Ya gotta love this guy ~ Roofy

Imagination and humor go a long way when you are promoting your business. Meet "Roofy," the front man (as it were) for a roofing company on Stone. No one driving past can miss THIS guy!

Peccaries on Parade!

Imagine my surprise as I ran into this herd of javelina in broad daylight galloping through the neighborhood! This herd is probably the same one that munches on my plants, throws pots around, and generally makes a mess - but they do it in the cover of darkness. Now they are out at all hours!
http://www.desertmuseum.org/kids/oz/long-fact-sheets/Javelina.php

A Tucson Treasure ~ El Charro

This gorgeous image is thanks to an Arizona photographer who responded to my request to submit Tucson photos for this site. El Charro is a Tucson landmark & treasure. The downtown restaurant was so popular that other satellites have opened around town. Mike ~ thank you very much for sharing your work on this site!
Photo courtesy of Michael Small. Check out his fantastic photoblog at:
http://shuttermike.com/category/arizona/tucson/
http://shuttermike.com/

My big Grizzly boy crossed the Rainbow Bridge ~

It was time for my big friend to be released from his body so that his spirit can run free. I'm lucky to have so many photos of him throughout the years and this one is one of my favorites. He was about a year or two old and he couldn't decide if he wanted his milkbone or his rawhide chew - why not have both? (: He was a loyal companion, a fierce protector, and a wonderful friend. I will miss him every day - my big boy, my amazing Grizzly.

An old Tucson treasure - hip & updated

Tucson's Miracle Mile is definitely enjoying a renaissance. Some of the famous old hotels from the post-war years are welcoming new generations of guests with their fabulous & historic old neon signs.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g60950-d1028242-Reviews-La_Siesta-Tucson_Arizona.html

Back to the Barrio ~

Yesterday's posting about Barrio Bread leads me to today's photo ~ another beautiful, historic building in Tucson's barrio district. For other images from this interesting neighborhood click on the "Barrio District" label below the photo.

Tucson's Bread Don ~

Here is the first in a new series ~ Team Tucson, the people who contribute to making Tucson a great place to live.

Meet Don Guerra, the Bread Don of the downtown Farmer's Market, and owner of Barrio Bread. His incredible artisan breads (baked in an Italian Deck oven) are sold Wednesdays (main library plaza), Fridays (Broadway Village - the former Table Talk site) and Saturdays (Plaza Palomino). Scrumptious bread, great taste, & super crust ~ your tastebuds will sing! Check out his website: www.barriobread.com

Sunflowers ~ so cheerful, so beautiful

Every year I plant sunflowers and am always amazed when they shoot up. Mine are about 3 feet tall right now but they don't have flowers yet so I am sharing these nursery-grown beauties to brighten your day.

Thanks and a request for your help ~

Dear friends & site visitors,

First, the Thanks ~ Now that the site has passed its one-year anniversary I want to take the time to thank everyone who visits TucsonDailyPhoto and especially thank everyone who has contributed to the site through their comments. I really love it when I read that you particularly enjoy one of the postings.

Second, the Request ~ If you have photos that you would like to share, I would be very happy to post them here! I think it would be fantastic if this was a real community site - a place where many points of view can be seen. Tucson is so interesting and I can show more of it with your help. Of course you would receive a photo credit. If you have questions you can email me at TucsonDailyPhoto@gmail.com.

Enjoy! Happy summer. (:

Cow Wall ~

This placid herd will forever graze on the Farmer John's meat packing plant wall. See my previous posts this week for more info on this interesting site.

The sky's the limit!

Here's another view of the Farmer John's factory building. Yesterday I posted part of the perimeter wall mural. Here's the building itself - blue skies, white clouds - the soul of an optimistic, sunny day! Happy Monday, everyone!

Cowboy butt kicking ~

This cowboy is getting his butt kicked for sure. This is just a small part of an amazing wall of murals on the now-abandoned Farmer John's meatpacking plant building. The extensive murals surround the property and include the building itself. Leslie Grimes, an Australian artist, inserted a lot of humor into this project! As for the cowboy, I'd suggest that he stop into the saloon that was featured yesterday and have a cold one...
http://www.roadtripamerica.com/murals/Arizona-Tucson.htm

Tucson's Horse Saloons ~

Our Wild West history forever links us with horses - then and now. Tucson is the home to world class horse farms like Fable Arabians and it's also home to an unusually large number of bars that have horse themes! I don't know why this place is called "Red Garter." Maybe that's the name of the black horse on their wall?
http://redgartertucson.com/

Heat-fighting recipe: Green + White = Cool & Calm

Wherever there is blazing hot sun you can always hope to find a cool green retreat. Here I am back at St Philip's Plaza again. Doesn't this refreshing white doorway accented with wrought iron look like the entrance to a European park? Take a little armchair vacation right now & escape this heat (it's 93.9 degrees right now as I'm posting this at 9:00 p.m. YIKES!).
www.stphilipsplaza.com

Tucson's T-Rex Stands Guard ~

Back in May I posted the "Good Mother" dinosaur. Here's the flip side - a ferocious T-Rex chewing on the traffic light at Kolb & Tanque Verde. A few years ago the manager of the McDonald's where this big dino lives used to dress him up for Halloween as a big ghost and at Christmas he would wear antlers and pull a sleigh. That was SO fun but I guess the store's current owners haven't carried on the tradition. Too bad.

Portal to learning & fun ~ Santa Rosa library

This beautiful portal invites residents of South Tucson into the Santa Rosa library. The library is the centerpiece of a massive revitalization project for the neighborhood.
http://www.library.pima.gov/locations/santarosa/about.php

Vibrant colors celebrate surviving cancer ~

Adjacent to yesterday's massive metal sculpture on the 22nd Street side of Reid Park is the Cancer Survivors Plaza. The beautiful, colorful area features a fountain and benches to encourage meditation.
The open air structure provides a beautiful view of the clouds rolling by.
http://www.ci.tucson.az.us/parksandrec/specialplaces.php#P13_1111
http://www.blochcancer.org/

Gleaming metal portal into the park ~

Reid Park is a definite Tucson Treasure ~ baseball field, zoo, picnic areas, walking paths, two man-made lakes and more... This Jim O'Hara sculpture, "Portal with Door and Waves," greets park visitors entering on 22nd Street. It's a shame that there is no public recognition of this piece or the artist anywhere near the site. At least I couldn't find it...

Perfect for a Sunday drive ~

We're getting a bit of a breeze now and that's bringing the temperature down. What a perfect day for a drive and this beauty of a Model T definitely would add some style to the outing! This sunny yellow vehicle is another of the fleet of Truly Nolen cars that are seen all over town. And I'm still trying to photograph the mouse car on the move!
www.trulynolen.com

Another cool oasis ~ relax....

Another nice, cool spot to relax in pretty St Philip's Plaza ~ the white tree trunks are so beautiful next to the white flowers and the colorful planters.
www.stphilipsplaza.com

Welcome water - bubbling fountain ~ ahhh....

Every year I think that it gets hotter earlier and stays hotter longer.... It's just the beginning of June and we're at 100+ degrees already. Even after dark it's well into the 80's and 90's... whew! So to offer a bit of relief from the heat I would suggest sitting by this cool fountain in St Philip's Plaza.

www.stphilipsplaza.com

Timeless Image of the Old West ~

The origins of the mural still remain a mystery but I did learn that this piece was painted by the "Paintings Plus" group out of Willcox, AZ. It's a tribute to cowboy artist, John Hampton. What a beauty and what a find!

Our own archeological find ~

As you know, our offices have been undergoing renovation and I have posted some photos of the progress. As we were storing things in preparation for the construction, imagine our surprise (and delight!) when we discovered this full wall mural in an unused back corridor hallway near a service elevator. I'm trying to learn more about how it got here and who painted it. Stay tuned.

All shapes & sizes ~ people and their dogs

Here is part of one of the obedience classes for dogs that are held in Reid Park on Monday nights. This class has about 2 dozen dogs and they range in size from a Great Dane to a little Pomeranian mix. And yes, some dogs sure do look like their owners!

Celebrating the site's 1 year Anniversary!

Hey - this definitely calls for a celebration! One year ago I launched this site with a photo of this amazing feather duster cactus. I couldn't have predicted that 400+ photos later I'd still be posting a different photo (or photos) every day. I also couldn't have predicted how many amazing people I have heard from who stumbled onto this site. I am so happy that you check in to see what's posted and I am REALLY happy when you make a comment or send me an email.

Thanks for being part of an online community that loves Tucson! Fun fact - my online visitor tracker tells me that 25% of the site's visitors are from outside the U.S.

Aqua & white ~ cool combo for hot weather

You see many more homes in Tucson with a desert tan color scheme than a pure white paint treatment. The pristine white is striking, though ~ and very cool looking with its aqua trim. Reminds me of a color palette from the 1960's.

Tucson's wild elephant + gnomes

I'm really enjoying the fun murals that appear on the east side of the Rialto Theatre to advertise upcoming concerts. Joe Pagac is the talented artist who adds this bit of whimsy to the downtown street scene. Go, Joe!

http://www.joepagac.com/

Cowboy breaktime ~

I'm not sure how much cattle herding is done in this neighborhood but this silhouette of a cowboy is definitely taking a little break from work and enjoying this shady yard. This photo was taken in the same neighborhood as the lighthouse I posted on Monday - a neighborhood with real personality!

Tucson has more than one lighthouse!

Yesterday's posting showed you a residential lighthouse that evokes a bit of the beach here in our desert location. Now here's another one! Mariscos is a family-run restaurant that has been in Tucson for decades and the Grant Road location features a lighthouse, a 3-D waterfall, and a clam shaped bench - gotta love it!

Mariscos Chihuahua - http://www.mariscoschihuahua.com/

Back at work & missing the beach?

Well you may not think of Tucson as a beachfront town but we do have a lighthouse. I have to go back at night to see if the beacon illuminates the neighborhood. This unusual residential sculpture includes a statue of a saint, too. Anyone have any idea if there is a patron saint of lighthouses? Beaches?