Escaping the Shadows

The sculpture known as Mountain Climber hangs on the outside wall of the firehouse in front of Cavalliere Park, surrounded by plants and shadows, in Scottsale, Arizona on October 21, 2022. Original: _Z727221.NEF

A piece of public art known as Mountain Climber hangs outside our local firehouse at the entrance to Cavalliere Park. Donated to the city by Flip Weber, the steel sculpture was created by artist Alan “Dale” Wright, who interestingly grew up in my beloved Portland before later arriving in Scottsdale.

I’ve been meaning to photograph the sculpture since I first saw it but it’s taken me a while, and even once I went to the park specifically to photograph it I had to come back for a second try as the dinky tripod plate I had been temporarily using on the Nikon came loose and I didn’t like my handheld shots too much. I took a close shot too but I prefer this one, taken late in the day right before the sun got blocked by the mountains. The higher parts of the park were still lit so I wandered up for a little hike and some nature photography.

I’ve since ordered a proper L-bracket for the camera. It was the second time the little bracket had come loose, I’m a slow learner but I can learn.

Art in the Park

A large seed pod sculpture sits in front of a palo verde and a leaning saguaro at George Doc Cavalliere Park in Scottsdale, Arizona on October 16, 2020. Original: _CAM5533.arw

Dotting the short hiking trail at Cavalliere Park, a multi-use park near our house, are seed pod sculptures by Jeff Zischke. I love how naturally they are placed in the landscape, they remind me of animal sculptures we saw years ago at an Audubon Center in Maine. This is one of the larger ones, sitting just uphill from the basketball courts, near a saguaro as obliging as it is beautiful as it leans over to more easily fit into the picture.

Urban Wildlife

A sculpture of a frog playing the banjo in a garden

One downside to living in an urban neighborhood is that I don’t see much wildlife near the house. But perhaps I just haven’t been looking closely enough, as while walking Ellie I noticed a frog, a bird, and some rabbits, all within a block of each other.

A colorful sculpture of a bird in a garden

They were clearly accustomed to not only humans but also dogs, as they didn’t seem to be bothered by either my presence or the faithful pup waiting beside me.

Rabbit decorations in a yard