The Rest of November...

Corona de Tucson

November 30, 2025 

Desert Marigolds...

The rest of November just flew by.  The Tucson Museum of Art hosted their Annual Fall Artisans Market on November 21-23.  It is a great market and a fundraiser for Southern Arizona's oldest arts institution located in downtown Tucson. 

The market features over 100 artists and artisans with crafts, original artwork, pottery, glass, jewelry, and textiles in an historic outdoor setting.  

Plaza Militar, the location for the market, is directly behind the museum.  Parking for the event is free.

We enjoy perusing the plaza and always see unique things that catch our eye.  One artist we met was Amy Lanterman.  She is a self-taught artist based here in Tucson and says I love to experiment with various mediums and techniques often drawing from the natural world for inspiration. Her playful approach to texture and color reflects her own joy and sure put a smile on my face.

A new piece for our kitchen...

The Romero House was built in 1860 with the first resident being Leonard Romero.  Leonard was the town's first carpenter and became well known for his work on the San Xavier Mission and other landmarks.  

Today this piece of history is home to a popular ceramics studio...Romero House Potters. It is a non-profit organization offering classes for adults.  It features hand building and wheel rooms as well as both electric and gas kilns. 

Noa is a ceramic artist specializing in functional kitchenware and an instructor at the studio. She has 12 years of experience and has mastered her skills in various ceramic techniques.  She moved to Tucson from Israel in 2024 where she continued to develop her craft and share her passion for pottery.  Her teapots are beautiful and she is offering a workshop to give students an opportunity to create their own.  

We had a very nice Thanksgiving and hope family and friends did as well. Jamie, Andra and Ozzie arrived late Tuesday and spent the week-end with us.  I baked a turkey, made southern cornbread dressing and gravy, Senator Russell sweet potato casserole, fresh green beans, and rolls.  We all enjoyed the Macy's parade and the National Dog Show.  Both are a tradition on Thanksgiving Day.  

Ozzie never misses a beat when animals are on the screen.

Friday evening we headed to Tucson Botanical Gardens for "Lights Up!".  Joe and I went a couple of years ago, but Jamie and Andra had not been.  

Saturday, we did a few errands.  The last stop was Houghton Meat Market.  What a nice surprise!  The market provides choice cuts of beef, pork, poultry and seafood.  But that is not all.  They make their own sausage.  Varieties include Brooklyn made with sweet Italian base with bell peppers, onions, and pepper jack cheese, Breakfast mildly seasoned, and Nashville Hot with Nashville Hot Sauce just to name a few.  They also make their own Polish sausage and Bratwursts.  But that is not all.  They make their own salsa and sauces.  

 But that is not all.  They have a great selection of all natural doggie treats too.  Femur, knuckle, and center cut marrow bones were in the freezer.  Fruit and veggie flavored donuts, and bags of treats all locally made.  

We came home with steaks for dinner, peach jam for breakfast, and  peanut butter and jelly doggie treats for Ozzie and Lucy.

In between eating,  decorating the Christmas tree, errands and football (Navy beat Memphis and Alabama beat Auburn...wahoo for both!), we spent a lot of time outside.  The weather was absolutely amazing.  

Back at the oasis in-between and/or before or after this and that, we had a rainy day.

 We walked with Lucy.

 

 

Back on the east coast...Edith spent the day exploring in the city with her family.

And just like that...it's December! 

Until next time,

HAPPY TRAILS

and SWEET DREAMS!

Rain Lilies

Sonoran Desert RV Park

Gila Bend, AZ

October 6, 2025

Autumn Zephyrlily or better known as Rain Lily 

These dainty little blossoms are native to South America.  They have been widely cultivated as an ornamental and naturalized in many areas.  

It just so happens Rain Lilies were blooming at Tucson Botanical Gardens last week.  Common colors include white, pink, and yellow.  We didn't see any pink blooms, but there were clusters of yellow ones planted behind the white ones that I could not get close enough to for a good photo. 

It was also the last week for Dog Days of Summer at the gardens so Lucy went with us.

We sere surprised at how many different blooms we saw for this time of year.  A sampling of a few of them...

Aquatic Canna Lilies

Coral Vine

Hibiscus

A couple of fun photos...

Butterfly
Guerrero, Mexico
Millions of monarch butterflies migrate through central Mexico each year, greatly influencing the local culture. In Mexican folklore, butterflies represent the returning souls of deceased loved ones. 

This past Saturday (10/4) was the opening for the fall/winter market at St. Phillips Plaza which will continue to run every Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 to 3:00 until spring.  It's my favorite day to visit the plaza market because a local potter whose work we love previews his new pieces.  We have several bowls and vases he created from past years and this year we added a new vase. It was a difficult decision as he created gorgeous platters and serving pieces this year but the vase we chose has a wonderful new glaze he showcased for this market.  I'll share a photo in a later post.  The market is very puppy friendly and Lucy went too.  It was the most folks she has seen at one time ever.  Lucy loves everyone and every pup and has a hard time concealing her excited.  

I didn't take any photos of the vendors, but the roses in the courtyard were especially pretty.

 Back at the oasis, we almost got caught in one of those "Do Not Enter When Flooded" spots coming home from the grocery store,

we played fetch with Lucy,

It is her favorite thing to do!

we enjoyed cooler mornings for our walks and coffee on the patio,

and the Tickweed blooms are seeding. 

Sunday we loaded Belle and hit the road.  Lucy is the first puppy we have had that does not sleep while we roll.  She shares the co-pilot seat with me and keeps a watchful eye as the world goes by.

We settled in at Sonoran Desert RV park in Gila Bend for a one night stop over.  What a nice surprise it was...large, level lots, clean, and well loved.  There is a special back row of sites that are 100 feet long for over night guests.  

The campground is complete with a pickle ball court, a huge pool (heated Nov.-March), a paved site for washing your vehicle, a doggie wash station, and WIFI and cable.  But the best part...is Winston's Canine Coral.  

A coral( 4,000 sq feet) is divided into three large fenced in areas and two of them had grass...real grass.  The owner of this campground loves dogs.  So much so that he has a building in the lower back 40 with 20 kennels for stray pups. He cares for them until the Humane Society can find them homes.  

Lucy played ball and did so many zoomies, she crashed when we got back to Belle and slept until 6:30 Monday morning.  

The sun's fiery descent...

and the moon's silver gaze rises...the end to a very nice day.

 Monday's travels landed us just north of Parker, AZ.

 River Island State Park...our home for the next week!

Until next time,

HAPPY TRAILS!