Attempted Murder, Suicide, & Killer Desserts ~

Here is just a peek at the interior of the famous and historic Stevens House in Tucson's El Presidio district. Check out the beautiful painted lintel! In the 1800's Hiram Stevens attempted to kill his wife (the shot was deflected by her heavy silver hair comb!) and killed himself in this house. Now in the 21st century the house has been converted into a wonderful restaurant, Cafe A la C'art and is adjacent to the Tucson Museum of Art. 

In perfect balance ~

This charming inset gate and adobe wall convey warmth, welcome, and history in Tucson's historic El Presidio district. I imagine there is a lovely garden behind that wall! 

Sparkling Tree of Life ~

This gorgeous glass mosaic and metal gate graces the entryway to one of the homes in downtown Tucson's historic El Presidio district. Functional and beautiful! 

Just another day on the set ~

During our walking tour we stumbled onto a photo shoot. This gorgeous dame with her swanky hat, elegant gloves, and mink stole was just having a cup o' joe between takes. Mystery woman in black! Fun!

The Rare Horse Shoe Cactus ~

Someone had fun making a saguaro out of horse shoes! This sculpture sign is within the wonderful Old Town Artisans complex downtown. Food and drink plus many wonderful stores all housed in buildings from the 1800's. 

Look familiar?

If you spent yesterday stuffing your face all I can say is - GOOD FOR YOU! I hope that you celebrated your blessings by eating, drinking, and making merry. Now... time for you, me, and this chubby prairie dog to log some miles on the treadmill!!

Sharing a Thanksgiving wish for you ~

This is just about the best holiday that has ever been celebrated! The whole purpose of the day is to simply give thanks for your blessings and enjoy the bounty of a wonderful meal. I am wishing you the happiest of days today. Yes, indeed, let us all count our blessings.

And my dogs' doctor says....

This is good advice as you prepare for tomorrow's feast and celebration! (smile)

Desert Dino ~

How fun is this? Someone in my neighborhood is adding some whimsy to our environment. Today while I was walking my pups I spotted this wee dinosaur tucked into this tree. And it is glued in there so that it stays in place! 

Smart Turkey!

Turkeys all across America are trying to live past Thursday by outsmarting the chefs. This imaginative bird is posing as a lamp. I have to post this photo every year - it never fails to make me laugh! 

Beauty topside and under ground!

Voted "Best Cave in America," Kartchner Caverns is a 'must see' tourist destination if you are visiting the Tucson area. The Caverns are near Benson and there is a very cool story behind this amazing natural wonder. The Caverns were discovered by two local boys who kept the discovery a secret until they could figure out a way to preserve the site. Pretty forward thinking for a pair of young spelunkers! This is a view of the outdoor arena/amphitheatre.
Photo courtesy of Charles Nuttall. 

Shadow Cyclist ~

In honor of all of the bicyclists who participate in today's El Tour de Tucson, here is a special photo. It is "Every Cyclist" - male female, young, old, experienced, or novice - all levels and ages are welcome to participate in this wonderful event. This is its 34th year! Wow!
Photo courtesy of Ken Wilcox.

Divine Wine, Bon Vin ~

To mark the traditional celebration to salute Beaujolais Nouveau, Tucson's Alliance Francaise hosted a lovely wine tasting party at Cata Vinos. We had a flight of 6 wines to sip and enjoy. The Alliance also supplied home made French snacks - olives, crusty baquette, pesto and sundried tomato rolls, and puff pastry cheese sticks. We also had a selection of cheeses and a variety of crackers. Bon Appetit mes amies! 

Bear no more ~

17 November 2009

The Mystery of the Tucson Grizzly Bear ~ 

When I began doing this site in 2009 I never planned (or expected) it to be a chronicle of Tucson's ever-changing landscape. Over the years I have posted photos of murals that have subsequently been removed, buildings that have been torn down, and businesses that have closed. This fierce bear no longer guards the tile store - the store has been closed now for a long time. Here is the original posting:

So driving along 22nd Street I spotted this little picket fence box on wheels that holds a fierce grizzly bear. A plume of colorful balloons adds that "je ne sais quoi" to the whole tableau. He serves as the mascot for a local tile company.

MORE Tucson Sky - Wow!

This view of a fabulous Tucson sunset was taken from the airport. The Southwest plane wing and the runway create an unusual and unique composition, don't you think? What an interesting perspective!
Photo courtesy of John Mills. 

Another Tucson Sky Sighting - Totally Different!

Well the gorgeous Super Moon is still shining large and bright over Tucson and now we have a huge amount of SMOKE in the Catalinas! Firefighters are doing a controlled burn on Mount Bigelow and the 200-acre burn area is smoldering like red hot embers lighting up the night.

The Super Moon!

I hope that you took some time to watch the Super Moon rise! Wow! And why is it a Super Moon, you may wonder? The moon is actually closer to the earth now when it turned full and yes it looks bigger than usual. Beautiful! If you have photos you would like to share, please email them to me at tucsondailyphoto@gmail.com    I took this from my driveway as the moon was rising in a direct line above my street light (strung with white fairy lights). Fun! 

Tucson's Mount Gravel ~

Acme Gravel is a cool place! If you are going to shovel your own gravel you drive down into a massive gravel pit to find "your" mountain of gravel type. I just loved the abstract shapes and color contrast of the gravel in the foreground with the Catalinas peeking up in the background. All topped with Tucson's blue blue sky! 

Tucson's Loft Cinema - All Things Film!

Tucson's great movie theatre, The Loft, is currently having a Film Festival featuring several French films. The Alliance Francaise Tucson (AFT) is one of the sponsors and I am one of the volunteers who meets and greets attendees and tells them about all of the fun things that AFT offers - classes, potlucks, films, conversation groups, wine tastings, and more!

Tucson Force of Nature!

The amazing Neelam Sethi was the keynote speaker at a marvelous women's salon that I attend. Neelam is a true force of nature in Tucson's cultural world. She and her husband are generous and warm-hearted philanthropists in Tucson and they share a bit of Indian culture in all that they do. They have been sponsors of a "Bollywood" festival at the Fox and each year they host FAME (Family Arts and Music Experience), a wonderful free program for children. Neelam lights up the room with her spirit and beautiful heart. 

Throwback Thursday ~ Have you parked here yet?

10 NOVEMBER 2011

Downtown Parking with Style ~

For all of you who offer the excuse of "I don't know where to park" as the reason you don't come downtown, I say... here you go - no more excuses. It's funny to describe a parking lot as stylish but this one fits the bill. It is called "Centro" and its entrance is on Broadway just after you come up through the curve lined with the b/w photo tile mural. So park at Centro and check out all that's happening downtown!

This was five years ago and downtown Tucson is even better now - more restaurants, more clubs, more fun! 

Front Row Center ~

This fun trio of chairs is just part of a set of 10 unique bronze chair sculptures that are placed in front of the Marroney Theatre on the UA Campus. Click here to read more about this art installation and to see more photos of these chairs designed by local artist Barbara Grygutis. 

Tucson Procession of Love and Remembrance ~

Many participants carry photos of their departed loved ones during Tucson's annual All Souls Procession. And many participants wear "sugar skull" designs on their faces. Here are some photos from Sunday night's magnificent procession/parade.

Photos courtesy of Susan Dodson and Victoria Klocko. 

Send your message to the universe ~

The culmination of Tucson's All Souls Procession (aka Day of the Dead Parade) is the burning of the contents of the giant urn. Messages, hopes, wishes, and prayers are placed into the urn and are burned in a powerful ritual ceremony. If you would like to participate by submitting a message for 2017 (even if you can not attend the event), you can click here for the official form.

Photo courtesy of AllSoulsProcession.org

Tonight's Extravaganza!

If you have never been to Tucson's All Souls' Procession (a.k.a. Day of the Dead Parade), here is a peek of what might be in store for you tonight. Here is the link that tells you what is happening and where.
Photo courtesy of Mark Wight. 

Are you a gambler?

If you are a gambler or an actuary maybe you can figure the odds of these two license plates being parked side by side in a public parking lot. Weird or what??

Tucson Sky's Wormhole?

Just as a tremendous storm was brewing I spotted this patch of blue sky for just a moment before it closed up. Perhaps it was a wormhole above Tucson, AZ?  And if you look closely at the bottom picture isn't that a Klingon Bird of Prey? Is it exiting or entering the Wormhole? All this right above my house!  (smile) 

Throwback Thursday - Kids are Still Kids!

03 NOVEMBER 2010

Hike without leaving the store ~

What a concept! You can try out a new pair of hiking boots on an in-store rocky ramp to make sure you'll be happy with the grip when you're out there in the real, rocky world. From the sign it looks like this area also serves as an unintended kids' play area while mom & dad are shopping in this mega sports store. (:

http://www.sportsmanswarehouse.com/

A spooky sign from outer space?

This was one of those brief moments in time that I was lucky to catch. I was walking my pups as sunset was nearing. The images (aliens? targets? portals?) that are glowing on the side of this house were created by the setting sun's rays reflecting on something in the window of the house across the street. The reflected, glowing glory is what you see here on the side of this house! Weird! Wonderful! Kind of like the image of Jesus on a grilled cheese sandwich that sold on ebay! 

What's the punch line?

OK - a Scotsman, a Witch, and Agnes (from Despicable Me) go into a bar.....   These three great costumes are some of the Halloween costumes of my co-workers! FUN!