Ahh ... Sky of Blue and Sea of Green ~ in our Yellow Submarine

Eyecatching paint job and eyecatching custom license plate on this land-locked Yellow Submarine. Fun! And in a world where anything is possible, if you love the Beatles and you love this song, you can have it as a ringtone! Here you go....

http://www.lyricsfreak.com/b/beatles/yellow+submarine_10026704.html

Street Art ~ or rather...Interstate Hwy Art

Tucson recently completed a huge amount of work on Interstate-10 connections to the downtown area. Happily, some forward thinking official included public art funding in the project and all of the exchanges display beautiful tile work. These flowers are 3-dimensional - cheerful! This is the exit area from I-10 to 22nd Street. Welcome to Tucson!

Tucson hippies are alive & well ~

I'm happy to see that the venerable Hippie Gypsy store carries street signs that embody the spirit of the 60's - Dead Head Way, Stoner Way, Abbey Road... and oh yes ~ Reefer Road. This is a place for incense and t-shirts and smoking supplies on 4th Avenue.
Hippie Gypsy
maps.google.com351 North 4th Avenue

Perky Penguin ~

When I'm stuck in traffic I'm always glad to have my camera on the seat beside me. I spied this pristine white truck hauling an equally snowy white trailer emblazoned with a penguin. I was intrigued. I didn't know what "Chums" was and if you don't know either, here's the link:
http://www.chums.com/

Lucky apartment dwellers ~

We are once again getting buckets of rain ~ and it has been cold, too. As the storm was clearing I noticed that this pink apartment building was at Rainbow's End. And I loved that the rainbow ended at a place with a "No Outlet" sign.

Bright & cheery Skull Dress ~

While much of the rest of the country is still shoveling snow, Tucson's female residents can wear sun dresses. Here are two unusual examples of that style... one has koi fish and one has skulls. Not quite the festive imagery I usually associate with this type of frock ~ maybe flowers or fruits or even polka dots... but skulls? How festive. Hmmm.

Piles of tiles in all styles ~

This tile store on 4th Avenue looks like it has closed up shop. I'm hoping it is just closed now for renovation. Tucson's Fourth Avenue is not just a street, it's really a whole district filled with interesting vintage clothing stores, ethnic eateries, a great food co-op, and a lively bar scene.

Final day of play at Dove Mountain ~

Today is the final day of play at the Accenture Match Play tournament at Tucson's beautiful Ritz-Carlton/Dove Mountain Resort. Wow, and it was an exciting tournament even without Tiger! (And the nervous sports writers said it couldn't be done.)

Here's a photo of one of the parking areas that overlooks the course.
The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain
www.ritzcarlton.com

Tucson's big white showoff!

I can't count how many times I have been to the Tucson Museum of Art but I had never seen this gorgeous tree in full bloom as it is right now. Wow! It is an evergreen pear tree, one of Tucson's most flamboyant harbingers of spring. This one really grabs your attention with its fluffy, showy flowers!htttp://www.backyardgardener.com/plantname/pda_6291.html

Yep ~ beer can daschunds

Sometimes I wonder if people will truly buy anything. Remember, you saw it here first ~ a litter of daschunds made from copper and Tecate beer cans. They are roughly life size and don't require food, water, or walking. No vet bills, no license fees. $29.00 - hey, a bargain!

Giant Tiki greets patrons at The Hut ~

Generations of Tucsonans enjoyed this 30' tall Tiki Head (created by Lee Koplin) when it was part of the Magic Carpet Miniature Golf Course on Speedway. Countless couples climbed to the top of the head to enjoy the view and sneak a kiss. Alas, that fun place is no more and it was a huge effort to find homes for the great sculpture.

The Hut, a downtown nightclub, has a Polynesian theme and houses about 200 tiki heads so what better place for giant Moai to settle? The moving of this head was an amazing feat - check out these links for details! One is the grand opening night at The Hut after the head was installed. Fun!

http://www.bignews.biz/?id=791431&keys=Tiki-Moai-Sculpture-Tucson
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOQNdzFEJc8
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/ss/fromquote/105873.php

Art from Aztec to Zuni ~ Charming Tubac

So in addition to the many artists who traveled to display their work for the annual Tubac Festival of the Arts, Tubac also has dozens of art galleries and shops that are open year-round. Here the Carol Curry Gallery hangs fun birdhouses to catch your eye and draw you in. Once inside you can enjoy work from artists like Ron Herbert, a gifted wood carver.

http://www.laentradadetubac.com/shopDirectory.asp?businessID=23

Metal flame tree for your yard ~

The fabulous Tubac Festival of the Arts is celebrating its 51st year and continues to provide artists with a wonderful venue to display their art. Unlike many similar so-called "art festivals," this one doesn't have multiple booths displaying tacky t-shirts and ballcaps - you can really see some superb examples of Southwestern art here. Live music, a horse drawn trolley, and the charm of walking through the village of Tubac itself makes this a great outing.
http://www.tubacaz.com/festival.asp

Sweet Valentine's greetings to you! ~

Let me wish a sweet Happy Valentine's Day to all of you!

Catering to the last minute, always-in-a-hurry-shopper, Fry's supermarket placed a giant white canvas tent in their parking lot and stocked it with "Everything Valentine" - chocolates, flowers, stuffed animals, cupcakes, cookies, cakes, balloons.... you get the idea. The point, according to the salesgirl, was to make Valentine shopping quick and easy by helping the shopper avoid going into the store. Maybe a good idea in concept but there was an exceptionally long line at the tent! I guess Tucson is just a romantic town.

Interesting Commerce Corner ~

The entrepreneur who maintains this corner has a lot going on! There is an auto body/repair shop, an outdoor hot dog cafe, and a retractable screens business ~ all sharing space at 22nd at Tucson Blvd. Something for everyone...

Balloon animal artist ~

So there I was at Stone & Congress waiting for the light to change and I spied this balloon artist selling one of his creations to a lady passing by. Nice day's work!

Lucky double rainbow ~

We're getting big rain again and there will be a few more inches of snow on Mt Lemmon. This gorgeous double rainbow was so fleeting ~ only shimmering for just a minute or two. The full arch was displayed in its entirety and it was huge and magnificent! If you look carefully you can see the outer ring on the right side of the photo.

Diamond blue sunset ~

The annual gem show is in town right now - a very big event for the whole region. To celebrate all of the gorgeous gems & beads on display, here's a beautiful diamond blue sky with glowing gold clouds.

All eyes will be on Dove Mountain ~

The beautiful Ritz-Carlton Dove Mountain is the setting again for this year's Accenture Match Play that tees off on Feb 15. There's lots of "Will he or won't he?" buzz about Tiger. The resort has an impressive collection of art and sculpture ~ here's one of the modern sculpture fountains on the grounds.

http://www.visittucson.org/visitor/golf/matchplay/
The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain
http://www.ritzcarlton.com/

Post Superbowl ~ onto Baseball...

This patriotic sculpture is a feature of the Kino Sports Complex, famous for baseball spring training. The complex also offers facilities for softball, soccer, and many other community events.

http://www.kinosportscomplex.com/

Great sports adventure (no football) ~

I am thrilled to share these outdoor adventure photos with you. The photographer is Jim Dowling (retired USMC), a guy who does not consider "flooded" or "impassable" as any type of concern. The last photo shows his vehicle so you can see exactly how he gets pretty much wherever he wants to go.

We've had a lot of rain recently in Tucson and now we are also having some snow melt so the Chiva Falls are actually running - spectacular sight!

Here's a link to Jim's video of the running falls - awesome!
http://s642.photobucket.com/albums/uu149/vmaxkimo/chiva%20falls%2030%20Jan%202010/?action=view&current=GEDC0181.flv

Here's more info on Chiva Falls & how you can get there:http://www.cherba.com/atmb/chiva_falls_oab_body.htm

Glass, sunlight, & miles of views ~

This interesting building is the Herbert K Abrams Public Health Center which houses the administrative offices for the Pima County Health Department. Situated in south Tucson off Ajo Highway, this sleek and modern facility is near the University Physicians Healthcare Hospital.

http://www.pimahealth.org/about/aboutus.asp

http://www.lloydconstruction.com/portfolio-healthcare-labs.php

Truly great advertising!

Truly Nolen is an Arizona-based pest control company with two very visible methods of advertising in Tucson. One is the display of beautifully restored vintage automobiles parked at various retail locations (not their own offices). The other is the "mouse car" - a bright yellow VW that has been fitted with mouse ears and a tail. I'll try and catch one of those on the move. For now please enjoy this baby blue 1955 Bel Air.

http://www.trulynolen.com/

Big Rig & Big Dog Deliver Books ~

What a fun day for the kids at Dunham Elementary School! Today they received their supply of books for their Scholastic Book Fair. The driver needed a lift to unload the crates of books! I remember the book fair as being one of the best parts of grade school. I thought it was so exciting to receive a new book. (And I still think that!). "Books are gifts you can open again and again" is as true today as ever.

Dunham Elementary School
www.tusd.k12.az.us

Snow drift ~ Tucson style

OK, OK, we may not get snow very often in Tucson but that just means we get creative about the fluffy white stuff... We become hunters and gatherers; we track down the powder on places like Mt Lemmon, we gather it up in buckets and ice chests, and we transport it down the mountain to places like .... the gravel yard beside the driveway. I saw this pile o'snow on what looks like a tent and I made a U-turn to snap a photo to prove how crazy Tucsonans are about snow. And just telling you that we hoard snow would not have had the same effect. You believe me now, though, right?

Tucson is under attack ~

This lookout post is positioned to keep watch for attackers coming from the west and the south. You can see how many arrows have pierced the sides already. This fun guard building is part of Tucson's Fort Trail Dust (or Trail Dust Town), a tourist attraction offering train rides, cowboy stunt shows, shopping, and dining.

Trail Dust Town
http://www.traildusttown.com/

Tucson's molten gold sunsets ~

The exceptionally cold and wet weather we have been having has left the area and our skies are back to "normal" - lucky us! Molten gold skies ~ gorgeous!

If you are curious about the science facts that explain these spectacular sunsets, here's a link to the AZ-Sonora Desert Museum's experts. Scroll down to "Left Over Light."
http://www.desertmuseum.org/books/nhsd_desert_air.php