Cool Summer Nights

Corona de Tucson

June 30, 2025

A sunset walk for Lucy.

Just after our last post, Joe and I celebrated our 42nd Anniversary.  It is another reason why we love June.  We enjoyed a very nice and very tasty lunch at Vivace Restaurant.  

Since 1993, this icon located in the Catalina Foothills has been popular for serving Northern Italian Cuisine with the "highest quality of ingredients".  I never realized there was a big difference between northern and southern cuisine in Italy.  One of the key ingredients in the north is butter, not  olive oil which is used in the southern cuisine.  Another big difference is cheese stuffed pasta which is prominent in the north.  

   

I indulged in the best cheese manicotti with meat sauce that I have ever had and a green salad with the best vinaigrette and croutons.

And for dessert, I had creme brulee and Joe had tiramisu...both melt in your mouth yummy!

It's been a few years since we visited the Desert Museum.  During the months of June thru August, the museum hosts Cool Summer Nights from 6:00 to 10:00 pm. 

We made it a date night and had a nice walk at sunset and dinner at the Ocotillo Cafe.  There have been wonderful changes made at the museum since our last visit in July '22. Lots of sitting patios and water features, gardens, and more paved walks wandering here and there have been added.   

 

We arrived about 6:30 and enjoyed a leisurely walk with a nice summer breeze.

A bloom on the Southwest Coral Bean tree.  

Purple Sage

Rufous Hummingbird

One of the water features in a sitting area

Late afternoon glow

"Glass in Flight" is on display throughout the grounds with twenty one giant steel and stained glass sculptures by Alex Heveri, a Tucson native.

Our community park is just over a mile from our home.  It's a nice park with a huge grassy area in the center and a path all the way around.  There are grills and  covered picnic area, basketball court, and a nice play area with slides and swings on one side of the park with parking.  Sure makes for a nice early morning walk...about 2.5 miles round trip for us.   

  

Nose to the ground and cool grass makes for one happy puppy!

A blooming cholla at the park

Early morning glow...a bougainvillea along the sidewalk going to the park

A few mornings, we had early morning appointments and took our walks in the late afternoon.  I like that time of day too.  A nice summer breeze cools the air and makes for a pleasant time.  

The late afternoon glow

The street goes over two big washes that make for nice photos. 

Back at the oasis, we had a rather exciting morning.  We had a family of  Horned Lizards making their way from our yard to the other side of the iron fence.  

What a great camoflouge these little creatures have.  I didn't see all three until they had made their way up and over the fence. By that time, they were in the shade of a bush.  

Another morning we watched a Turkey Vulture in the palm tree.  These huge long lived birds live up to 23 years.  Their keen sense of smell and a heightened ability to see color  enables them to see a dead animal below a forest canopy. 

Oranges are a big hit in the yard.

The petunias are blooming and don't seem to mind the hot afternoons.

The Cana Lillies are blooming and do not like the hot afternoons. 

Lucy turned 10 months old and weighs in at 18.2 pounds.  

She loves ice cubes in her water bowl,

hides under the bed with my bedroom shoes, 

and does not like for the birds to be on the patio !

I think that is a wrap.  I know I say it over and over, but I can't believe another month is in the memory book as we head into July and the second half of the year.  

Until next time...

Happy July 4th!

Happy Trails !

June so Far

Corona de Tucson

June 15, 2025

June is a time when summer is getting into full swing and summer solstice marks the longest day of the year.  The end of June is also the end of the first half of the year.  Time really does have a way of flying by.  Did you know that no other month in the year begins on the same day as the first week of June?  This year June 1 was on a Sunday.  It was a glorious day of dark clouds with on/off again rain showers.  The only rain we have had this month.  

Anglo-Saxons (who lived in Britain between 410 - 1066 AD) called June "Sera Monath" which translates into "Dry Month".  Not much has changed in all these years...it is still a dry month.  Fingers stay crossed for a good monsoon season which officially begins today, June 15.   

And let's not forget Father's Day with calls and texts from the east coast and a visit with Jamie, Andra, and Ozzie who spent Saturday night.  Grilled burgers, homemade baked beans with molasses, and fresh corn on the cob for dinner at the big table !  

The first week of the month, we had appointments with the dermatologist. 

And I had an appointment for a hair cut on the north side of town.  So many choices for lunch and we decided on Tucson Tamale.  

Yummy green chili and chicken tamale, black beans and cheese tamale and a house salad with made in house sweet and tangy vinaigrette.  

Another day, the three of us enjoyed an auto hike thru Tucson Mountain Park with a stop at Saguaro NP West.  

 

Blizzards...a Butterfinger for Joe and a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup for me...hit the spot on a hot summer day before heading home.

Last week we headed to the city.  It was the summer market at Gather.  I can't pick a favorite season for visiting this unique vintage market as it is always dressed to perfection in whatever season we go.  

 

We enjoyed a nice lunch at Cafe a la C'arte afterwards.  It was too hot to sit on the patio, but we did have a nice seat by the window inside.

Salmon BLT with a side of fries...a new twist on BLT and I ate every bite! 

Back at the oasis, we walk a couple of miles every morning sometime between 5:30 to 7:00 while it is still cool.  Lucy is still learning.  The sidewalk with its vehicle noise and other walkers with/without pups makes for good experiences.  The noises don't bother her so much anymore, but she can not ignore the other pups.   

Joe and I prefer the cart path.  It quiet with the exception of birds singing and an occasional puppy barking from their backyard.  We did upset a pair of Ravens one morning...what a racket they can make !

I'll close with a few favorite photos from the oasis.  We are so enjoying our little garden of pots and flowers, the birds visiting the yard, and playing with Lucy.

An African Lily

Gardenia...my first Arizona gardenia...not as big and with fewer petals than their Georgia cousins, but it smells heavenly.

Globe amaranth...nickname is "bachelor's button" 

Wingpod Purslane...a perennial succulent.  It blooms during the day and at dark the flowers close up. 

A mid morning water break...

Hoping for a sweet morsel...

Caught in the shadow...the pressure is on!

Until next time,

HAPPY TRAILS !