Tucson's Deal Wizard ~

Shopping for a new car? Looks like this giant wizard on 22nd Street is ready to help conjure up a deal for you!

Woof! Woof! Hurray!

One of my dogs is a Husky so I was very excited when I spotted this "Husky Rescue" license plate in traffic!

Part of Truly's Fleet ~

Truly Nolan, the pest control company, has a fleet of beautifully maintained vintage cars that can be seen around Tucson. To keep it interesting, they rotate the cars all around town so that a given location will get a different car every so often. This 1960 Metropolitan is painted with hot rod flames. Fun! It's in the parking lot near the Gaslight Theatre.

Full Flower ~

OK! Here's the full image of yesterday's puzzle piece. This vibrant and interesting sculpture stands on the corner of 1st Avenue and Navajo. It is a youth project sponsored by Pima Association of Governments, Tucson Dept of Transportation and Tucson Pima Arts Council's Youth Art Project group. It's called, "To Think That I Saw it On Navajo Street!". Project artists are Jason E Butler and Hirotsune Tashima.

What to take a guess?

This isn't an official "Where is this?" contest - just a chance to see if anyone wants to take a guess about WHAT this is and WHERE it is! Full photo and info will be posted tomorrow!

Bird, Bottle, and Booze ~

I laughed when I saw the bird perched on the cork of the Boondocks Lounge chianti bottle! It's not visible in the photo but the owners have rimmed the cork with "anti bird" metal posts. Obviously it does little good to deter the birds! This bottle is a Tucson icon. Read more about this interesting piece of public/folk art here. And since it's Friday I wish you a great happy hour to kick off your weekend!

Food Truck Stop

Wherever you drive in Tucson you can spot the food trucks. Specialty trucks featuring a huge variety of cuisines makes "going out to lunch" easy and fast. This is one of my favorite trucks - Cheesy Rider. They specialize in grilled cheese.... what's not to like? This herd of trucks happened to be in an empty lot on Ft Lowell and Campbell. And, just like a herd of cattle, they move on....

Poppies? No ~ prickly pear!

These blazing blooms greet visitors at the Desert Museum. And check out all of the buds on the lower photo! This "cactus candelabra" will be bursting with flowers for weeks!

Spring Swim ~

A nice, refreshing dip in the lake at Reid Park! These ducks are a favorite attraction of kids (and adults!).
Photo courtesy of Kathi Gardner. 

Patch of Purple ~

These homeowners created a delightful patch of purple with paint and plants!

Desert Egg Tree ~

Happy Easter from Tucson, AZ! Here some imaginative homeowners have tricked out a cholla bush as an Easter Egg Tree. What fun!
Photo courtesy of Carol Smith and Sarah Luz. 

Desert Asparagus ~

This beautiful agave has sent out its center stalk. This mighty stalk is often harvested to create the ancient musical instrument, the didgeridoo. Don't know what the didg sounds like? Click here! 

Munching Mule Deer ~

No sooner than the new mesquite tree was planted, a curious mule deer had to have a nibble! Mmm, tasty tender leaves!
Photo courtesy of Chris Holmberg.

Desert Waterfall ~

Just as our temperatures are starting to hover in the high 80's it's nice to know that Reid Park offers many cool water spots - like this waterfall. Ahhh... refreshing!
Photo courtesy of Kathi Gardner.

Tucson Blood Moon ~

In case you missed the lunar eclipse, here is a beautiful photo of the Blood Moon. More images and information (like "So what IS a blood moon anyway?) can be found here.
Photo courtesy of Kathi Gardner.

Beautiful AND Smart!

Poets Square is a Tucson neighborhood bordered by Broadway and 5th and Swan and Columbus. The streets are named after poets - Poe, Whitman, Longfellow, etc. Here is a beautiful solution to a vacant lot that is a result of a neighborhood collaborative project. The residents planned and planted this desert landscaping with the intention of creating something beautiful that would require no watering. Voila!
Photo courtesy of Kathi Gardner.

It's that time again...."Where is this?"

Let's start the week with a little brain teaser. It's time again for the "Where is this?" contest. First one to correctly identify the location wins a "fabulous" TDP t-shirt or mousepad. Both feature the "Monday already?" ram from the Desert Museum. Start your engines! Good luck!
Photo courtesy Kathi Gardner.

The Flip Side ~

Here is a funny kind of inside joke about the Pantano Animal Clinic sign on 22nd Street. The sign is on the north side of the street and traffic passing it is driving west. So virtually no one sees the side of the sign that faces west. The staff has fun and once in a while they post something on the flip side -- just for those who know to look.

Nature's best - a Tucson treasure ~

 

You may remember me posting about this store a few years ago. I am happy to report that not only are they doing well, they are thriving -- they have added a second location. In the St Philip's store location (the original store) they also have a cheese store, "Blu." In addition to their superb oils and balsamics you can now also sample some heavenly cheese. I bought a piece of Wisconsin-made cheese named "Marisa" and it was sublime. The Alfonso store is a Tucson original and is owned by Tom and Nancy Alfonso. They are happy to educate you about their awesome products and I'm happy to shop a locally owned store. Here's their website: www.alfonsooiliveoil.com  Happy shopping and bon appetit!

A Year-Round Haunting ~

These poor lost ghosts! Stuck in a lush green tree in April. 

Walk it, Bike it, Hike it ~

Tucson has miles and miles of hiking and biking trails - from the "easy stroll" to "advanced" levels. It's easy to want to get outside when the weather is so beautiful!

I'll leave you at the entrance ~

Here's the last of the Tucson Wildlife Center's new hospital tour.... one of the Center's volunteers, Nancy, was on hand to greet visitors and show the plans for the eventual expansion of the facility. The lobby is graced with a beautiful mosaic of their bobcat logo.

Critter Center Queue ~

Here's just part of the crowd waiting to tour the new hospital at the Tucson Wildlife Center. The new hospital will enable the TWC to help even more injured wild animals in Southern Arizona. The construction of this beautiful facility is thanks, in part, to a generous bequest from the Sam Goldman estate.

Astonishing Guest List!

The amazing Tucson Wildlife Center recently had a ribbon cutting ceremony for their new state-of-the-art animal hospital. Here's a list of their animals receiving care on April 4. As you can see, in just the last 3 months they have rescued and cared for 177 animals! WOW!

Donor Flower ~

At the ribbon cutting ceremony here is Dee Kidd, Executive Director of the Tucson Wildlife Center, standing with the Center's magnificent donor recognition sculpture. This fun century plant sculpture displays the names of the Center's major donors on the blossoms. A beautiful way to say 'thank you' to their generous donors!

Bubba Greets the Crowd ~

The Tucson Wildlife Center celebrated a milestone - the ribbon cutting ceremony of their new state-of-the-art hospital facility! And what a celebration it was! Mayor Rothschild and Vice Mayor Scott came to assist in the ribbon cutting, TV news crews were busy filming, and through it all, Bubba (one of the Center's permanent residents) fascinated visitors.

This wonderful facility was made possible through the generosity of Sam Goldman who wanted to help heal and rehabilitate injured wildlife. This hospital is a Tucson treasure and I encourage you to visit their website to learn more about them. Here is Joan Cass, one of the Center's many dedicated volunteers, with Bubba.

Appropriately named ~

And here is the last in this series from Kathi's garden ~ Yellow Bird of Paradise. Which is just about how Tucson feels now. The cold has passed and we are not yet into the triple digits!
Photo courtesy of Kathi Gardner.

Nature's Neon ~

Here's one more photo of Tucson in bloom. The colors on these flowers are so vivid!
Photo courtesy of Kathi Gardner.

Tucson in full bloom ~

The prickly pear is ubiquitous in Tucson and typically we think of the green variety. This beautiful purple prickly pear is called the Santa Rita. It was discovered in (and named after) Tucson's Santa Rita Mountains. Gorgeous, isn't it?
Photo courtesy of Kathi Gardner.

At the corner of wacky and wild ~

Here's more examples of the imaginative and fun work of the Village Blacksmith.