Colorful Spring

Corona de Tucson

April  27, 2025

A garden of wildflowers at Tucson Botanical Gardens

April just seems to have come and gone without much going on.  We followed our vet's orders and made sure Lucy had two weeks for recovery from her surgery although it was much harder the second week than it was the first week.  We have started back walking the past few days.  I was surprised Lucy picked up right where we left off.  She tolerates the leash and walks without pulling unless she hears another dog(s) bark or sees someone she needs to greet.  We aren't quite sure how to teach her to ignore those two things and are banking on some maturity.  She turned eight months old on April 20th.  

Joe and I have each had a couple of appointments in Tucson.  We headed straight to Baja Cafe for liege waffles with berries and danish cheese on one of our outings and ate every morsel  Another day we enjoyed a nice lunch at Wildflower.  I always say I'm going to try a different meal there, but always end up ordering the lobster and artichoke salad with grilled asparagus, roasted cherry tomatoes on greens served with a delicious truffle vinaigrette.  We also indulged ourselves with bars of sin for desert...cappuccino mouse covered in praline chocolate with vanilla gelato...quite tasty !

Our only other outing was a spring visit to Tucson Botanical Gardens. Joe and I both agreed that the gardens were more beautiful and colorful than we have ever seen them.   The iris were gorgeous...

The roses were vibrant...

The amaryllis were striking...

Lady's Glove were dramatic...

The poppies were vivid...

The Swallowtails were busy...

The Dove were protecting...

The bees were working...

 

And the guests were playing.

One of the exhibits is Beautiful Spirit : Art in Motion.  The dragonfly wings are about 6 feet wide and hinged at midpoint.  With a little pedal power, the wings will flap and the body moves up and down.  

Majestic...artist Joe Benedict

We also enjoyed the Fiesta De Los Animales exhibit.  It is a collection of folk art sculptures to celebrate the imagery and symbolism from indigenous Mexican cultures.  Each sculpture showcases a region and culture.  

Hummingbird...in the style of Purepecha ceramic.  Purepecha are an indigenous culture from western Mexico and their influence on folk art dates back hundreds of years. These ceramics have a limited color palette with detailed line work.

Parrot...in the style of Tonala burnished earthenware.  Tonala pottery dates back to pre-Hispanic times. Burnishing is a finishing technique that uses stone to polish the piece creating a smooth, shiny appearance without the use of glaze. The color is derived from iron and manganese oxides and local clays. 

And one more exhibit located in the Porter Hall is Curious Allies.  It is a collection of 48 paintings in a range of styles and media that shine a light on many environmental benefits derived from mutualistic relationships between fungi, lichens, parasitic, etc and the species with which they interact...ourselves included. 

The Fifth New York Botanical Garden Triennial with the American Society of Botanical Artists

Tucson Botanical Gardens has been rated #4 in the country for "Best Botanical Garden" in the USA Today 10 Best Readers' Choice Awards for 2025.  This marks the third consecutive year the gardens have received this national recognition.  Joe and I sure enjoy our walks at the gardens. As many times as we have visited, we never tire of the beauty during all the seasons of the year.  

 

Back at the oasis, we are enjoying the rockers.   The birds come and go..the oranges have been a favorite.

And I happened to see the Cooper's hawk at the bird feeder, but by the time I grabbed the camera he was resting on the fence.

Until next time, 

HAPPY TRAILS! 

Tucson Folk Festival

Corona de Tucson

April 13, 2025

 

On the 4th, Lucy had an appointment to be groomed in Green Valley.  Instead of coming home and going back to pick her up, Joe and I decided to go to Madera Canyon for a walk.  It was one of those interesting sky days with dark clouds and blue skies all around.  But the closer we got to the Madera, the darker it got and the colder it got.  The volunteers at the visitor station greeted us wearing coats, mittens and toboggans and when they said the creek was dry it was a no brainer...an auto hike would be just fine.  

The temp dropped a few more degrees by the time we reached the end of Madera Canyon Road and started back down.  

The turkeys were out and about.  

We did make a stop at the gift shop for a hot chocolate and a danish...the almond danish is so yummy.  We watched the birds at the feeders and the folks there photographing them...both were entertaining.  

Before picking up Lucy, we stopped at Desert Blooms Nursery to get fertilizer for our cacti and succulents.  The nursey is divided into two sections...the cacti and succulents on one side and garden flowers/veggies/ vines/etc on the other side.  There is always a nice selection of pots in all colors, shapes, and sizes.   The store has indoor plants and outdoor artsy things like sun catchers and pot stakes.  The owners are nice and very helpful too. 

I couldn't pass up the sweet little heart and butterfly...

Lucy was happy to be going home...

Sunday, Joe and I had a day date.  We were off to the city for a walk, a festival, and brunch.  I love going to the city.   

  

Downtown Tucson held its 40th Tucson Folk Festival.  It is a three day event with free admission  There are six stages set up in downtown with close proximity to Jacome Plaza.  Over 150 performances were scheduled during the event.  Performances were scheduled to begin at noon and ending between 6:30 to 9:30 that night.   Music variations for the weekend included bluegrass, blues, country, jazz, and various Latin and Mexican style music.  

We were there well before noon, but just in time to see Fox and Bones, a Portland based band,  in a jamming/rehersal session.  They describe their music as pop-folk-rock.  I say it rocked with rhythm, harmony, and energy...the kind of energy that makes it really hard to sit in a chair and not get up and dance ! 

Joe described the band as tight.  I did look that up and learned it means "the band gels well together as one coherent unit" playing in sync, with precision, and a strong groove with a very steady tempo. They do have an internet presence and if time allows, check them out.  

Booths lined the streets...arts and crafts, food vendors, raffles, and a kid zone.

After our big purchase, a large bag of kettle corn, we walked a block to Cafe A La Carte for brunch.  It was a very nice morning and we snagged a perfect patio table in the back and enjoyed our yummy meal...yes, I had the salmon cake benedict.  

On April 8th, Lucy had an appointment with Dr Huang for surgery to be spayed.  She also had a baby tooth, an incisor, pulled that had not come out yet even though the permanent tooth was already there.  She was a little puny and on meds to keep her calm for a few days.  So, back at the oasis looked like this for most of the week.

A sleepy Lucy with her teddy bear.

Napping in the sunshine early one morning. 

One of the torch cactus bloomed...

 There are lots more buds...

the skies teased us...

we saw this beautiful female cardinal....

we added art on the patio...  

After we moved into our sticks and stucco we decided to explore Arizona. During the past few years, while living here, we purchased a tile at all the places we visited. 

and marveled at Arizona's golden skies.

That's a wrap from here so until next time,

HAPPY TRAILS!