Shutter Mike Photography

The Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix is the perfect location to view all the Sonoran Desert’s wildflower beauty in one easy to access spot.  If you aren’t able to get to some of Arizona’s wild wildflower displays (or even if you can) the Botanical Garden’s Harriet K. Maxwell Desert Wildflower Trail is the next best thing.  For the photographer it gives you the opportunity to get up close and personal with the flowers for those perfect macro shots.

Cape Marigold

f/6.3 – 1/400 sec – ISO 100 – Focal Length 90mm

f/6.3 – 1/640 sec – ISO 100 – Focal Length 90mm

The century plant is part of the agave family and is so named because to can take years to flower (although not literally a century).  The plant only flowers once in a lifetime and the bloom can grow up to 26 feet on some varieties.  After it has bloomed the plant dies.  So this particular century plant is nearing the end of its life span.

My post yesterday gave an overview of St. Anthony’s Greek Orthodox Monastery and highlighted some of the churches and chapels that are on the monastery grounds.  However, there is so much detailed work that has been done in constructing and furnishing the buildings as well as in the layout and design of the surrounding gardens.  So I am doing another post to show some of the details.

Fountain of the Cross

Unlike the standard Christian “plus sign” cross the Orthodox cross has three horizontal bars.  The top bar represents the sign that was placed on the original cross that read “Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews.”  The middle bar was where Jesus’ arms were stretched out.  The third bar at the bottom (not shown in this image) represented the foot rest.  It is slanted with the right side pointing up and the left pointing down.  This is to represent the two thieves who were crucified on either side of Jesus.  The one on the right is said to have gone to heaven, so the bar slants up, and the one on the left to hell, so the bar slants down.

Beautiful Wrought Iron Details

The stasidia are tall seats that line the walls of the churches and chapels.  They are similar to the pews you may find in other curches but usually more intricately carved.  Also, since the monks stand during their services these are only used for occasional rests during the long services.

St. Seraphim is one of the most respected and renowned saints in the Russian Orthodox church.  This Spanish style fountain and the nearby outdoor Russian peasant chapel are dedicated to St. Seraphim.

Arizona Wildflowers

Unfortunately my skills as a botanist have failed me in identifying this particular flower.  I used my National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers: Western Region as well as a great wildflower identification website I found with no luck.  The two different colors of flower look a bit like a chia but that is more of a “thorny” bud.  Also the little pods attached and the yellow tipped stamen aren’t quite right.  Anyone know what this one is?

You would not expect to find a place like St. Anthony’s Greek Orthodox Monastery in the middle of the Arizona desert.  But there it is, in Florence, between Phoenix and Tucson off of highway 79.  This is a true oasis in the desert and consists of several acres dotted with beautiful Greek, Romanian, Russian and Byzantine architecture as well as gardens, fountains, gazebos and wandering paths.  The monastery is home to about 40 Orthodox Christian monks who maintain its orchards, olive groves and vineyard as well do construction, publishing and hosting guests.  There are 5 chapels and churches as well as a gift shop all in the architectural styles mentioned above.  The Monastery is open to the public daily from 10:30 to 2:30 for self-guided tours.  One thing to keep in mind before visiting is that visitors must adhere to a dress code consisting of long pants and  long sleeve shirts for men and skirts, long sleeves and head scarves for women.

The architecture and gardens are beautiful and well worth a trip out towards Florence, AZ to see and photograph.  The monks are very accommodating to photographers and welcome photography of the buildings, inside and out.  They just ask that you not photograph the monks or guests of the monastery.

The main church of the monastery, St. Anthony’s Church, is in the classic Byzantine basilica style with a central dome.  Its bright red exterior walls with white accents and black roofs make it standout as the center point of the monastery.

Hilltop Chapel at St. Anthony’s Greek Orthodox Monastery

This chapel sits on a hilltop overlooking the monastery grounds and the desert for miles in all directions.  It is designed in a very traditional Greek style with its curvy lines, stark white walls and pop of deep blue in the dome.

St. Nicholas’ Chapel, like St. Anthony’s Church, is done in the Byzantine style of architecture.  It is much smaller than the main church and the detail in both the exterior and interior is amazing.

The Chapel of St. George is done in a Romanian architectural style.  Its white stone walls, red clay tile roof and large bell tower make it a very substantial building on the monastery grounds.

A Different Perspective

This shot required a little dirty work.  I wanted to get as low as possible so I was not only looking up at the tree but also at the flowers, the the extent that was possible without digging myself a hole.  So by lying down on the ground and getting the camera as low as I could I was able to achieve the bugs-eye-view I wanted.