Happy Season!

Let me wish you and everyone you love a wonderful holiday season! Eat well and enjoy yourself during this festive time to be with friends and reflect on the year behind us and the year ahead. 

Same House, Different Chef

Every year the Arizona Inn creates a "Mini Inn" display for the lobby. I don't know if the house is gingerbread (or even if it is edible). Here's a quick review of 6 versions that have been on display in recent years. The top image is this year's house. A little skimpy on embellishments IMHO.

YES, the alarming orange icing is really that color - no trick of the camera! Anyone who has ever seen the Inn will describe it as more of a PINK than an ORANGE color so it is unclear why the pastry chefs went so heavy into the "Hazard Orange" color zone...   Which one do you like the best? And YES some years are definitely better than others (as you can see for yourself). 

Whooooo's Coming to Town? Santa Owl!

Wow - check it out! Our neighborhood Santa Owl has grown a beard since last year! Top photo is from today. Bottom photo is last year. FUN! 

Change of Season ~

Ah, yes! "THE" tree is beautifully displayed at the Arizona Inn. Every year the Inn places a huge Christmas tree in the library - visible from Elm Street, too. A beautiful tradition and a beautiful tree. Sets the festive mood for the season! 

Now WHAT did I do with that turkey??

Happy Thanksgiving! Hope you have a wonderful day with lots of food and laughter!

Quilter? Seamstress?

This made me laugh because it reminded me of my Great Aunt Betty who never used bad language, ever. Whenever she was upset with someone she would say something like, "Oh she's just an old So and So!"  Ha! 

400 years of history ~

These magnificent and massive carved wooden doors are dated to 1665. They are from a chapel in Michoacan, Mexico and were carved by Tarascan wood carvers. They are now installed on one of the art galleries at the Amerind Foundation in Texas Canyon. 

Hosting a Kaleidoscope!

My garden is currently home to a kaleidoscope of butterflies! Mostly Monarchs but there are also a few small cocoa brown butterflies who are also enjoying the garden's many blooms. It is utterly magical to watch the air ballet of these beauties as they float from flower to flower. The garden is home to bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds so there is quite a show going on! 

Powerful predator!

Check out the CLAWS on this magnificent owl! Wow!
Photo courtesy of George Goldman.

A Tucson evening of magical discovery!

You MUST see this show! The Arizona Theatre Company's current production, Silent Sky, is based on the true story of Henrietta Leavitt, an astonomer who made one of the most important discoveries about our universe. It is only here in Tucson until November 9 and then it runs in Phoenix. This is a wonderful evening of theatre! Click here to buy tickets. 

Where in the world are we? TUCSON? Yes!

Autumn comes to Tucson, too! Spectacular Fall colors? YES! A lovely drive up to Mt Lemmon will provide you with a leaf show that rivals Vermont! Beautiful! Beautiful!
Photos courtesy of George Goldman. 

Monarch in the Making ~

I was delighted to spot this caterpillar in my garden and thought it seemed very late for a Monarch butterfly to be forming. But I learned that now, in October, the "4th Generation" monarchs are hatching and migrating to Mexico and California. Learn more at this link. THESE live for six to eight months versus the livespan of just two to six WEEKS that Generations 1, 2, and 3 have.  I wanted my garden to be a "B" garden - attracting birds (espeically hummingbirds), bees, and butterflies. 

Tall Cowboy ~

That's a mighty tall cowboy standing sentry at the Hacienda del Sol Resort! And it looks like he has a big heart....    :)   (Yes, the Tucson sky really is that blue!)

HA! I laughed out loud ~

SO! Do you remember Tang - "The Astronauts' Drink" ? One of my neighbors has a great sense of humor to tag her orange car with this witty license plate! Click here for a short funny bit about Tang from "Groovy History." And, once again (as always!), Buzz Aldrin had to be the complaining spoiled sport...

Old World Charm ~ Tucson style

This pretty tiled fountain and lovely courtyard with its arched doorways is one of the delightful views you can enjoy at Hacienda del Sol Resort. This was taken at high noon so the sun washes out the color but you can still enjoy the shapes and the serene feeling. 

Dried Fruit ~ aka Proboscidea Paraviflora :)

This devil's claw is rendered in epic proportions in this striking cast bronze sculpture ("Large Devil's Claw") by Spencer Kane Edgerton. It is placed on the grounds of Hacienda del Sol Resort in Tucson, on loan from the R Kessler Collection. To learn more about this flowering Southwest plant and its fruit, go here. 

Another one - this time poisonous~!

What is it with the snakes this week? Here's another one that found his way into my backyard. But this one is a rattler and I had him removed by a proper snake wrangler. My humble push broom is no match for this vile viper! This photo shows him at the bottom of a removal bucket. He was taken to a galaxy far far away - yay! 

Going somewhere?

This snake - stretched out on TWO chairs - just wouldn't go away! When I first spotted him I removed him to the desert scrub near my driveway. About an hour later I was back outside and there he was AGAIN. The second time I moved him across the street and a block away. Live long and prosper in someone else's backyard! 

Greyhound Express!

Check out the nice ride these greyhounds have ~ a "Furrari" no less! FUN!

Photo courtesy of Dave Aber. 

More than the sum of its parts ~

What looks like a motley collection of machine parts and sheet metal has been transformed into an interesting sculpture of a human head by this artist. This piece is part of the large collection of sculpture on display throughout the grounds of Tucson's Hacienda del Sol Resort. Interesting! 

Equine condiment?

The latest cute sign at my vet's office.  :)

Botanical Couple ~

These gorgeous bronze sculptures by Robert J Wick incorporate living plants into them which connects them in a profound way to their surroundings. At the moment the Tucson Botanical Gardens has a number of these pieces throughout the grounds. The exhibit was scheduled to end on June 30 but the installation is still in place - for how much longer, I don't know. Magical!

Photo courtesy of Ken Wilcox.

Can you see it?

So delicate and fine.... I almost missed this spider web in front of my house. The light had to catch it in just the right way. Lovely! 

Seriously? What the....?

OK - I have seen a LOT of personalized license plates in Tucson. Some are fun, some are funny, some are obscure.... but THIS ONE???  "Tapeguy" -????   I tried researching what the word is for someone who loves tape and came up empty handed. Any ideas what this means? Post your thoughts on this one! Curious! 

Winding Road Theatre - Tucson Treasure

There are so many small theatre companies in Tucson that it's hard to keep up! The Winding Road Theatre uses the stage at the Historic Y (on 5th Ave) for this show. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND their current production of Lillian Hellman's "Little Foxes." (You may have seen the film starring Bette Davis as Regina.)  This is an excellent production with exceptional performances (particularly Regina and Birdie)! Just a few more performances so hurry!

Stairway to Paradise...

You may remember the iconic "Stairway to Paradise" as sung and danced in American in Paris. Ah,  yes, the lighted pink staircase! Go here to refresh your memory! Here is a modern sculptor's vision of that same voyage as seen on the grounds of Hacienda del Sol Resort in Tucson, AZ. 

What is this?

Recently I attended a conference held at the beautiful Hacienda del Sol Resort. As regular visitors to this site know, I love outdoor/public art and this spectacular mirrored creation certainly caught my eye!

Unfortunately, the resort does not supply an attribution to their collection of art (and that is REALLY TOO BAD!!!) so I don't know the artist or the title. Anyone want to make something up to suggest a name for this piece? I will share what one of the resort staffers calls it: "Upside Down Bowling Pin" - which is just as good a name as any! 

Planetary Scientist's Spaceship

Ceres - yes, you know it! It's the largest object betwen Mars & Jupiter. The bright spots on this dwarf planet (some still refer to it as an asteroid) have sparked a lot of excitement and speculation about the origins - salt? sodium caronate? ammonia-rich clay? 

You lookin' at ME?

BEAUTIFUL BIRD! Please look closely in the top photo and you will see his TAIL FEATHERS. YES, the owl has turned its head almost 180 degrees. To find out more about how owls can do this, LiveScience can tell you here. What an impressive creature!
Photos courtesy of George Goldman. 

Art Deco Bug ~

I found this beautiful critter on my front patio. What beautiful and distinctive coloring! Although I did an image search I couldn't find a match. Anyone know what kind of insect I have photographed here?
UPDATE! A Tucson entomologist has made her verdict: Giant Mesquite Bug!
https://www.whatsthatbug.com/2008/01/28/giant-mesquite-bug-adult-and-nymphs-and-its-edible/

It's great to be understood!

YES! Restaurant signage that speaks the truth.  :)

Fantastic Undercover Surveillance!

Not quite as covert as in days gone by.....    :)   Here we have full disclosure I guess!   :)

3rd Time a Charm??

Today I removed this toad for the THIRD TIME from my front patio! He likes to sit near the air conditioning drip. If he wasn't POISONOUS I really wouldn't care but either one of my 2 dogs could lunge to investigate him and suffer from his nasty toxic secretions. Bleh! Here's more about him:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado_River_toad   He is also as piable as a blob of jelly. When I come to scoop him into a pitcher he flattens himself like a pancake. 

Fluffy no more! Fierce!

Scroll back to see these fierce hawks as little white feather balls.... the weeks have passed and they are now fully equipped to fend for themselves. Check out those beaks! Those claws! Magnificent birds.
Photos courtesy of George Goldman. 

How long for you??

HA! Saw this on a restaurant wall on University. Funny stuff...