it didn't have the happy "Mary Poppins" ending to it that I was expecting.

There were a few more films that looked interesting that I would have loved to see, but I didn't want to cram too much into each day.  Sometimes less is more.  I look forward to next years festival.





Mother's Favorite Child

I attended my first Fall Wine and Jazz Concert of the season at the el Pedregal on Sunday, October 2nd.  Mother's Favorite Child performed for the first time at this concert series.  They were GREAT, and I hope they come back again for the Spring Concert series.  I could have listened to them all day.  They are definitely one of the best groups I have heard at the el Pedregal.  The day was very nice, a little warm, but not too hot.  The crowd was smaller than usual, but I expect a lot of people were home watching the Arizona Diamonbacks, or the Cardinals.  Unfortunately both teams lost that day, so a better time was had listening to great music and drinking a little wine.  :-)



Herberger Festival of the Arts



On Saturday, October 1st I headed downtown for Herberger Festival of the Arts.  This event celebrates the arts and features 20 valley art groups including Live Music, Theatre, and Dance performances.  What a fun and entertaining day...I can't wait until next year!  I saw so many wonderful performances, and I was so moved by all the local talent we have here in Arizona.  They had four stages of performances going on at the same time, so it was impossible to see everything, so I just had to choose who to see.  All the acts were phenomenal, but my favorites were The Phoenix Boys Choir, the performances by EPIK and Scorpius dance company, plus the funny and entertaining Annie Moscow.  A truly inspirational day!

Fountain Hills Oktoberfest

On Friday, September 30th my hubby and I, and our neighbors headed over to Fountain Hills for their annual Oktoberfest.  We had great brats, German beer, and the most delicious apple strudel.  I love listening to German music and watching all the kids dance their little feet off.  The night was beautiful, cool and breezy.  I love this time of year!