Meet another member of Team Tucson ~

Let me introduce you to another member of "Team Tucson" - people who help to make Tucson a great place to live. The newest member of this elite group of great individuals is Jim Stilley, owner of Oriental Rug Repair Company. In his marvelous gallery workshop Jim and his talented team repair and transform rugs with troubles. This is exacting, detailed work and you can be sure that Jim's team will handle your rug with great care. He is very knowledgeable about Navajo and Oriental rugs, in particular. Have a question? Give him a call at 520.790.1871 or check out his website here.

Idle umbrellas ~

When it looks like rain no one wants to sit on the patio. These empty tables at the Dakota Cafe in Trail Dust Town have to wait for some sun beams ~

Tucson icon - rear view

Everyone who has visited Trail Dust Town or driven on Tanque Verde Road has seen this wagon - way up high on a rock base. (I would love to know what answer parents give to their kids who ask, "How did that wagon get up there?") As I was watching the dark clouds gathering I took this "rear view" of the wagon.

It's almost time ~

We are getting some sky grumbling and rumbling and a little bit of rain. It's coming - monsoon time. Check out the threatening grey sky behind the Trail Dust Town gazebo. No rain yet but soon we'll be soaked.

More Tucson - a gift!

As a result of this website, I recently received a gift! A Tucson writer, Marilyn Anne Pate, shared this book with me and some of her stories about growing up in Tucson. She arrived in Tucon in 1940 and has many memories of what Tucson looked like back in the day.

According to Marilyn, this book, "Above Tucson, Then and Now" was compiled by James Glinski and contains a forward by Roy Drachman. The original  vintage aerial photos are by Gene Magee. Mr. Glinski took the old photos and flew over Tucson taking photos from the same angles and put them together in his book.

What fun it is to go through the book and see how Tucson has changed! Wow - Thank you, Marilyn, for this lovely present. I hope some of the site followers will be interested in this book!

Training to keep you safe ~

Once again I am proud to post news about JTED (Pima County's Joint Technical Education District). What you see in these photos is a great new training program! This summer 10 JTED Fire Service alumni and 10 Certified Nursing Assistant alumni are taking JTED's first EMT course.

The training will prepare them to take the national exam and become certified EMTs. The course is being taught by professionals from Northwest Fire and Rural Metro/Southwest Ambulance at the district’s Camino Seco campus and the Rural Metro training facility.
Photos courtesy of Greg D’Anna.
http://www.pimajted.org/

What's wrong with this picture?

At first glance this could be a nice beach house anywhere on the east coast from Maine to Maryland. But check out the saguaro right beside the sidewalk lamp - yep, it's Tucson!
Photo courtesy of Roseann Milano.

Food, friends, fun ~

Go Ginia! Happy birthday to a special Tucson lady who celebrated her 70th birthday! She filled her house with food, friends, fun and lots of other interesting additions to the party mix like a tarot card reader and a live band. Throw in a 90 degree "evening" temperature and you've got one hot party!

Maybe not tallest, but first ~

Every year I marvel at my crop of sunflowers. Planted within minutes of each other and getting exactly the same amount of sun and water, each one develops very differently. Here's my first full bloom over to the left. Three other, taller flowers are almost ready but they didn't win the race.

Cowboy welcome ~

This bucking bronco sculpture welcomes visitors to Tucson's historic Lodge on the Desert. This lovely property is a hotel treasure that opened in 1936. See yesterday's post for another view.
http://www.lodgeonthedesert.com/

Tucson treasure ~

Tucson's Lodge on the Desert has been catering to travelers since 1936. This boutique hotel is sited on several beautifully planted acres so it really has a resort feel even though it is in central Tucson. The Catalina Mountains are visible in the distance.

Amazing heat fatality ~

Imagine my astonishment when my patio table's glass top popped into a million pieces. Only the metal frame was left standing. Well the temperature hit 108 degrees so I guess the heat stress was just too much for it. Wow ~

Welcome home ~

What a cheerful way to spruce up a cement wall! This vibrant blue wall with two waves of colorful tiles flanks a driveway in central Tucson.

And we have a winner!

Earlier this week I posted two close up shots of this building facade and asked site visitors to identify the building. The "fabulous" prize offered is a "Monday Already?" t-shirt. A correct guess was emailed to the site's emailbox by Nancy B of Tucson. This is the Manning House, a Spanish Colonial beauty built in 1907 for Tucson's mayor. Surrounded by lush plantings, this house has been restored and is now a venue for meetings, weddings, and parties. Learn more about this building and its historic past by clicking here.

Quite a mountain view ~

Tucson's beautiful Catalina Mountains are in the background. In the foreground is another kind of mountain - a gravel mountain at Acme Gravel on 22nd Street. It's quite a weird experience to go down into the quarry area - feels so isolated but it is on a main street.

Contest still on - where is this? Win a t-shirt!

Look familiar to you? Yesterday's "Where is this?" generated no correct answers. Here's a slightly wider view ~  If you are the first to identify this Tucson building you will win one of the "Monday Already?" t-shirts! You don't have to be a follower to enter - just use the "name" tab in the pull down comment menu.

Know where this is? Win a t-shirt ~

OK, Tucson experts ~ it's time again for the "Where is it?" contest! Here's this month's fun architecture challenge. Post your guess on where this building is located and/or its name. If you aren't a site follower, that's OK, just use the "name" selection in the comment box. Whoever posts the correct answer first wins a "Bad Day/Monday Already?" t-shirt (see posting on Feb 16). Good luck! P.S. Since you won last month's contest Ellen I'm asking you to sit on your hands!!!  (:

Wonderful room service (with a view) ~

You may remember the lovely just-hatched hummers that I had on the site on May 24. Here they are again thanks to Tucson photographer and artist, Cita Scott. AMAZING, don't you agree?
There are TWO little ones in the nest that mama is feeding. It's hard to choose a favorite from these four wonderful photos - they are all breathtaking. For info about Cita's art, click here.

Photos courtesy of Cita Scott.

Tucson's giant vampire bats ~

Check out these really evil looking giant bats en route to who-knows-where! Maybe they are destined to decorate a big creepy castle. Maybe they are part of some scary theme park ride. Any ideas where these blood suckers are headed?
Photo courtesy of Roseann Milano.

Inspirational way to recycle ~

In 1998 a violent windstorm caused a lot of damage on the campus of the Tucson Veterans Hospital. This sculpture, "Winged Freedom," was carved with a chainsaw by hospital employee, Mike Pal. The sculpture is dedicated to America's ex-POWs.

Golden dome on a healing campus ~

I wasn't able to locate info on the architect for the building but I did find a bit of other history. The Tucson Veteran's Hospital was dedicated in 1928. It had been built to provide WWI veterans with treatment to aid recovery from gas attacks. Tucson's clean, dry air provided an ideal setting to administer this treatment.
http://www.tucson.va.gov/

Sign to nowhere ~

I am guessing that this abandoned sign on 6th Avenue once pointed the way to a restaurant or ice cream drive through in South Tucson. The building is all boarded up now. I wonder if anyone remembers what this sign said in years past...?

Cool spot on a HOT day ~

This little bunny is a smart one! He staked out a nice cool spot under my grapefruit tree and right beside an emitter from my drip system. He has shade and water - what we ALL need right now! It's the weekend ~ try and keep cool everyone.

Feel the love ~

Seems like every time I am in South Tucson I spot another gorgeous tile mosaic mural. This beautiful mural features lovebirds in many different colors. What a colorful and uplifting piece of public art!

South Tucson feast ~

This elaborate mural in South Tucson is painted on a little retail building that houses a tax preparer. I didn't see an artist's signature on it. A family is gathered for what looks like an incredible feast ~ a grill is visible and there are several platters and baskets of food. 

Staring at goats ~

So I ask you ~ just sitting in traffic who would expect to see a crate holding two very vocal goats? And I'm not sure what the term is for that - bleating? baa-ing? If sheep baa, what do goats do?

Tucson's Diving Girl had a facelift ~

Tucson's "Diving Girl" was one of the many neon signs in limbo when signage laws prohibited businesses from restoring a vintage neon sign and re-hanging it (yes, you read that right). Hence, the many rusted neon signs around town advertising businesses that had closed long ago ~ like the Pueblo Hotel. You can scroll back to December 14, 2011 to see the "pre-facelift" version of this beauty. Click here to see what the original sign looked like in all its glory. You'll notice that the current version has her wearing a green polka dot bikini - not the modest white one-piece she originally wore. Interesting!

Running for a cause ~

Running is a very popular sport in Tucson and there are many well organized runs that take place throughout the year. This particular "Meet me Downtown" run was sponsored by Tucson Medical Center and the starting point and finish line were in front of the Tucson Children's Museum. One of the info tables offered a chance for passersby to sign a brightly colored quilt. The group from Critical Path Institute was there to raise awareness of Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD).

A Tucson postcard ~

This beautiful image of a forest of saguaro was taken in Catalina State Park. The majestic cacti and the windswept clouds provide a breathtaking landscape view!
Photo courtesy of Berrett Stradford.

Popular watering hole ~

Bob Dobb's is not on a main thoroughfare but it's always busy and filled with loyal regulars. It has been a popular hangout in Tucson for decades. Two patios and lots of TVs tuned to sports ~ a fun, nice place.