HEAT times 3 ~

I am posting three images from this fantastic photo so that you can really feel the heat! The sunset is totally aflame and the palm trees are being rustled by a hot, hot wind. Can't you just hear the dry palm leaves crackling? I am getting SO tired of this heat! Come on, monsoons!! Get here!!
Photo courtesy of George Goldman.

Throwback Thursday - Dino Still On Guard - YAY!

29 June 2009

Everyone loves a polka dotted dino ~ 

If I were in grade school I bet I would love having a purple polka dotted dinosaur guarding my playground! This cheerful view is the playground at Dunham Elementary School, home of the mighty Panthers. The photo was taken in late afternoon - notice the grey & overcast sky. The monsoons will start soon...   P.S. The dark blue at the top is NOT our Tucson sky. It's the canvas roof of this portion of the playground.

Dunham Elementary School
maps.google.com

Stay in your own yard, please!

Here is a photo of a gila monster on my neighbor's rock garden that my puppy Abby spotted last night! I have never seen a Gila Monster in the wild - only at the Desert Museum. To learn more about them and to hear what they sound like, click here. They are poisonous and dangerous to dogs. 

Tucson Trivia: Did you know....?

Hello trivia lovers! Did you know that in 2011 Tucson was voted the “Most Awesome City for Climbers” by Climbing magazine? Now....go climbing! (:

Red, white, and blue?

Cheerful red garage door and matching gate plus blue sky and white clouds makes for a cheerful and patriotic image to start your week. Happy Monday! 

2nd Day: Time for another.... "Where is this?"

No guesses so far!  OK - here are some clues. This beachfront property is east of Swan and south of Grant Road.

ORIGINAL POST: This looks so inviting... a restaurant right on the beach! It looks REALLY inviting right now with our truly awful heat wave. Where is this?? For regular visitors to the site you know that the first person to identify this location wins a "fabulous" TDP t-shirt. Good luck! 

Crispy, Sunburned Cactus?

Considering that our weather has been in the 112 degrees (and up!) category this week, it seems logical to think that we may have some sunburned desert plants as a result of "TMS" - too much sun. Nope. This hearty barrel cacus is a piece of decorative metal yard art that just LOOKS a bit crispy!

Throwback Thursday: Angels Still at Work ~

22 June 2011

Angels at work ~

The restoration work of Mission San Xavier has been going on for years and it continues as money is raised for the painstaking work. Eventually there will be a second tower added, too.  Here is the original posting from 2011:

The interior of Mission San Xavier houses near-permanent scaffolding as artisans repair and restore the chapel's remarkable artwork and carvings.
http://www.sanxaviermission.org/

Fearsome and Watchful Mama ~

So what protects baby hawks from predators, you might wonder? Check out the claws on mama hawk and you will have your answer! The eyases are venturing out from the nest a bit now that they are bigger. But mama is definitely keeping her eye on things!
Photos courtesy of George Goldman.

Tucson Trivia Tuesday ~ America's Public Enemy

Did you know that John Dillinger, one of America's most notorious criminals, was arrested in Tucson at the Hotel Congress? In late January 1934, five members of the Dillinger gang, including Dillinger himself, were arrested in Tucson. They were five of the top six names on the FBI's Public Enemy list. A fire allowed firemen to discover their identity and the police promptly arrested Dillinger and gang members Harry Pierpoint, Charles Makley, Russell Clark, and Ed Shouse. The police found the gang in possession of over $25,000 in cash, 3 submachine guns and five machine guns. Tucson celebrates the historic arrest with an annual "Dillinger Days" festival, the highlight of which is a reenactment.

Opening the Week ~

To start your week off on a cool note I bring you a beautiful ocean blue door mounted in a curved stucco archway. So cheery! 

Happy Father's Day!

To all of the dads, grandfathers, brothers, uncles and all other significant guys out there who are making families better, stronger, and more loving. Have a great day today!

We're having a heat wave....

As Marilyn Monroe would sing it, "We're havin' a heat wave, a tropical heat wave." Oh baby it is HOT and the prediction is to hit 116 degrees in the next few days. Yep, it's definitely warmish! 

Curvy Entry ~

First let me say that yes, the Tucson sky IS that blue!  I just love this gate/archway's wooden door. Check out the slight curve of the wood. Looks like it was salvaged from the Nina, Pinta, or the Santa Maria! 

Tucson Throwback Thursday - Gone Girl!

15 JUNE 2009

Tucson's Super Girl ~ Mask, Boots, Flute

Too bad! Musical Super Girl is long gone - the building housing the Chicago Store was renovated and repainted a few years ago. Here is the original posting: 

A few days ago another piece of mural art ("Brick Dancers") from the Chicago Music Store wall was featured. This masked girl is on the same wall ~ painted inside a niche. With her mask and black boots I think she looks like a super hero ~ part flutist, part artist. Notice the stencil in the lower left: "Waste your life. Be an artist."

(130 E. Congress).

Artful Shadow Play ~

 

In the early morning hours the sun strikes this modern art sculpture in such a way as to paint a picture on the wall. Beautiful and so interesting!

Tucson Trivia Time - An Ancient Hideaway

Did you know that Tucson's Colossal Cave is one of the world's largest dry caves? Water no longer runs through it so the formations do not grow. This is a fabulous place to visit during Tucson's hot hot summers as the cave temperature is a constant 70 degrees! Mmmm! 

And now there are THREE!

About a week ago I posted a photo of a mama Cooper's Hawk keeping watch over her baby. Now there are THREE and they are getting big! Wow - beautiful!
Photo courtesy of George Goldman. 

Privacy, please!

Nope, it's not a trick of the light. This gate really is blocked by a blooming bougainvillea bush! I guess the homeowners use only their garage door or they have been on vacation for a long, long time! 

Clever! Clever!

The simplicity of this license plate is just flat out wonderful! With all of the weird and hard to figure out messages that people put on their license plates, I have to say BRAVO to this driver!! Fun! 

Any minute now...

The creamy white flowers of the saguaro cactus bloom at night and last for just a day so you have to be vigilant to enjoy their beauty! The top of this saguaro has a few buds that will bloom tomorrow and some that bloomed yesterday or were open this morning before fading. Did you know that the saguaro flower is Arizona's state flower? Here's more info and a spectacular bouquet of saguaros in bloom. Enjoy! 

Throwback Thursday - All Gone Now

08 JUNE 2009

Shrines, Warnings & the US Mail

I was driving to visit a friend and noticed this remarkable construction in front of a house on her street. You can see a regulation mailbox there in the center but that's where anything "regular" ends! The mailbox is flanked by fierce Aztec statues and ceramic sunflowers. The two discs are brightly painted Aztec calendars. To add to this eyecatching mix... check out the Madonna mosaic and sculpture on the front of the house! It looks like they keep their holiday lights up all year round ~ I'll have to drive by at night and see how this looks illuminated.

A few years ago new owners removed all of this eclectic decor. It may not be everyone's taste but it was sure colorful! 

Thousands and thousands of images later - the site is 8 Years Old!

The site is celebrating its EIGHTH anniversary! Holy wow! This is the first image I ever posted and the text that accompanied it in June, 2009.

Many people don't make the association that thorny cacti can also be beautiful, blooming plants. This particular beauty is such an example ~ it blooms for just one day. The flower is fabulous magenta and orange with an iridescent sheen. And it's the size of a feather duster!

Tuesday is Tucson Trivia Day! Ansel Adams...

  

Did you know that famed photographer Ansel Adams (1902 - 1984) co-founded Tucson's Center for Creative Photography and that dozens of his prints are archived there?  Click here for additional info 

and to view more of his work.  

Photo courtesy of Center for Creative Photography.

Totally Tucson!

The combination of blue gate, blue front door, and blooming (blue) plumbago caught my eye on a recent walk. So welcoming! 

Stoneware Seating ~

Careful! These pretty floral seat cushions are not fabric - they are stone! This trompe l'oeil bench provides some lovely (but not comfy) seating at St Philip's Plaza. The whole plaza is filled with colorful tile and mosaic work - beautiful! 

So true! Woof! Meow!

Tucson wildlife encounter - an eyas!

Look closely and you will see the Cooper's Hawk keeping watch over a little white eyas (baby hawk). To hear the call of this beautiful predator and to see more photos of it, click here.
Photo courtesy of George Goldman. 

Sad News for a Tucson Throwback Thursday ~

One of Tucson's beloved spaces was severely damaged by fire this week. DeGrazia's Gallery in the Sun Chapel was badly burned. Here is the news link to read more.
Archive photo courtesy of Susan Dodson.