Octoman Cactus ~

The icon of the Southwest, the saguaro cactus, is breathtaking in its size and diversity. Here is one that has sprouted 8 branches (or arms) and also developed a crested top. Octoman! (And now I can't get the tune of Macho Man out of my head!)
Photo courtesy of Nathan S Bunker.

Pumpkin pie, anyone?

As you recover from TMF (too much food), I thought you might enjoy this happy photo. Although this is not a Tucson photo, I couldn't resist posting it. A friend in NYC sent this to me. He captured this happy squirrel munching on a pumpkin that was on his stoop in Brooklyn. Mmmm! Pumpkin pie for the wild critters...
Photo courtesy of Gene Brown.

Rare Tucson Bird ~

You are probably familiar with the Cactus Wren but did you know there is a Cactus Turkey? Here is a photo of that elusive bird in the wild. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! Have a wonderful day with your family and friends!

No Black Friday for you! Shop right here, right now!

For those of you who visit this site frequently, you know that from time to time I post a photo and ask. "Where is this?" The first person to correctly reply wins this "fabulous" t-shirt or mousepad. I took the photo at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, where the ram lives. 

So, to help you with your holiday shopping, here's your solution. If you are looking for an inexpensive and fun gift for family, friends, and coworkers, consider giving this expressive ram t-shirt! Part of the proceeds goes to the Desert Museum. 

100% cotton

Size Large 

Ridiculously Low Price of just $12!

Send an email to me at: TucsonDailyPhoto@gmail.com and I'll give you the payment and shipping details. Thanks! And the Desert Museum thanks you!  

Wild Sunbather ~

This handsome grey fox was catching some rays in a residential backyard. What a beautiful creature!
Photo courtesy of Sherry Nickel.

Message to all tailgaters ~

I laughed when I was behind this car at a red light and read their very polite message. The sticker is faded from the sun but it says, "Sorry for driving so close in front of you."  (:

The 31lst El Tour - bringing fun and color to Tucson!

The 31st El Tour de Tucson, the internationally acclaimed bike race, was held yesterday. Thousands of participants (including a 91-year-old first timer!) hit the streets and pedaled for charity. 

In honor of the race's participants I'm posting this image of Tucson's famous Bike Church. It is a shrine to bicyclists and a memorial to fallen bicyclists.  The unusual structure is 24' tall and is made primarily of bicycle parts. The colorful acrylic panels glow at night from solar lighting. Blessing Hancock of Skyrim Studio and Joe O'Connell, the talented sculptor of Creative Machines, built this with the help of local teens. (Note: Joe also created the fantastic Griffin sculpture on Scott Avenue.)

The Bike Church is on Main near Davis.
http://tucsoncitizen.com/art/2009/08/16/bike-sanctuary-inaugural-in-barrio-anita/

For fun El Tour videos showing yesterday's start and finish, click here. 

Boot Babe ~

 

The Boot Bunkhouse on Pima recently had their mural changed on the building's face. Previously it was a line up of colorful boots. Click here to see the photo from 2010. I thought the new mural was really fun and it reminds me of the beautiful babes that were painted on planes in WWII. She is definitely a pin up girl! Then I read in the local news that the owner of this place refused to pay the artist, Darah L Sueme,  for her work. She had to threaten to paint over it to get paid. Happily, he paid the artist for her work and this babe stays. She does certainly perk up Pima Street! 

Flaming Fall Colors ~

For indoors or out, B & B Cactus Farm gives you a huge selection of pots to choose from to show off your favorite plants. This grouping of orange pots makes me think of pumpkins and pumpkin pie! 'Tis the season!

Photo courtesy of Nathan S Bunker.

Perfect specimens ~

There is a real art to growing beautiful cactus for your home landscaping. And the local masters of that art are the folks at B & B Cactus Farm  - way out on Speedway. This is part of their "showcase garden."
Photo courtesy of Nathan S Bunker.

And how big is your garden??

Driving behind this gigantic red spool of hose made me think of watering a mighty big garden! And after I posted this photo I noticed how patriotic it is - red hose, white truck, BLUE Tucson sky!

An Aisle of Smiles and Wags ~

An aisle of Goldens!

Did you think pet photography was easy??

Did you say SNACK?

Can I have more than one?

His three amigos.

Stay! Stay!

PERFECT!

I'm done! Outta here!

Every year the great folks from Rescue a Golden of Arizona host a "Bark in the Park" day. It's a picnic and a "Dog a Thon" all wrapped up like a party! And a fun raffle with terrific items is one of the highlights of the fun day. And, one of the nicest parts of the event is that people can talk about the pet friends that have crossed the Rainbow Bridge. All pet lovers understand that deep emotion and this group provides a nice forum for it.

These folks do such good, loving work rescuing and fostering Goldens. Check out their website!

Tucson's newest and biggest baby ~

I hope you enjoyed your mini tour of the Reid Park Zoo these last few days. I saved the best for last. Here is baby Nandi -- the BIGGEST news at the Reid Park Zoo! She is just a few months old and already weighs about 400 pounds! Soon she'll be too big to scoot under her mama's belly. Click this link to see more pictures of this sweetie and to learn more about her. She is a delight to watch! I hope this makes your Monday a little better....

So I have to wonder...

How do those little furry creatures open the gate? I didn't know their little paws were that dextrous!

Saturday Snooze ~

Tucson's Reid Park Zoo has two Malayan tigers - a male and a female. One of them was enjoying a nice snooze on what looks like a custom built hammock! Comfy!

The Amazing Anteater!

Here is one of the Reid Park Zoo's most interesting residents - the anteater! First, did you know they have no teeth? With their long, sharp claws they can dig into something tasty (like a termite mound or ant hill) and lap up a snack with their long, sticky tongue. In relation to their overall size, the anteater has a longer tongue than any other mammal. Their tails are very bushy and very long. To protect their claws they walk on their knuckles. Fascinating! 

Something NEW at the Zoo!

Tucson's Reid Park Zoo has just introduced camel rides! As you can see, you are seated in a secure frame and a trained animal handler guides you around. No worries the camel will gallop away with you! FUN!

Tucson Python - beware!

Oh yes, I am very glad I live in Tucson and not in Africa where the Rock Python hangs around in trees waiting to squeeze its next meal to death! These are the biggest snakes in Africa and can measure 15 feet in length. Happily, this fake snake lives at the Reid Park Zoo and isn't looking for prey!

Giraffes have long black tongues! Who knew?

No worries! I can reach that carrot!

Miss Cheetah Leopard feeds the Giraffe!

What a face! Gotta love it!

Tucson's Reid Park Zoo has a really fun feature - you can feed carrots to the giraffes! And it's not just for kids - adults love it, too!

All dressed up for the Zoo!

 

These beautiful little girls were really excited to be at the Reid Park Zoo! One is wearing a giraffe printed dress and the other is wearing a leopard/cheetah printed sweater and capris! (Tomorrow you'll see another photo of Miss Leopard feeding the giraffes.)  Couldn't be any cuter, could they?

Pairs and pairs of chairs ~

This was NOT part of a yard sale or a wacky art installation! Just a flatbed filled with dozens of bistro chairs sitting on the side of the road....  

Time Less ~

Here is another imaginative example of student artwork on display now at Pima Community College West. This piece, "Time Less," by Amber Pierson is really fun! She has wrapped the watch band around the trunk of a tree in the courtyard. And as you can see, all of the numbers on the watch face are jumbled up which really leads to the question, "Does anybody really know what time it is?"

HAIR(iet)-Raising Artwork ~

Here is another of the student sculptures in the Pima Community College courtyard. This one is an homage to "Harriet" complete with wild wire hair and a hair pick! Artist is Jazmin Alva.

WOW! We have been featured! Check it out!

A special Shout Out today and a big THANKS to Jerry Peek, a Tucsonan who is chronicling the amazing murals that we see all around town. His blog, Tucson Murals Project, is a very cool site to visit. Jerry found Tucson Daily Photo and realized that I have posted many murals that he had not seen. So he directed his site visitors to visit here. THANKS, Jerry!

Tucson's Super Germ ~

One of the courtyards at Pima Community College West is filled now with many interesting metal sculptures done by PCC students. This one, "Super Germ," was designed and assembled by Nick Lamb. Fun!

Alas, some things DO change!

Last year on November 4th I posted this photo of a well-known fruit stand with the headline, "Some Things Never Change." And here is my caption from that posting just one year ago:

This fruit stand on Speedway and 6th Avenue looks like it has been around since before electricity came to Tucson! For part of the year it's all boarded up and looks quite abandoned and I think it has closed forever. Then, it pops open again and sells pumpkins, apple cider, peanuts, honey, and local candies. I don't know if it actually has a name other than "that fruit stand on 6th." It certainly has a rustic charm, though!!

And now the Fruit Land market is gone! Here's the article link.  When I launched this site five years ago I never dreamed it would become a bit of a Tucson historical archive.

Howling turtles?

I laughed when I saw these turtles at the Agua Caliente Park! Doesn't it look like they are howling or singing? Quite a funny chorus line. Hmmm, reminds me - there was a band in the 60's called the Turtles!

Ghoulishness continues ~

 

Oops! Had to steal an image of my Halloween Party cupcakes from the Internet! Before I could photograph them on their serving platter, they were half gone.....  Anyway, they were (bloody) red velvet batter (of course!). Yummy! 

Late morning stroll... er... slither ~

This fine big fellow was getting some sun and shade at the same time! He is definitely a well-fed and  healthy snake (bad luck for the pack rats in the 'hood!).
Photo courtesy of George Goldman.