Tohono Chul Gardens, Sabino Canyon and In-between...

April 1, 2023

Corona de Tucson 

This past winter when I was googling things for Joe and I to do around Tucson this spring, Tohono Chul Gardens was added to the list.  It was moved to the top of the list when Jodee posted about the gardens back in February. Tuesday, I had an appointment for a hair cut at a salon on N. Oracle and the gardens is just around the corner.  

Tohono Chul Park is a botanical garden, nature preserve, and cultural museum located on the north side of Tucson.  "Tohono Chul" translates as "desert corner" and is borrowed from the language of the Tohono O'odham...the indigenous people of southern Arizona.  

The story begins in 1966 when a couple began piecing together patches of the desert  that would eventually become a beautiful 49 acre park.  The park was formally dedicated in 1985 with a purpose "to keep something natural in the middle of all the development so that people could come easily for a few hours, get out of the traffic and learn something at the same time".  

The newest garden exhibit is The Desert Palm Oasis.  It features native palms species and includes a stream.

The Exhibit House is the original structure on the property built in 1937 for $60,000 when the average cost of a new homes was $2,000.  The expense was due to it having an in-ground pool...one of the first homes in Tucson to have this luxury.  

Other highlights for the day included the succulent garden, 

 the butterfly garden,

the riparian habitat,

the nature walks,

Lots of Brittlebush in bloom and lining the trails.

the courtyards,

the ramadas,

Vines make nice shade at the Pincushion Ramada.

and the many sculptures displayed throughout the gardens.

It's a beautiful garden, and we had such a peaceful time there.  We didn't have lunch at the Bistro...saving that for another visit.  Both of us had a hankering for a Sonoran Dog (It's been months !) and fries so we stopped at BK's on the way home.

Friday we were up early and headed northeast to Sabino Canyon.  It's 29 miles from home, with travel time about 45 minutes.  It doesn't matter, as it is well worth the time and effort to get there.  We have lots of great hiking/walking places to go, but Sabino Canyon remains at the top of my list. 

We were looking for color...wildflower color...and it was a smile around every corner! 

I love how the cacti and wildflowers often mix and mingle.

The cacti have suffered the past few years due to lack of rain.  Everywhere we looked, we saw new growth...definitely put a smile on my face.

Sabino Creek was flowing over the dam...

and well on its way to join the Colorado River...linking Tucson's watershed to the highest peaks in the Rockies and the coastal delta in Mexico.  

Looking left from the dam...

It has been years since we have seen this much water there.

Looking right...it was even flowing over the bridge!  Wahoo!

It was another delightful day in the desert !

Back at the oasis, and in-between wonderful walks and wildflowers, we had sad news.  Dover has lymphoma.  Lab results tell us there is no cancer in her bloodstream and we are waiting more lab results to figure out what to do going forward.   If thats not enough to process, the blood test Jack had done to measure damage to his heart muscle is elevated.  He is scheduled for a CT Scan, EKG, and a blood pressure test to fully evaluate his heart function.  This will tell us what we can/need to do to slow down the progression of heart disease.  

The good news is, we are all enjoying the patio and the sunshine and our feathered friends.  Jack and Dover think naps in the sunshine are the best. 

Sally likes the warm rocks.  She says they are good for arthritis. 

The Dove gather late in the afternoons.

The Cardinals are enjoying the Nesting SuperBlend seed we added to the feeder.  I'm happy when they and pose just long enough for a photo op.  I saw two males at the feeder together.  That was a first !

We have a yard full of Gamble's.  So many that Joe added a short fence around the feeders just in case Sally gets a notion to chase them out of her space.  

  And the Broad-billed hummingbirds have returned.

Stay tuned...I counted 16 buds !

Our Torch Cactus...

We continue to enjoy walks on the cart path...and it's not all flat ground !

Joe's mom always said, every room needs a touch of red...I agree !

 

And that's a wrap on the last week of March.  Yellow was a favorite color this week.

Lots of Brittlebush at Sabino Canyon

Gorgeous Mexican Sunflowers at Tohono Chul Gardens

Amazing Arizona poppy

And the glow in Thursday's sunrise

Until next time, 

Happy Trails !

La Fiesta de Guadalupe

Corona de Tucson

December 13, 2022 

Friday morning 

This past weekend was packed full of fun.  But first I want to share good news about our oldest son James.  Last June, he made a huge move all the way from Georgia to Tucson.  

He has a job he really likes and met a very sweet "someone special".  Andra is a special ed Kindergarten teacher in Tucson.

(The photo was taken at Empire Ranch Cowboy Festival.)

We are so happy for him and way excited to have him close by.  The six months have flown by...what fun we have had sharing our neck of the woods with Jamie.  

Last Saturday, Tucson's winter street fair returned for the 53rd year.  

The fair hosts artists and craftsmen from all over the country, local entertainment, over 35 food vendors, and lots of fun ! Fourth Avenue is closed for several blocks as well as several side streets.  

This artists takes pictures of three different t-shirts all rolled up and spaced to make a complete picture...most college and professional teams were represented.  Jamie loves Navy (and Alabama) football.  

It was a beautiful day and we got an early start to beat the afternoon crowds.  We enjoyed lunch at Caruso's...an Italian restaurant that opened in the 1930s about a block from its' present location.  

The restaurant claims to have more efficient equipment than it did back in the 30s, but boasts that the techniques for making their pasta and homemade sauces are basically the same.  

I have read that Tucson has over 100 murals painted on walls all over the city.  There are several areas in town with a walking route to see some of the paintings and I keep telling myself to google them and download maps.  It is next to impossible to drive anywhere here and not see a mural.  Fourth Avenue, located near the University of Arizona, offers a variety of "hippie" and vintage shops.  There is a mural depicting Bob Marly, Jim Morrison, the Beatles and lots more music artists from the 60's...my high school days.  

Sunday morning dawned another beautiful day and we were up and out early again.  De Grazia's Gallery in the Sun Museum hosted La Fiesta de Guadalupe.  Both the event and the gallery were free of charge.  The historic 10 acre retreat was designed by Tucson's Ted DeGrazia beginning with the Mission in the Sun that DeGrazia dedicated to Father Kino in honor of the Lady of Guadalupe on December 12, 1953.

 There were two new to us exhibits on display in the gallery.  First, DeGrazia's Ballet created between 1950 and 1961 is a selection of drawings, watercolors and oil paintings inspired by classical and modern ballet.

Second, Rock Talk: The Prehistoric Art of Ted DeGrazia is a series of drawings, watercolors, and ceramics, inspired by ancient petroglyphs and pictographs.   Freely combining imagery from Native American petroglyphs with pictographs from European cave paintings and his own symbolic glyphs he developed a personal hybrid version of prehistoric art. 

Between 1952 and 1956, more than 20 0f DeGrazia's textual designs were printed by Fuller Fabrics of New York.  The cloth was featured in ready-to-wear apparel and distributed to fabric stores nationally.

I always enjoy our time at Gallery in the Sun and was so happy to have Jamie and Andra there.  

 

The Fiesta (a religious festival of celebration) was held outside.  Included in the festivities were a Student Mariachi Band, Ballet, Yaqui Deer Dance (no camera allowed) and The Domingo DeGrazia full Spanish-guitar band.  My favorite was the ballet...from the youngest to the oldest.  All were students from Ballet Folklorico in downtown Tucson. 

Admiration...

Afterwards, we had lunch at Guadalajara Original Grill.  

They have an "at-the-table" salsa cart.  A Salsa Maestra makes tailored to your taste  salsa with all fresh ingredients from her cart.  

Not only that, she cuts and mashes avocados for quacamole too.  The best guacamole I have had !

Back at the oasis, it was a beautiful moon rise Thursday night.  The December full moon is the Cold Moon.

 

It had a nice glow...

After the really nice week-end, we knew wind and rain was in the forecast with much colder temps to follow for a few days.  We enjoyed one more sunrise and coffee Monday.

 And then, the skies began to transform.

 

The highlight for the day was seeing this Cooper's hawk fly in and perch on the fence...

and touches of red to brighten the day.

We were happy to wake up to sunny skies this morning with temps just below 40 degrees.  Tonight it is forecast to drop into the 20s...yikes !

It's been a busy day (Tuesday).  I made cheese crisps this morning, put on a pot of potato soup, and baked cornbread.  

I also happened to be at the door at just the right time to see three Harris's Hawks.

He was quite noisy...

They were pretty far away before they flew.  Two flew to the pine tree in the field on the right side of the yard.

And the other one perched in the pine tree in the field on the left...much closer and easier to photograph.

I have never photographed a Harris's Hawk before.  He is very handsome and much bigger than the Cooper's.  He sure stands out with his dark brown, chestnut red, and white markings.  

The most social of North American raptors, these birds nest in social units that vary from a single pair to as many as seven individuals.   They also hunt together as a team and figured out that with more than two members in their group they have a higher success and survival rate.  This hawk's social nature and relative ease with humans has made it popular among falconers and in education programs.  

The pups...

Until next time,

HAPPY TRAILS !