Always look for the blue sky!

We've been having lots of stormy weather this week - rain and cold temperatures. At first glance this photo might appear to be a black and white composition but look carefully and you'll see a tiny patch of blue breaking through the clouds. Beautiful! 

Magnificent Moonrise

Wow! Golden globe - beautiful!
Photo courtesy of George Goldman. 

Throwback Thursday!

28 FEBRUARY 2014

Tucson's Inter-galactic visitors?

In an entire beautiful blue sky filled with thin, scattered clouds this big fluffy one traveling all alone caught my eye. Cleverly disguised visitors from a distant star? Or just another beautiful Tucson sky?

Catalinas Crested with Snow

The snow has stopped falling but the beautiful Catalina Mountains to the north are still blanked with snow - gorgeous!

Photo courtesy of Ken Wilcox.

9 years later it was a little earlier ~

23 JANUARY 2010

Still life with Palm Trees and Snow ~

THEN: (Snow was later in the season here in 2010.)

A fun fact about Tucson is that the northernmost mountain range (the Catalinas) contains the southernmost ski area in the United States - Mt Lemmon Ski Valley. Skiing hasn't started there yet for the season but maybe the ski runs will be open this weekend. Ah, Tucson - golf in the morning, ski in the afternoon!

NOW:

2019 brought snow earlier than in 2010. Tucson already had its flirtation with snow for the season a few weeks ago. With a little luck, we are done with snow now and can look forward to crocuses and spring! 

Telltale hint ~

Ah, yes. The only thing that helps identify this snow-capped mountain as located in Tucson, AZ (and not in Canada somewhere) is the palm tree. Gorgeous vista, isn't it? We certainly have been enjoying beautiful snow but let's get back to winter temps in the 60's, shall we?  (:
Photo courtesy of George Goldman. 

AWESOME way to start the week!

We never get tired of Tucson's mountainous beauty. This is a sunrise capturing a magnificent view ~ WOW!

Photo courtesy of George Goldman. 

Close but a World Away ~

Not too far south of Tucson is part of Arizona that is quite beautiful and is a combination of ranch land and vineyards. Yes! Arizona has a thriving wine industry and you can take yourself on a pretty great wine tasting tour through Sonoita and Elgin. This sign post affirms that you are driving in The West! 

This striking photograph captures the immense power and beauty of Tucson's monsoons. Just a breathtaking image, don't you agree?
Photo courtesy of George Goldman. 

A River Runs Through It ~

 

YES! You can believe your eyes! That is water running in the Santa Cruz River. This is a view looking northeast and you can see downtown Tucson in the distance. Thanks to the recent massive storms we have had, Tucson (temporarily) has a river running through it! 

Photo courtesy of Ken Wilcox.  

Ahhh.... the Pot o' Gold!

We are so lucky in Tucson to have incredible vistas where we can see full, unobstructed rainbows from end to end! Fabulous! Our storms give us these golden gifts after the rain falls. Beautiful.
Photos courtesy of George Goldman. 

'tis the season! Monsoon season, that is!

Photographers from all over the world travel to Tucson at this time of year to capture the astonishing light show that accompanies our monsoon season. This fabulous image showcases the jagged lightning against a rain-filled cloud cover. In the foreground is our iconic saguaro, the sentinel of the desert southwest.
Photo courtesy of George Goldman.

Look Familiar?

Yesterday I posted a photo of where I am but no one made a guess. Does THIS look familiar? It is one of Tucson's most charming places. Guesses - anyone??

Thursday Throwback - Any minute now!

05 JULY 2009

Silver Sky - Soft Light

THEN:

It's late afternoon and the monsoon storm clouds are rolling in again to give us more water, thunder, and lightning. This soft light makes this landscape photo look like it was shot with black and white film.

NOW:

We are a wee bit behind this year with monsoon but any minute now.....  whoosh! 

Tucson's Remarkable Rock Garden ~

Whenever I hear the term "rock garden" I don't really picture THIS! But it is clear that these homeowners on Desert Steppes Drive want to make sure that they remain untroubled by weeds until the end of time! Wow - imagine how long this must have taken to install! Rock Garden indeed!
Photo courtesy of David Aber. 

Green Burritos - Throwback Thursday

22 FEBRUARY 2012

Grass wraps ~

THEN: Yesterday I gave you a tip how to instantly brighten up your patio. Today's gardening hint is: take shortcuts. Instead of sowing grass seed and coaxing it to grow, buy an instant lawn with a sod roll up. Easy, yes?

NOW: Still a great shortcut idea but probably not so wonderful for the Southwest unless you can use reclaimed water to keep your lawn irrigated. 

Tucson's Flying Fish ~

Guests at Tucson's lovely Hacienda del Sol Resort can enjoy this sparkling school of fish at poolside. The gorgeous view (yes, our sky really is that blue!) is north. Another resort - La Paloma - is visible in the distance. That is also La Paloma's golf course that puts some green in the landscape. 

Cold weather alert!

We are having some cold weather - yes I mean COLD by Tucson standards anyway! It's dipping into the 30's and 40's at night. Here is what the cold front looked like as it approached Tucson. Looks pretty menacing, doesn't it? Brrrrr!
Photo courtesy of Hazell Kotel.

Tucson Trivia - Golf Capital!

It's Tuesday so time for some Tucson trivia! Did you know that Tucson is considered a world class golf capital? Golfers know you can play golf in Tucson nearly every day of the year. And the variety of courses is amazing! Several courses have been PGA tour stops and many of Tucson's resorts have their own golf courses. There are also city-owned public courses. Fore! 

Is that Shangri-la in the distance?

When our Tucson Catalina Mountains are shrouded in monsoon clouds they do tend to look very soft and mysterious. Beautiful!