Downtown Mesa

Friday was a beautiful sunny day and we went to downtown Mesa to see a new sculpture that had been put in place a week ago. This sculpture is called "God Bless America," by J. Seward Johnson.





To give you an idea exactly how large this sculpture is, here is Jim standing next to the SUITCASE.



You might recognize this sculpture. It's based on a very famous painting by Grant Wood from 1930 called, "American Gothic."



The original painting is hanging in the Chicago Institute of Art. In fact, this statue has come from Chicago, and will be in Mesa until mid-July. Then it will move to another city, as per the wishes of the sculptor - to keep the statue moving from city to city.

Just a little bit of trivia for you - the woman in the painting is the artist's sister, and the man is the artist's dentist. They never posed in front of the house, but sat separately for the artist. The house still stands in Eldon, Iowa.



On two to three blocks of downtown Mesa there are several sculptures. These are just some of my favorites.

This is a cool one. Called "They are Waiting." Not sure what they are waiting for. The bus? Life to pass them by? What?



Whatever it was they were waiting for, I decided to join them. But then I got tired of waiting.



This is called "Flowering Stiletto." Needs no explanation.



This one is "The Big Pink Chair." Original, I know. Doesn't it look comfy?



It's not. It's made out of cement. I may LOOK comfortable, but I had a heck of a time getting up there. I almost fell flat on my @$$.



Two adorable horses....



This sculpture of a little girl, called "Booked for a day" is so realistic that you have to look twice to realize that she's a statue. Here's the side view:



and the front view:



Some yellow flowers blooming under a palo verde tree. No - the colors are not "off" on this photo - yes the tree is indeed "green".




Here is a photo of the tiny, tiny leaves of the palo verde tree.



I thought the shadow of the branches from this tree looked so beautiful on the stone sidewalk. Because the leaves are so small, the branches look bare.



Sometimes the trunk of the tree and its branches grow in such odd shapes with curves that go up or down and around. I liked the way this tree looked with its curvy branches.



This is the Mesa Arts Center. I love this big, sail-looking structure above the two buildings.



The grounds surrounding the Center are so beautiful with water fountains, benches, and wonderful landscaping.



Every Thursday they have a free concert outside. On this particular date we went and listened to an Irish band.



And finally, I leave you with some photos of flowers that are blooming around the outdoor pool here at the park.







The air is filled with a heavy, sweet scent from all the grapefruit and orange blossoms on the trees in the park. I wish I could bottle it up and send it out to all of you.