Tucson - City Pleasures

 

A new slant on "Devouring the News," courtesy of neighborhood javalinas.

(Remember: all photos can be seen full screen with a double click on a photo.)

TUCSON - CITY PLEASURES 

(NO HIKING BOOTS, TREKKING POLES OR WATER BOTTLES NEEDED)

We've also had some quality "city" time in Tucson - a solo performance by a percussionist followed by dinner at the historic Congress Hotel, attending an evening of story-telling at Odyssey (a local version of NPR's Moth Radio Hour), live theater, a memorable visit to the Tucson Museum of Art followed by lunch at The Little One (my singular recommendation for lunch if you're in Tucson - not to be missed.) Also dining with friends at Tito & Pep, happy hours at Postino, Good Italian food, followed by a little bocce at The Locale. 

We also made it to the Center for Creative Photography on the University of Arizona on our last weekend in town. (It had been closed for renovations.) The current exhibition is photos by Linda McCartney, chronicling the Beatles and many other rock stars of the time, as well as photos of family life with Paul and their children. It is a stunning exhibit that takes one back to another time.

Todd Hammes at the Congress Hotel.

Todd Hammes sprinkled his thoughts on "the Groove" throughout his performance.  He belongs to the Church of the Groove, he says, the high priest of Groove being James Brown. The gospel of Groove states, according to Todd Hammes, that if you've got the Groove, you don't need money. But if you don't have the Groove, then money can't help you.

Sheila's first time on a bocce court. She had the Groove.

After a fine Italian dinner, Sheila and I borrowed a set of bocce balls from the restaurant, and she tried her hand at the sport for the first time ever. We had a lot of fun. I explained the rules, which took a while to sink in. (Sheila's not big on rules.)  Back and forth we went for a casual while. When she surged to a 3-2 lead, it was time to find another activity. She's thinking of forming a team in our summer bocce league back home. We'll see how well she holds up in in a best-of-three match, each game to 11 points. I think she'll do quite well. (As of this writing, she's got a team lined up and ready to roll! They're the "Fearsome Foursome!)

Tito and Pep - A Fine Spot for Dinner with Friends

 

A fabulous lunch at The Little One in downtown.

 In any city, just walking the streets yields surprises and visual pleasures. Tucson is no exception.

 

Old Tucson Courthouse

 

Tucson loves its murals.

 

Modern Roadrunner Improves His Time.

Diego Rivera & Frieda Kahlo

 

Along the River Walk

I found this piece of art, mosaic tiles set in a wall along the River Walk near Trader Joe's. I don't remember the author (and my photo squeezed his name out of the picture), but I know the words. They resonate well with me.  I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief. I come into the presence of still water.

Christmas time in Civano - Organ pipe cactus

Most evenings, however, we spent quietly at home, playing Bananagrams, reading and binge-watching shows on Apple TV. After avoiding Ted Lasso for two years, I watched seasons one and two in short order, ready now for season three when we get home.

Bananagrams in the evening at home.

One day, on our morning dog walk, Barkly and I wandered out of Feliz Paseos Park into the surrounding desert. We found ourselves walking in a nearby wash and found a cross memorial at the edge of the wash. The placard on the cross reads, Daniel Alvarez, 16 Sep - 06 Dic. What sad tale lies here?

Daniel Alvarez, 16 Sep - 06 Dic

 

TUCSON MUSEUM OF ART 

As with the Wichita Museum of Art, I'll let the art tell the story.

 

In the Museum's courtyard

 

Current Featured Exhibition - "Nothing in Stasis"

Monica Aissa Martinez

Art Influenced by science

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 In the gallery featuring contemporary Indigenous artists

P.S.

The Road Trip Home

 A long day's drive from Tucson took us to Albuquerque and the home of our friends, Mark and Marla. They have a colorful and comfortable  home outside town, well-stocked bookshelves in every room. They share their fenced property with free-roaming chickens and their three dogs, with plenty of room for sitting and for gardens.

Interstate 40, New Mexico

 

Home of our friends, Mark & Marla

After Mark made us breakfast the next day, the four of us drove a little way to a great walk in wild open country, ending up strolling through old forest along the Rio Grande, accompanied by Barkly and his new friends. A walk with Mark and Marla is fertile ground for excellent wide-ranging conversation.

The Rio Grande River near Albuquerque. (I never knew where the Rio Grande flows from before it makes it to our southern border.)

The quickest and easiest route to Santa Fe from Albuquerque is to hop onto I-25, set your cruising speed at 80 and get there fast. We had a better idea. Leaving Mark and Marla's, we took the Turquoise Trail from Albuquerque to Santa Fe, a twisting, turning two-lane road through snow-patched fields. Not much happening on the Turquoise Trail, so you relax, enjoy the scenery unfolding around you, savor your coffee and conversation. (A good jazz CD works well, too.) Then you round a bend and drop down into the funky little town of Madrid. You've already eased into a good day by avoiding the interstate, so it's no bother at all to stop in Madrid, stroll up and down Main Street (pretty much the only street) and drop into whatever artsy little shops grab your interest.

Local Radio Station, Madrid

Teen Art, Madrid, New Mexico

Main Street, Madrid, New Mexico

Main Street, Madrid, New Mexico

The artsy little shop on Main Street that grabbed my interest.

We arrived in Santa Fe mid-afternoon, with a little time for sightseeing before meeting our friends, Dick and Sue for dinner. Again, we relished the pleasures of friendship - reuniting after a few years of separation, a chance for Sheila to become acquainted with my friends, more great conversation and a great dinner together.

 

A Visit to Art Hill in Santa Fe - Japanese Scary Myths

 

Then, it was time for the long haul home. In the car, we agreed that we need to plan for more time to explore Santa Fe next year. 

On Day One we drove to Wichita. After an hour or so heading north on I-25, we took a right, gassed up, took Barkly for a stroll and hit the road. A few minutes down the road, we passed a sign informing us we were on the Santa Fe Trail. Sheila, who loves to spot license plates from different states when on the road, counted over two dozen Minnesota plates heading for warm weather over the next couple of hours. We renamed the two-lane state road the Minnesota Trail.

Leaving Santa Fe - Hill Country

Salt River Canyon - A Shocking and delightful Surprise

Micah Austin, Motorcyclist, 1973-2017, Wayside Memorial, Salt River Canyon

The Minnesota Trail

 

 That's it for this trip, friends. I hope you've enjoyed the tour. If you have, let me know. It's always good to hear from friends with whom I've shared part of our life's journey. May the journeys that await you be good ones. 

Be well. Be strong. Be kind.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

a

Tucson - Writing, Reading, Hiking

 

Weather Moving In

TUCSON - HIKING, READING, WRITING

That's what Sheila and I declared to be our goals for our time in Arizona. I think we've done a pretty good job of achieving them. For good measure we combined them with a fair amount of socializing. (I have met a lot of Sheila's friends here and had a great time getting to know them.)

READING & WRITING

I'll be brief. We did a lot of both. See?

Doing my daily writing.  Or was I playing Wordle?

 

Getting in some reading in harsh conditions

Multi-tasking: Sun Worshiping & Reading

 HIKING 

Trail maps and guides give hikers a lot of good information - trail length, type (loop or straight in and out), terrain, average time. Over our many years of hiking, we always marveled at the number of times we completed hikes in less than the average time. I mean, we were in good shape but would not describe ourselves as strong hikers. They must determine these times for the casual, inexperienced hiker, we always said with a touch of humor. And for old people, we added.

This year I have become a below average hiker. (I say this also with a touch of amusement.) Old Father Time has caught up with me. After all those years of below average times, I am now hiking toward the mean. I'm still hiking all sorts of terrain, but doing it with much more care. 

A word about trekking poles. My good friend, John, introduced me to poles many years ago. After one hike with borrowed poles, I bought my own. The pressure they take off one's knees and hips is hard to ignore.  Also, as I've aged my balance isn't what it used to be. I used to skip rock to rock over streams and handle rocky ascents and descents with ease. Now I need my poles to steady me, but I can still do it. I have said for a long time that I would not still be hiking without trekking poles. This is true. It is also true that I am grateful to still be a hiker.

And hiking we've done. A lot.  Our old knees (and a hip) have hollered, "STOP," but we haven't listened. We trek on, climbing, descending, moving forward through the desert. We've consulted the doctors. (Don't hike so far, one told me.) Lots of Aleve and Ibuprofin, CBD cream (not quite a miracle drug, but close), ice and heat have helped. We keep hiking.

Sinan, Me, Sheila, Pat, Saguaro at Sweetwater Preserve

DESERT MEDITATION 

Sun warms my back.
Breeze cools my face.
Trekking poles ease the burden
on my knees and hips
as I travel the rocky trail.

The easy wind, my breathing, the songs of birds,
A pair of fighter jets streaking overhead, wings an arm’s length apart,
unwelcome interlopers.
The crunch of my feet on gravel to the rhythm of
my trekking poles,
Tap tap tap left right left.

Sky an impossible shade of blue, like
summer days in the
northern wilderness where
I’ve traveled countless journeys in
a wooden canoe.
Vanishing pleasures.

Canyon floor below, peaks above and everywhere
Desert growth,
Mesquite, palo verde, ironwood and
Cactus - cholla, barrel, prickly pear
and some I still can’t name,- and
Saguaro - Desert Royalty -
Towering above all the rest,
and me.
An infinity of saguaro.

On one trail (Was it Brown Mountain?), so many saguaro
crowd the trail that
I feel as if I am walking in their magical embrace.

Deer graze among palo verde.
A lone coyote crosses the trail,
Unaware of my presence, or
uncaring.

I stop and turn in a complete circle.
My camera dangles by my side, unnecessary.
I take in this moment, meant for my eyes only.
Ten thousand saguaros, the hills, the trail stretching before me,
a lone cumulus cloud drifting above, advance scout for
the legions advancing from the west.

Gold! Sabino Canyon

Cottonwoods, A Sure Sign of Water Nearby, Sabino Canyon

Skies clearing after a morning rain

On the trail, Brown Mountain, Saguaro National Park

In the embrace of saguaros

 

Rock Wren Trail

A Forest of Saguaros, Brown Mountain

 

SONG AND DRUM

"One of my favorite past times is to go out into the Saguaro Monument, pick a trail and just walk into the sacred desert. Hearing the sounds, the silence, a hawk's wings above, the sound of wind moving through saguaro needles has its own special song. Suddenly, during monsoon, I hear the drumming of thunder in the distance, Thunder Beings, announcing their arrival. Initially, feeling some fear, I notice that my heart is responding with its own drumbeat.

This is the spirit of oneness, of healing, of pure joy. I am honored."

  - Julia Arriola, Indigenous Scholar and artist.

...And a little bit of this and that to wrap it up for today.

* I like to hike and to take photos in the morning and evening, when shadows are long and accentuate differences and contrasts.

 

Gates Pass

 

 Dawn arrives.

Teddy Bear Cholla (not cuddly!)

Gates Pass (from our patio)

 *Teddy bear cholla are also called jumping cholla. Don't get too close to this one. They don't really jump, but the lightest of feather touches and its spines will hitch a ride on you.

* A wedge of swans. A murder of crows. An unkindness of ravens. And now...    A rhumba of rattlesnakes.

 

Lunch with Jan & Dave at their retreat in Civano

 

Tubac

 

And finally...

 

What is this???

 That's all for now. Stay tuned for a photo tour of the Tucson Museum of Art. Safe travels on all your life journeys.