Private cemetary ~ unique piece of Tucson's history

 

This small, quiet cemetery is just a block from the very busy Swan Road. It is a private cemetery restricted to the descendants of the families who settled around Ft Lowell in the late 1800's and early 1900's.

Purrs and wags ~

Purrs and wags go out to this motorist who is promoting animal rescue through their license plate: RESCQ. Clever! And such a good message!

Rattlesnake with no bite ~

So I was looking to check out the new coffee cafe on Broadway near Camino Seco. They've been open for just a couple of weeks. I was surprised to see that they are CLOSED on Sunday. Seems to me that lots of folks are out and about and looking for a place to relax, get a coffee, and read the paper on Sunday.... but you can't do it here. Too bad!

Just another typical July afternoon in Tucson ~

Huge rain clouds rolling in, some thunder, some lightning, and always a bit of sun and blue sky still peeking through...

Tucson's Big Red Wrench ~

This huge industrial themed sculpture is not in a public park or corporate plaza... it's in someone's yard on Elm Street. Very interesting wrench and nut design, don't you think?

Petal Pedal Power ~

Bikes are a very popular mode of transportation in Tucson. This black and white paisley/flower printed bike caught my eye - looks a bit retro, don't you think? I wonder if the owner hand painted this beauty...

Amazing! Astonishing! You MUST see this!

You will absolutely not believe how this human orchestra creates the sound of a magnificent monsoon storm! This is what we are hearing in Tucson ~ but we get the real H2O. Check this out and be surprised....

'Tis the Season (monsoon, that is)

Another beautiful and mysterious skyscape as we wait for the rains. We're getting some rain every day but the storm travels and some parts of town stay dry while others are flooded.

Splashing flowers ~

Is there anything that says "summer" better than splashing around at the pool? These kids were having fun at the Ott Y's mini splash park beside the swimming pool. Cool and fun!

Build your own spacecraft (7 photos)~

A fun science event was held at the Kuiper Space Sciences Building and one of the feature attractions was that kids could build a spacecraft to launch from the 2nd story stairwell. The trick is that the spacecraft was carrying an egg...  success was if you launched your craft, landed on (or near) the "X" on the moon below and DID NOT BREAK THE EGG. Not easy! Check out the materials list and the rules! These kids were great!

Time for another "Where is this?" ~

OK all you Tucson buffs, where do you think this is? Your first clue is that it is east of Kolb and south of 22nd Street. First person to correctly identify this location wins a "fabulous" TDP t-shirt featuring the "Monday already?" ram (see the website's home page for full info) OR a mousepad with the same image. Good luck!

Storm rolling in ~

The Tucson sky is very beautiful at this time of year. Clouds move quickly and it's very easy to get caught in a huge downpour.

Outdoor Indoor Dining ~

So much is going on in downtown Tucson it's hard to keep up! I see that Cafe Poca Cosa has added an interesting pierced metal fence and roof to their patio. For beautiful views of the interior of this upscale Mexican eatery, click here.

Big Elk, Little Dragon ~

Interesting pair of metal buddies here. I'm not sure where one would display this elk - he's pretty enormous!

Tucson's Other Zoo ~

These mighty metal (and life size!) sculptures will definitely make a statement in your front yard!

New-ish "Old" (Auld) Pub ~

If you love Irish pubs, you'll like this one on University Boulevard: the Auld Dubliner. Even though it's new-ish (2006), it does have the feel of an old, hearty pub. Click here for more info. 

NOTE TO FOLLOWERS! Thanks for all of your comments about where to post TDP photos going forward. Please note that I am trying something new to reach more people and I have decided to do some test posts on Facebook. You can now review TDP on FB by searching for "TucsonDailyPhoto"   Thanks! 

Need your input ~ thank you!

Hi everyone, I have received a couple of requests to switch TDP over to Facebook. If you could weigh in with a comment about this, I would appreciate it. Would it make it easier for you to follow the daily postings? Are there advantages or disadvantages to moving TDP to a Facebook platform that you could point out? THANKS!

Urban art ~

This fun kooky cowboy mural is around the corner from Plush, the nightclub on 4th Avenue.

Update on Lovely Lucretia (2 Photos) ~

Regular visitors to this site are familiar with Lovely Lucretia, Tucson's favorite (and perhaps most famous!) desert tortoise. I checked in with her humans recently and they sent these new photos of Lucretia out for a stroll in their backyard.  Isn't she wonderful??

Photos courtesy of Jerry and Marni Weinert

Artisan Pizza in Former Funeral Home ~

 

In February, 2011 I featured this interesting building and wondered if it would ever be renovated. With the downtown Renaissance of development, Reilly's is now a craft pizza restaurant. To read more about this renovation, click here. And go to my entry for February 2, 2011 if you want to see the "Before" photo.

Tucson's Out-of-Service Service Station

Built from a Sears & Roebuck kit, Ralph's Service Station was opened right before the Depression. Not surprisingly, the business suffered. Read more about this Tucson historic oddity here.

Totally Tucson ~

We are getting some splashes of rain, some thunder, some lightning. Temps are still 100+ so, yes, in July we fry - until the monsoons give us some relief.

Tucson's Mysterious Shrine ~ 2 photos

Tuscon's "Wishing Shrine" is on the National Register of Historic Places and it is highly unusual. It is the only shrine dedicated to the soul of a sinner ("El Tiradito" - the castaway) who was buried in unconsecrated ground. The legends tell of a tragic love triangle in the late 1800's. Today it is visited by people who believe that their wishes will be granted if they pray here. You can see in the lower photo that every tiny crevice in the wall is filled with handwritten notes of prayer.

At the Corner of 4th and Food ~

On 4th Avenue I spotted this brick building with very interesting photographic murals of food and bread. It appeared to be vacant. I think it would be a fantastic location for a bakery or restaurant!

Patriotic Big Bird ~

Happy 4th of July to everyone! I hope your day is filled with food, friends, and fireworks to celebrate America's birthday!

New and old - recurring theme in Tucson ~

Here is a beautiful frieze from an old building on Pennington at Scott. Fittingly, it is the home of a vintage clothing store. In the background you can see a crane engaged in the massive construction project that is going on in downtown Tucson.

New to look Old ~

As part of the massive, ongoing work to invigorate Tucson's downtown, the famous Chicago Store has had a facelift to restore it to its last-century glory. Nice job! P.S. - note the celebrity legends in the upstairs windows - Roy Orbison, Marilyn Monroe, and Buddy Holly.

Sun Lamp? Sun Flower?

This light pole may be a sun lamp or maybe a sunflower - what do you think?