Tucson's Magical Garden ~ Beautiful!

Once a year the Tucson Botanical Gardens provides a truly memorable nighttime experience - Luminaria Nights. All of the winding paths are lighted with luminaria and the effect is... magical!

The talented Roxanna Baker greeted every visitor at the entrance with jolly holiday music played on her accordion.

And, by the way, the luminaria on the grounds are real ones (paper bags weighted with sand to hold a candle) not the horrible molded plastic bags with an electric light inside!

So many beautiful moments from this lovely evening – come back tomorrow for more photos!

http://www.tucsonbotanical.org/

Purple Mountains, Pink Sky ~ Tucson Sunset

Tucson (and the Sonoran Desert in general) is famous for its sunsets and you can see why. For an interesting explanation about what makes our skies so gorgeous, click here:

http://www.spc.noaa.gov/publications/corfidi/sunset/

Why can't javelina mind their manners?

Back in November I posted a photo of the results of a javelina herd stomping around in my front yard. They ate & ran (leaving behind a prized pumpkin in their hurry to escape). Last night they visited again. The top photo shows what I saw when I opened my front door. They ate my big philodendron - leaves, stems, roots, and DIRT! And then they deposited the empty pot on my doormat.

They also uprooted ice plants, overturned asparagus fern, and they figured out how to open my sealed tub of bird seed. Look closely at the lower photo and you'll see TWO javelina (one is behind the tree). What a mess! And they left smudges of dirt on my front door ~ I guess they bumped into it with their noses.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peccary

Upscale & Upstairs at La Encantada ~

Tucson's chic shopping center, La Encantada, offers a multi-level setting for a collection of upscale shops and a variety of restaurants. Tiffany, Brooks Brothers, L'Occitane... oh it's easy to melt down your credit cards here!

http://www.laencantadashoppingcenter.com/

The Ubiquitous Poinsettia ~

The Southwest has a lot of special decorating traditions for the holidays - stringing saguaro cactus with lights, hanging chili pepper wreaths on doors and chili pepper lights on the Christmas tree... And like every other community across the land, there is a display of poinsettia in every public place. The lovely La Encantada, one of Tucson's most upscale shopping areas, has placed pots of these red blooms everywhere - even in their fountains!

Did you know that the poinsettia has been associated with Christmas for 500 years?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphorbia_pulcherrima#Christmas_tradition

La Encantada
www.laencantadashoppingcenter.com2905 East Skyline DriveTucson, AZ 85718-3097(520) 299-3556Get directions

Mexican Red, Cherry Red, Santa Red ~

This is one of the Sensory Patios at the Tucson Botanical Gardens ~ areas that have been designed to stimulate all five senses with a theme. Notice the red chili peppers hanging between the rustic shutters. These lovely and serene spots invite a visitor to sit down, rest, and contemplate the beautiful surroundings.

http://www.tucsonbotanical.org/

As Red as Rudolph's Nose!

This bright red classic beauty is part of the holiday display at a Tucson car dealer's lot. Check out the white wall tires! Grazing reindeer and twinkling evergreens complete this festive tableau. December ~ it will be gone in a flash!