Tag: Sedona / Verde Valley

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Pairings: Arizona Autumn + Fall Decor

I’ve paired nine shots of Arizona fall color with Etsy finds that match their autumn vibes! Each pair is a place to go along with fall-inspired decor and other fun stuff.

You can see more on Etsy’s Fall Decor Essentials guide or check out my personal picks.

 

Fall leaves at Boyce Thompson Arboretum.

Artificial stems with fall foliage in a glass jar vase
Six fall foliage stems from BoutiqueBarn in New Hampshire.

1. Fiery Orange Trees + Stems

Go: Boyce Thompson Arboretum in Superior, Arizona

Every fall, this Chinese Pistache Tree at Boyce Thompson Arboretum turns brilliant shades of orange. You can see it from far away, as it stands out from the green leaves of trees surrounding it.

BTA is a great day trip from the Phoenix area! It’s just about 45 minutes from the East Valley via US 60.

Get it: Rustic Fall Branch

In similarly striking oranges and yellows, you could use these fall foliage stems as part of a flower arrangement or on their own, grouped together to make a standout seasonal centerpiece.

    • At 24 inches tall, they could really add some height to your Thanksgiving tablescape!
    • Sourced by BoutiqueBarn + shipping from New Hampshire.

 

Tree stump with small mushrooms growing on it.

shelves that look like mushrooms
Ceramic floating shelves made by LeilyCloud

2. Stump Mushrooms + Wall Mushrooms

Go: Summerhaven, Mount Lemmon near Tucson

I wasn’t planning on taking a photo of a tree stump while I was admiring the view from Mount Lemmon. Then I noticed teeny – almost cute – little mushrooms growing out of it, and those needed to be captured!

Get it: Mushroom Shelves

I don’t think I’ve seen anything like these mushroom shelves! They are the result of a husband and wife collaboration. She makes the ceramic mushrooms, and he designed a metal mount that allows you to hang them on almost any type of interior wall. Their shop has a variety of mushroom hooks, floating shelves, and even a mushroom soap dish!

    • Waterproof.
    • Designed to hold up to 8 lbs.

 

butterflies on a plant with yellow flowers

plantable card with butterflies on the front
Handmade in the UK by URBANSPROUT Store.

3. Butterflies Pollinating Flowers + Planting Flowers

Go: Boyce Thompson Arboretum

We were at Boyce Thompson Arboretum and noticed a small row of plants with yellow flowers on them – and each had multiple butterflies on it slowly opening and closing their wings, and (I assume) feeding on nectar. They were so beautiful. And so focused on the task at hand that I could get a little closer than normal to snap some photos with my phone.

    • BTA is right ouside Superior.
    • If you’re heading east, you’ll pass the Arboretum before you get to Superior proper.
Get it:
Bee + Butterfly Plantable Seed Cards

It’s truly wild how closely one butterfly on the card happens to match one in my photo!

    • Part of a pack of 6 cards featuring watercolor illustrations of butterflies and bees.
    • Plantable cards: The cards are made from recycled paper with wildflower seeds embedded, so you can plant them!

 

Boyce Thompson Arboretum berries

botanicals
Natural dried canella berries, handpicked by BoutiqueBarn in New Hampshire.

4. Berries

Go: Boyce Thompson Arboretum

This cluster of bright orange berries was another BTA find, when I was on the hunt for fall colors in unusual places.

Back when Phillip and I lived in the Phoenix area, there were a couple years we got memberships to the Arboretum. It neat to see it in all different seasons!

Get it: Natural dried canella berries

You can get this type of berries in more vibrant colors, but there was something I preferred about the muted, neutral tones of this one.

 

papel picado outside Tucson Museum of Art

Miniature papel picado flags
Cake-topping miniature papel picado, made by AyMujer in Indio, California.

5. Papel Picado

Go: Tucson Museum of Art, Tucson

Intricately cut paper flags are part of the celebration of Day of the Dead, which also happens this time of year. They’re a different kind of fall color!

We saw these hanging on one corner of TMA on a visit to Tucson, years before we lived here.

Get it: Papel Picado Garland Cake Topper

I love these miniature papel picado flags made into a cake topper!

    • Sold in sets of two strands with bamboo flag stems included.
    • Fits a 6-12 inch cake.

 

 

Sunset in willcox

wreath
Handmade by Melshomedecorshop in Chicago, Illinois.

6. Wispy

Go: Willcox, Arizona

Phillip and I visited Apple Annie’s Farm in Willcox to go apple picking during a weekend trip. We left because the sun was setting, and then saw these fantastic clouds!

    • Apple Annie’s has 3 locations around Willcox with different offerings.
    • If you want to go apple picking, make sure you’re headed to their fruit orchards, which are about 15 minutes northwest of the center of town.
Get it: Pampas Grass Wreath

I like how understated this is compared to a lot of fall wreaths! The pampas grass reminds me of those wispy clouds. And I guess I’m into a kind of into neutral color palette this fall.

    • Approximately 20-21 inches from leaf tip to tip.
    • Made with faux pampas grass, cream berries, blackberries, brown bunny tails, and laurel leaves, accented with a brown velvet bow, on a grapevine wreath.

 

leaves collecting in a stream

candle with dried flowers
Candle made with soy wax by Monsoon Wildflowers in Maricopa, Arizona.

7. Fallen Flora

Go: Sedona, Arizona

While hiking in Sedona, I noticed how the fall leaves were collecting up against stones in the creek, and mixing with the plants that were growing in the shallow water.

    • The West Fork of Oak Creek Trail is a beautiful place to hike and enjoy autumn leaves!
    • The trailhead is between Sedona and Flagstaff, off of Route 89A.
    • Phillip and I have done parts of that hike a number of times.
Get it: Dried Flower Soy Candle

I like the asymmetry of the offset florals and dried orange slices.

    • This candle is made with soy wax and other natural ingredients.
    • You can choose your own scent from a long list of options!

 

 

Día de los Muertos in Mesa

Headpiece decorated with flowers
Made by BloomDesign Studio in Quilcene, WA.

8. Flower Arch

Go: Día De Los Muertos Festival in Mesa

Tissue paper flower arches decorate Mesa’s annual Day of the Dead Celebration.

    • The free festival is going on this weekend! It happens every October.
    • It takes place outside the Mesa Arts Center, which is right by a light rail stop.
Get it: Day of the Dead Headpiece

Frida Kahlo-inspired flower crown for Día de Los Muertos. Fabric flowers are attached to a headband with eco felt underneath to keep it comfortable to wear!

 

 

the last fall leaves hanging on to a tree

Botanical print
Signed original print, handmade by KathyHuttonPrints in Bath, UK.

9. Last Leaves

Go: Boyce Thompson Arboretum 

The last few leaves hanging out in the tree. They probably got around to falling eventually.

Get it:Chestnut Art Print

The shape comes from the artist’s sketches of chestnut tree leaves. She hand-carved a stamp, covered it in saffron yellow ink, and used that to create these prints. They were individually printed onto Washi paper from Japan, so each is unique.

Product photos are from the seller’s Etsy page.

I may receive compensation from Etsy for affiliate posts and links.

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On an Uphill Track: Funiculars

Los Angeles funicular Angels Flight - current

Los Angeles funicular Angels Flight - current

I first encountered the word funicular on a hillside in Sedona. Known as the “Hillevator” (hill + elevator), the small railway gave tourists a shortcut between Uptown Sedona and L’Auberge Resort and Oak Creek at the bottom of the hill.

Hillavator in Sedona

While I’m a bit fuzzy on the exact definition (I think it involves cables and pulleys), a funicular is basically a passenger vehicle that goes up and down a hill on a track.

Hillavator Sedona by Tiffany Joyce

By nature, they’re very localized and customized to the spot they’re in. Maybe that’s why I find them intriguing.


Angels Flight Railway, Los Angeles, California

While Sedona’s Hillevator is now out of commission, another quirky old funicular has recently come back to life. After its brief appearance in the movie La La Land, the push to restore the Angels Flight Railway in Downtown Los Angeles may have gained steam, and it reopened in August of 2017.

  • Called “The Shortest Railroad in the World,” it travels a single block.
  • At the bottom: Grand Central Market
  • At the top: California Plaza – Los Angeles Musuem of Contemporary Art, Grand Performances amphitheater, and restaurants
  • Virtual 3D tour
  • In 1901, Colonel James Ward Eddy built the Angels Flight funicular. More recently, his great-great-grandson built the Angels Flight app.
  • One way: $1

 


Penang Hill funicular

Penang Hill Railway, Penang, Malaysia

  • Longest Funicular Track in Asia
  • Located on the Malaysian island of Penang
  • At the bottom: Jalan Bukit Bendera base station near George Town.
  • At the top: former British hill station Penang Hill. The resort town’s attractions include the three-storey Astaka Cliff Cafe, which houses food courts, souvenir stands, an owl museum, and Love Lock Penang Hill.
  • Round trip: RM 30 (standard), RM 80 (fast lane)

Love Unlocked

 

Flowers in Grimsel, Switzerland Picture: KWO / Photo: David Birri http://gallery.grimselstrom.ch/grimselerlebnis/grimselwelt/taelli/
Gelmer Funicular

Gelmer Funicular, Innertkirchen, Switzerland

 

100 Street Funicular, Edmonton, Alberta

  • Opened this past December to provide wheelchair and stroller access to river valley trail system.
  • Has already been out of service repeatedly, partly because of cold weather. (Not sure why that was a surprise in Canada!)
  • At the bottom: River Valley Promenade
  • At the top: Promontory viewpoint, Hotel Macdonald
  • Free

 

Glória Funicular, Lisbon, Portugal

Ascensores e Elevador, Lisbon, Portugal

 

Images via WellingtonNZ.com

Wellington Cable Car, Wellington, New Zealand

 

Have you ever ridden in this type of vehicle? Where were you?

 

Photo sources:

Angels Flight by Channone Arif (CCL)

 

Sedona –

  • From a print of a photo I took in the early 2000s. Our friend Ozan was joking around with his hands on the window. (He’s not trapped in there or anything.)
  • Tiffany Joyce (CCL). She actually got married in Sedona when the Hillavator was still in operation!

 

Los Angeles –

 

Penang Hill –

 

Switzerland –

 

Edmonton –

 

Lisbon –

 

Wellington –

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Love Lock Update

Love locks sedona

After researching how the love lock trend has gone out of control in many European tourist areas, I’m happy to report that we barely saw any locks weighing down bridges or monuments when we were in Italy.

Venice

I was honestly a little worried that the Venice bridges Mark and Dawn Hawk cleared last spring might be covered again. Thankfully, that was not the case.

We only spotted a cluster (or two) of rusty locks near Piazza San Marco (the eye of the Venice tourism hurricane) and a few stray locks on railings here and there.

 

Rome

It was similar in Rome. There would be up to maybe half a dozen on a random piece of a bridge railing or a lamppost.

Locks on bridge in Rome

Maybe it helped that peak tourist season was over. Maybe word is getting out.

 

Sedona

On the other hand, they’re still happily accepting love locks in the Plaza de la Fuente at Sedona’s Tlaquepaque.

We checked it out when we were there in October, and Phillip was impressed with just how heavy a mass of locks can be.

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October 2017 Photo: Sedona

Sedona

Sedona

During a mid-October camping trip in Sedona, I took this photo from the terrace of a coffee shop that closed just before we got there. At least we still got to enjoy the view!

Speaking of which, I was trying to take a panoramic photo of the same view and this (I’m sure perfectly nice but totally oblivious) couple just stepped right into the frame when I was mid-pan. Oh well. Bob and Doris, you’re part of this now.

Finally, I also messed around with time lapse shots a bit on the same trip. I propped my phone on the hood of our car to capture the sun setting over our campground.

 

Microblog Mondays: Write in your own space

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Free Admission to Arizona Museums with the Culture Pass

Culture pass

Culture Pass Kiosk

You can get free passes to over 30 museums and attractions if you have a library card from Maricopa County or Pima County, Arizona.

Culture pass
Heard Museum

How to Check Out a Culture Pass

The program is called the Culture Pass, and it works like this:

  1. Visit the Culture Pass kiosk at a participating library.
  2. Pick the pass you’re interested in. There will be cards for all the available passes – it’s first-come, first-served.
  3. Check the pass out with your library card. You will be exchanging the card from the kiosk for a receipt-like slip of paper, which is your actual ticket in.
  4. Go to the museum! Each pass is good for free general admission for two people one time. You have one week to use it before it expires, but you don’t have to return anything to the library.

You may be able to search the library’s catalog online to see ahead of time what’s available.

If you live in Maricopa County, you can get a library card from any of the County’s public libraries. Only ASU students can check out Culture Passes from ASU libraries, although alumni and community members are eligible for cards with limited access to other ASU library resources.

Culture Pass Arts Destinations

Some of the Culture Pass Arts Destinations we’ve enjoyed (with or without a pass):

Culture Pass Performances

More recently, the program has also expanded to include performances. It works basically the same way. Certain plays, ballets, operas, and symphony concerts will have Culture Passes available a couple weeks ahead of time on a first come, first serve basis.

These include performances from…

…and lots more!

Outside of Maricopa County

The Sedona Public Library also has passes for Northern Arizona destinations, like Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Route 66 Museum in Kingman, and the Sedona Heritage Museum.

Pima County Public Library branches have passes for Tucson destinations like Tohono Chul Park, Tucson Museum of Art, and Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, as well as performances by Arizona Opera, Tucson Symphony, and UA Presents.

I believe there are similar programs at some libraries outside of Arizona. If you know of one, let me know!

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