Tucson's leaning towers ~

Stationed at all 4 corners of Houghton and Golf Links Road are these chunky ribbed stone pillars topped with rusted metal caps. They all lean a bit - kind of like barrel cacti - although I doubt if that was intentional! This public art project is supposed to represent Air, Fire, Water, and Earth. All comments welcome! (:

Valentine's Day with humor ~ and charity, too!

If you are stumped thinking of a clever gift for Valentine's Day let me suggest giving one of the TDP "Monday Already? t-shirts!  Regular followers of the site remember when I posted this photo of a big horned ram who lives at the Desert Museum. Immediately I had requests to put the photo on a t-shirt. With every sale I give a portion to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.

It's easy to purchase one! I have the t-shirt and a matching MOUSE PAD listed on Etsy. For more info, click here. This year give a fun gift to those you love! 100% all cotton. Thank you!

Double rainbow - what luck!

 

We are having a lot of rain now and I was lucky to be at a stop sign just when the clouds parted for a moment to reveal a rainbow's perfect arc. If you look closely you can see a piece of the double rainbow in the upper right corner.

Dragon rodeo ~

I guess this cowboy is going to try his bronco-busting skills on a different sort of beast! This flame red dragon features spikes on its spine and red claw feet. Cowboy up!

Heart-felt care ~

The Women's Pavilion entrance at St Joseph's Hospital is adorned with hearts of all sizes. Great messages, too, on the columns: Be Aware, Be Active, Be Original - all part of their "Be Well" campaign.

It's all you need ~

This bold and colorful mural says it all, doesn't it?

Grey on grey ~

Recently we had several days of nonstop freezing weather. Today we had rain! I was just on my way into the Reid Park Zoo when it began to pour. I decided to wait for another day (a non-grey day) to visit the elephants, tigers, and giraffes. Here at the entrance all visitors are greeted by this big pachyderm. It's a favorite spot for photo taking.

Blend of cultures ~

Cross border cultures mix here in the Perry Garden of St Philip's Church in the Hills. This intricately patterned Mexican cross was a gift to the church in memory of John Murphey, son of the developer of the property.

Religious restoration ~

There is an unusual pocket-sized park on Bonita Avenue (off Congress just west of the freeway): the Garden of Gethsemane. The life sized sculptures there are the result of a promise the artist, Felix Lucero, made to the Virgin Mary while he was close to death on the battlefield of WWI. Here is a summary of the remarkable story. Currently the figures of Christ and the apostles are undergoing a meticulous renovation by local artist, Greg Schoon. Over the years the figures have been damaged and/or badly repaired and Greg is doing a masterful job bringing them back to the artist's original vision.

No-hay Horses ~

These horses require no hay or water. Just a little paint maintenance keeps them looking perfect! This mural is on the Dodge side of the feed store on Ft Lowell. Don't miss that little javelina running through the bush at the bottom.

Locally grown ~

Both the restaurant, Beyond Bread, and the sculptor, Steven Derks, are Tucson born and bred (no pun intended!). This heroic metal piece is titled, "Juxtaposition." One of the interesting elements of Steven's work is that although he welds to form his sculpture, he does not shape the pieces into something they were not when he found them. In other words, if he finds an interesting piece of scrap metal, he uses it in a piece pretty much the way it was shaped when he acquired it.

An army of bulbs standing by ~

Whew! What a relief to see that the Home Depot garden department has thousands of flower bulbs just waiting for the frost to pass. Here's hoping for a BLOOMING spring!

Non-frost-related injury

This saguaro sure looks "head-less" to me! I know it isn't due to the recent freeze but what might have happened to this venerable cactus? Judging by the length of its arms, it is well past 100 years old and seems to be doing well in spite of missing a head!

Cotton candy?

Wow - these trees on Speedway are very well wrapped to protect them from our freezing temperatures. They look like big cones of sugary cotton candy! I am pretty tired of this cold and hope this snap ends soon.

A cloister for contemplation ~

This beautiful and serene cloister is part of the St Philip's Church in the Hills complex. The church was designed by the famed architect Josias Joesler who is widely credited for helping to create the "look" of Tucson. To learn more about this architect, click here.

Welcoming doorway ~

This beautiful carved wooden door is part of the historic St Philip's in the Hills church complex on River and Campbell. For more information about this church, click here.

Cactus Bus Stop ~

To me these cacti look like they are impatiently waiting to catch the first glimpse of their bus approaching. 

Another Tucson historic sign brought back to life!

Originally installed in the 1960's, the El Con (El Conquistador) Mall's distinctive sign was removed 13 years ago during the start of the mall's massive renovation. The mall owners had the sign restored and rehung it recently. It's a great piece of Tucson's history! Here's a little more info: http://www.kcbd.com/story/20412193/el-con-mall-sign-makes-history-books

Worm Fizzy?

How appropriate to spot this license plate right now when we are having FREEZING temperatures - very unusual for Tucson. I stared at this and thought, "Worm Fizz"? Then thought "Warm Fizz"? And then I had my aha moment..... "Warm Fuzzy." Yes - just what we need right now. It's COLD outside! Brrrrrr.

Alert! First "Where is this?" of the year!

OK all you Tucson experts ~ it's time to roll out the year's first "Where is this?" photo. As all of you familiar with the contest know, the first to correctly identify this building/place will win a FABULOUS Tucson Daily Photo t-shirt OR mousepad (winner's choice) featuring the FAMOUS "Monday Already?" big horned ram. Good luck!

Spot of cheer ~

On even the coldest days (and we're having them right now!) a cheery cardinal can brighten up the landscape.
Photo courtesy of Roseann Milano.

Resolutions Reflection ~

OK! We are a week into the new year. Take a moment to sit and reflect on how you are doing so far changing the things that you want to change. I hope you are doing GREAT! This beautiful rustic bench is a resting spot at the Desert Museum - facing west to admire the sunsets.

Cactus Cup Caps ~

We're still getting warnings about freezing temperatures. These homeowners have topped their cactus with styrofoam cups to prevent frost damage. I have never heard of this method - anyone have an opinion? Whatever works, I guess!

Penny memories ~

This antique-looking vending machine is situated near the restaurants at the Desert Museum. This big "wind up" box turns a copper penny into a cool oval disc embossed with one of four different desert images. It's fun to turn the crank and make the disc!

Bee bench ~

Yesterday I showed you a simple bee condominium at the Desert Museum. Here's another "Bee House" by the same local artist, Greg Corman. This one is features a trio of bee towers and a bench for humans. To read more about Greg and his great work click here!

Bee Condominium ~

At first glance I thought this was just a piece of art on the grounds of the Desert Museum. But looking more closely and reading the nearby information post, I learned that this is one of many "bee condos" on the grounds. These artful houses are created by Greg Corman. Bees move into the drilled holes. I never knew that some bees prefer solo living. This passes the "beautiful AND useful" test for sure!

Dieting inspiration ~

I could almost hear these chubby prairie dogs complaining, "My tunnel entrance is definitely smaller!" "Mine is, too!" "How did THAT happen?" Indeed. It's the same question many humans are asking about the post-holiday snug fit on their favorite jeans...

No, NOT another Aztec calendar ~

Yes, Jack Frost made a quick visit to Tucson. It was actually below freezing last night! The mountains had snow but all we got on the lowlands was a wee bit of frost on some of the plants. Here's a fence post with a dusting of snow.

The year ahead ~

Happy New Year! Here we are at the start of a fresh year - 365 days stretching out ahead of us. Looking west to the Tucson Mountains from a viewing platform at the Desert Museum, the view is wide open - just like the year ahead! I hope that 2013 is a year of joy and abundance for everyone.