This is looking west from the Saguaro National Park East. On a clear day you can see all the way to L.A. Well, OK, maybe not that far but you can see the Tucson Mountains to the west. They have been made famous by the many fabulous photos of Tucson's gorgeous, legendary sunsets.
This is an extraordinary example of imaginative real estate. The Immaculate Heart of Mary Convent and its adjacent school have been converted to residential lofts. This effort saved a circa 1886 building from destruction and provided airy urban living in the heart of downtown Tucson. This photo was taken from a friend's loft that is located in the adjacent "Dorm" building.
Here is a dramatic contrast to yesterday's posting. A fallen, decaying saguaro is utterly fascinating to examine up close. On this saguaro cactus "skeleton" you can see the ribs that support the massive tall cacus in life. These ribs are used throughout the southwest as building elements for fences, ceilings, gates, and furniture.
This group of saguaros guard one of the entrances to Saguaro National Park East. Notice that only one saguaro in this photo has arms. The saguaros without arms are still youngsters (still under 70 years old!).
Tucson's barrio district (also called Barrio Historico or Barrio Libre) is a treasure trove of charming adobe homes - many date from the 1800's. Adjacent to Tucson's downtown, this small area is now a mix of private residences and offices for lawyers & other professionals.
This is a tiny park that you can easily miss - Felix Lucero Park (otherwise known as the Garden of Gethsemane). Felix Lucero was a soldier who was badly wounded in WWI and he prayed to create religious sculpture celebrating Jesus if his life was spared. This amazing park is filled with his lifesize depictions of the Last Supper, Jesus on the cross, and others. 
Here's the road to Tucson's Saguaro National Park East. Notice the road sign that alerts drivers to "Congested Area." Beautiful monsoon storm coming in fast...
Sometimes the monsoon storms come with fierce winds as well as rain. The cloud cover was so thick here that all landmarks dissolved into the storm and everything was enveloped by the clouds. Nothing was visible that was more than a few feet away until the storm passed.
After Thursday's post of "Sonic Snake" I received a request to show the full size of this reptile. Here you can see it slithers down a LONG stretch of the median. It is definitely Tucson's version of an anaconda!
Many Native American cultures describe the coyote as a trickster - clever and smart. It is quite common to see coyotes venture into populated areas in Tucson. This handsome fellow was trotting through Ft Lowell Park, a beautiful park rich with history:
Students at Tucson Accelerated High School created this remarkable piece of art that slithers down the center of the median at Wrightstown Road near Pantano. I wonder how many people refer to this Sonic as "The Snake Sonic"? And do you want fries with that chocolate snake, er, chocolate... shake?
This wonderful Italian deli and grocery is definitely off the beaten path and well worth the trip. Roma Imports has a deli counter that will make your mouth water. And... they also have a huge frozen section of delicious items that you can heat up at home (and you can take all the credit as your family and guests praise your cooking!).
Still some bits of clouds that may signal rain but for now there is just a gentle breeze and a sweet coolness in the air.
It's hard to miss this 12' tall smiling sun statue. This outdoor art piece is in a parking lot of a business that sells water and candles (go figure).
After seeing my previous photos of the Ritz Carlton Dove Mountain resort, a golfer emailed to ask for a photo of the actual golf course itself. He wanted to see how the desert vegetation is integrated into the plan. Stately saguaros dot the hillside in the distance. Also note the shadow of an immense sagauro cactus in the lower right corner.
You would never guess that the venerable Bookmans Bookstore in Tucson has a dungeon entrance in the east parking lot. Guarding the steel loading dock door is a 24-hour security guard: Mr. Be-header. He's ready for action with not only his trusty axe to separate your head from your body, but he can also use his sword on you. The wheelbarrow of hay worries me a bit - isn't it quite close to that flaming torch mounted on the wall?
This might indeed be Tucson's tallest sunflower ~ it has stretched to more than 10 feet! The contrast of the sunworshiping sunflower and the grey monsoon sky is striking.
Well, what else can I say? What it lacks in amenities, it makes up for in honesty. Perhaps Governor Mark Sanford (and his microphone-loving wife, Jenny Sullivan Sanford), Nevada's Senator John Ensign, or former presidential hopeful John Edwards could keep this place in mind if they ever travel to Tucson. Hey, we won't tell ~ the sign promises that.
Here's another photo of the Ritz Carlton resort at Dove Mountain ~ way north of Tucson. This loggia is adjacent to one of the restaurants and it overlooks the golf course. The combination of stone and mesquite wood columns creates a rustic yet elegant walkway. If you scroll my previous posts you'll see a magnificent desert landscape view from Dove Mountain and also a closeup of a komodo dragon (a stone one!).
The Sonoran Desert is home to the Desert Tortoise, a herbivore that can live to be 100 years old. They typically measure about a foot in length and are about 6" tall. This SUPERSIZED metal tortoise maintains control of the median on Harrison Road north of Golf Links.
Do you ever wonder about the "realism" of the photos that you see in publications like Arizona Highways? Well, wonder no more ~ Tucson really looks like this! Here's another photo taken at Dove Mountain, an exclusive enclave north of the city that includes the beautiful Ritz Carlton resort. The views from here are magnificent! And do check out my previous posting of the Ritz's stone komodo dragon, too.
Tucson's barrio district (also called Barrio Historico or Barrio Libre) is a treasure trove of charming adobe homes - many date from the 1800's. Adjacent to Tucson's downtown, this small area is now a mix of private residences and offices for lawyers & other professionals.
Golfers have all sorts of challenges - their golf balls fly off into the rough, sink in water, and get buried in sand. But how would a golfer fend off a komodo dragon - with their trusty 9 iron?
The monsoons are still with us but we're not getting rain every day. Here you'll see how weird the weather can be here ~ half of the road is wet from a quick storm and the other half is totally dry. Pale yellow and pink sky with soft grey clouds ~ with Tucson's Santa Catalina mountains in the distance. It's a beautiful late afternoon display in monsoon country! And with the rain the temperature comes down...a bit.
This striking portico forms the front entryway for the Frances McClelland Leadership Center, a beautiful YWCA facility dedicated to Eliminating Racism and Empowering Women. If you stand in the east parking lot, Tucson's famed "A Mountain" (site of the annual fireworks display) is framed in one of the red trimmed lattice "windows." Every angle of this building is interesting. It was locked up when I stopped by so I couldn't take any interior photos during this visit.
We hearty Tucsonans are pretty much living in the triple digits now (day and night!) so any glimpse or sound of water is welcome. This refreshing bubbly oasis is on the west patio of the Tucson Museum of Art.
Weird and fun and provocative, the Mat Bevel Institute is a Tucson art treasure. The outside courtyard of the institute looks like a cross between a wind farm and a junk yard. The sculptural art pieces are created from found objects ~ a bicycle tire, a tractor seat, a TV antenna ~ and they all move in different ways. A strong breeze gets everything going at once - fun!
This colorful yet serene plaza park is part of a network of 24 Cancer Survivors Plazas across America ~ an initiative funded by the Richard & Annette Bloch Foundation. The 1.22 acre plaza features pedestals with inspirational writing (including advice about coping with cancer), benches, bronze statues, and a beautiful multi-level fountain decorated with ceramic flower tiles.
