Trio of Tucson images ~

Facing east on the main library's plaza in downtown Tucson you can see the distinctive red sculpture, Sonora, in the foreground. Behind that is a surreal transmission tower with a backdrop of a spectacular late afternoon pre-monsoon sky.

The monsoon rains bring out the spiders ~

There's no way to miss this PINK house in Tucson's Barrio district ~ especially with this NOT so itsy bitsy spider crawling towards the water spout. These homes have such personality. I see something new every time I walk around there.

Outdoor furniture ~ Tucson Barrio style

Yes, those ARE tractor seats on springs! I was walking in Tucson's Barrio and spotted this delightful arrangement of outdoor furniture. Had I had a cool drink in hand I might have sat down and enjoyed myself for a minute or two. Fun! For more images from this wonderful and interesting Tucson neighborhood, click on the "Barrio District" link below this post.

Tucson Sky ~ mixed messages

Although everyone is talking about the "ho hum" level of this year's monsoons, we are getting a few memorable moments. Here you can see the sun breaking through the clouds as it's raining. Beautiful, don't you think?

Bella! Rome? Florence? No...Tucson

Two friends of mine recently returned from Italian vacations so it seems fitting to post this Tucson madonna & child sculpture. This duo is not on any Tucson church. They are in a most unlikely spot ~ facing the parking lot on the south side of Broadway Village.

A flagship restaurant ~

Here is one of the anchor stores at Broadway Village ~ Elle restaurant. It used to have a giant ripe red tomato as part of their logo/signage and fun tomato shaped doorhandles at the entry. Ownership has changed over the years and I noticed in my recent walkaround that the current owners decided to paint the tomato doorhandles shiny black.... Go figure.

Anyway, you can see the weathervane on top displays the year 1939 when the Village was built.

Not your typical strip mall ~

Come join me as I continue my walk around the lovely Broadway Village shopping center. It was designed by famed architect Josias Joesler and it definitely has charm and whimsy. Many interesting shops here and not a franchised/chain store among them. (hurray!)

A Tucson saint, philosopher, or... ?

Beautiful Broadway Village is one of Tucson's most charming shopping areas. It was built in the 1930's and designed by famed architect Josias Joesler. Reputedly the design was to evoke the feeling that the buildings had been built (and rebuilt) over centuries. The statues atop the former Table Talk store always made me curious. Here's more info in case you, too, wondered about them:
http://azstarnet.com/news/local/article_0a9e01e2-7263-5dc8-8a6a-183f4f2584df.html
P.S. If you want to enter my drawing for a $50 gift certificate, read my post from 2 days ago.

Stormy Cypress ~

Finally ~ the rain has come. The (daily!) stormy clouds and the lightning have now delivered on the monsoon's promise: water, aqua, H2O - the real thing. Ahhhhh - the temperatures are coming down.
P.S. Please see yesterday's posting for info on my free gift drawing. (:

Offering an exciting GIFT to followers!

Hello everyone! On August 20 Tucson will celebrate its 235th birthday and I am giving one of you a gift! As a special THANK YOU to all of you who have registered/signed up as a follower of this site, you will be entered into a drawing for a $50 gift certificate good at more than 200 retail online stores (like www.cookware.com and www.allmodern.com).

Just stopping by? Become a follower and be part of this fun drawing! And please share this contest with your friends, family, & coworkers. Who wouldn't want $50 to spend on something nice? Everyone who is a follower will be entered in the drawing. Thanks & good luck!

Red hot day for a red dress ~

Check out this great red vintage flapper type dress! Tucson's Fourth Avenue is famous for its vintage clothes stores. Lots of other shopping there, too ~ bars, restaurants, and a great food co-op. And a Dairy Queen - mmmmm, Blizzards....

Tucson's iconic dome + monsoon cloud

This gorgeous mosaic dome is one of the most famous images of Tucson. Built in 1929, the Spanish Colonial style Pima County Courthouse is still in use today. The dome paired with the perfect blue sky and the billowy white cloud says, "Tucson. Summer."
http://jp.pima.gov/Pages/history/buildings.htm

Changing the world - with a pillowcase

I am thrilled to post the third in the series of "Team Tucson" ~ the people who make this a great place to live.

Meet Garnet Adair, a true force of nature, who directs some of her considerable energy into the "Dress a Girl Around The World" project. Garnet makes a difference in the lives of girls in poverty - orphaned girls, girls separated from their families, girls in distress. She sews beautiful dresses from PILLOWCASES. When she told me that some of the little girls in Haiti have not had a change of clothes since the earthquake, I nearly wept. Here's more information on how you can help: http://www.dressagirlaroundtheworld.com/

Garnet works at Tucson Touch Therapies (3905 E Pima) and if you are inclined to clean out your linen closet and donate pillowcases and sheets to this project, girls around the world will benefit from your generosity. To make a difference all you need do is a little spring cleaning! If you can help, it would be fantastic. Thanks.

Cowboy flip flops ~

On a rather ordinary stretch of Pima Street this colorful freestanding store with a really fun mural stands out - the Boot Bunkhouse. And as the sign says, they sell "Cowboy Flip Flops."
http://www.bootbunkhouse.com/

Arizona Inn ~ pink & green & cool

It's always perfect weather at the Arizona Inn! The team of landscapers there keep the 14-acre property looking perfect in the dead of winter, in the cold spring, and now - in the heat of the summer - everything is beautifully in bloom. Nothing ever looks wilted there. The Inn has been delighting visitors since 1930.
www.arizonainn.com

Barrio Beauty ~

Each time I return to Tucson's Barrio District I find yet another beautiful building or home. This is a lovely neighborhood for walking around and slipping back in time. For more images click on the "Barrio" label below the post.

Neighborhood portraits ~ part two

Here are more of the neighborhood friendlies that were posted yesterday. This is the view to the west of Chris Rush's unusual portraits.
http://www.tucsonpimaartscouncil3.org/dynamic/publicart/collection/detailpa.asp?id=199&cat=Mural

Neighborhood portraits ~ surprise treasure

These portraits are definitely not on a busy roadway (15th Street near Kino) and that's part of what makes finding them so interesting. Artist Chris Rush created portraits of some of the residents of this neighborhood and turned them into these marvelous ceramic panels.
http://www.tucsonpimaartscouncil3.org/dynamic/publicart/collection/detailpa.asp?id=199&cat=Mural

El Greco's View of Tucson/Toledo ~

The turbulent sky reminded me of one of El Greco's masterpieces - A View of Toledo, Spain. The odd light and the ferocious dark clouds promised rain but didn't deliver. We're still waiting for the deluge...

Your personal helicopter awaits ~

Here is the second in my series, Team Tucson, introducing you to people who contribute to making Tucson a great place to live.

Meet Ricardo Cavalcanti, the inventor of this amazing single-person helicopter that he hopes to start manufacturing here in Tucson. It's lightweight, nimble, and environmentally responsible. To read more about Ricardo's "Dragonfly," go to: www.tipjetusa.com

Tucson's music scene via Vancouver ~

Another Joe Pagac mural advertises the Tucson performance of The New Pornographers, a band from Vancouver. Hilarious imagery on this mural! But why is the woman's face/identity obscured/protected but not the guy's?
www.joepagac.com
www.thenewpornographers.com

Moody Temple of Music & Art ~

Even though they are a bit late this year, the monsoons ARE coming as evidenced by this moody, cloudy sky behind the beautiful Temple of Music & Art, one of Tucson's treasures.
http://www.thepepper.com/tucson_arizona_theatre.html

Black and white Tucson ~

Here are two more images of the marvelous tile murals on lower Broadway. The images are photos of Tucson in the early 1900's that artist Steve Farley transformed into traffic-stopping art that adorns and celebrates downtown. To see more of them and to read more about how they were made, click on "Mural" at the bottom of this posting.

Monsoon? Who cares?

If you are a bird in Tucson, June and July are pretty challenging - HOT and dry. Then the monsoons pour buckets on us. We're still waiting for the monsoons to start but this little fellow obviously doesn't care. Nice to live by a pond...

The Big Kahuna of Wood Chippers ~

If you saw the movie "Fargo" it is impossible to forget Frances McDormand and the wood chipper. ('Nuf said!) This is a chipper at the Acme Sand & Gravel facility on 22nd Street. When I was buying some yard gravel I took a look at their backyard. To get an idea of scale, check out the vehicle in the shed on the left.

More info about this "Who Knew?" sculpture ~

Original post from June 6, 2010: For years I have passed this sculpture in front of Tom's Furniture on Grant Road. It is close to the street but not so easy to see because of the foliage. I had always assumed it was some kind of kooky crustacean/shrimp/lobster sculpture... or maybe a big bug. When I got close to it I was amazed to see that it is a humanoid figure with a really elaborate headdress and jewelry. And what I always thought was some kind of carapace is really a glass/mosaic robe. Wow!

UPDATE: On June 21 the Star ran its own photo of this sculpture and now I can share that the artist was probably Jesus C Corral. The sculpture was a chimney for the Tia Elena restaurant (now long gone). Here's the full story: http://azstarnet.com/news/local/article_b47c4aac-9f17-5e68-87a6-606aee27a86d.html

Happy 4th! Check out this patriotic truck ~

It was hard to miss this cherry red truck emblazoned with flag decals! Happy 4th of July everyone ~ enjoy food & friends today on this important holiday.

Hedge your bets ~

Here's another image from the interesting GrantStone Marketplace, an Asian food market in Tucson. I did see a selection of joss sticks and lucky bamboo plants but what really caught my eye was this aisle of votive candles featuring images of the Pope (Pope John Paul that is - NOT the current pope), Jesus on the cross, a padre on a horse (Father Kino?), and various other Catholic saints and images. But where was Buddha?

Do you love rice? REALLY love rice?

If you are a rice lover, you might want to check out the 50-pound bags of rice at the amazing GrantStone Supermarket, one of Tucson's biggest markets (maybe THE biggest) that sells Asian specialty foods ~ and so much more!

I was amazed at the variety and came home with lots of new taste treats as well as, yes, one of those BIG bags of rice. Yum. Oh, if you are wondering about the location... the GrantStone market is on the corner of ~ you guessed it ~ Grant & Stone.

Sunflower Front Runner ~ Happy July

Today my first sunflower opened and it is WAY ahead of the rest of the crop. This one is more than 6' tall and the rest of my plantings are still hovering at around 3'. This one is definitely an overachiever!