good-times-rollin

Sunday, September 18, 2022

Friends, Lunches and Tiny Things

Corona de Tucson

September 17, 2022

Sunday we had a series of storms blow through. It was wonderful ! Some showers were very heavy with lots of wind and at other times it was a good steady rain fall. Either way, we are all in for the rainy days...such a special desert treat !

It's been a really nice week. Jeff and Fran reached out that they would be passing thru Tucson on their way home (to San Diego) from Ohio on Wednesday. Jeff specifically asked about meeting at the restaurant I had blogged about and I knew right off which one he meant...El Charro.

They had no problems maneuvering Rufus in downtown Tucson and finding a parking spot across the street from El Charro. It is always great catching up with them. Lunch was yummy as always and before we knew it, they were on their way...westward bound.

Randy and Joe had plans Thursday morning. When they were done and Randy dropped Joe off at home, they asked if I wanted to go to Manuels for lunch. That's a no brainer ! Randy lives in Sahuarita and Manuels is in Sahuarita. If you get a hankering for Mexican when you are in Sahuarita, Manuels is a great choice.

That brings me to Friday. We had errands in town and one of our stops was at Mildred and Dildred...the best toy shop in town ! Edith turns 2 years old in a couple of weeks.

And Felix who learned to ride his bike on 2 wheels early this summer is an "o-fish-al" first grader. Both are growing up way too fast !

After doing a little googling, I discovered that a very unique museum was just down the street and around the corner from Mildred and Dildred.

The Mini Time Machine Museum of Miniatures houses a collection of over 500 antique and contemporary dollhouses and room boxes. Also, throughout the year there are special exhibitions that highlight the breadth and diversity of the art of miniatures.

The museum styles itself as a mini time machine where visitors set off on a self-guided tour beginning in the rotundra that travels through different lands and times...some real and some imagined. It's really kind of magical from the start.

The adventure begins in the History Gallery, followed by the Contemporary Gallery, and ends in the Enchanted Gallery. I only took a kazillion photos and it was difficult to pick ones that show how beautiful the displays are along with the information and stories about each one.

The automated three story house or hotel built by Emile Wick dated 1885 is at the top of the list for favorite in the History Gallery. It represents Switzerland in the early 1800's. Mechanical figures are animated by a key-wound and weight-driven mechanism. Inside the cabinet is a music cylinder that chimes two different tunes.

In its day, there were 30 different movements including dancers pirouette to the waltz while servants performed chores.

My other favorite in this collection is Farrow's Department Store.

Farrow's was a miniature accessories company. The miniature store was made by the employees of the company and displays all of their products. Amazing !

Entering the Contemporary Gallery, the micro miniature sculptures are the first thing you see.

We read it twice to make sure we got it...the sculptures are directly on the tips of No.2 pencils. The artist, Salivate Fidai creates these micro-miniatures using his index finger as an easel and a X-Acto knife as a chisel. He states, "The technology is very simple; I take a pencil and remove the extra."

Girl on the Tip Of a Pencil ...2017

So simple...The French Chateau is an example of a Cabinet House.

Artist Eric Lansdown...acquired by museum in 1993

So intricate...Chateau Meno is a 14 room Rococo chateau inspired by European palaces.

Artist Charlotte Schoenbach (from Atlanta, GA) designed and created the chateau over a 30 year period...acquired by the gallery in 2006

And so fun...hickory nuts were used for the heads of these dolls titled Old Folks. I love the puppy.

Artist Elaine Cannon...1956

And the last gallery, Enchantment Realm, is enchanting.

Part of Snow Village is cleverly displayed in the floor.

And my favorite...Mice Habitats

Special exhibits are also displayed in this gallery.

Skeleton in the Desert...Artist James Roark...Early 1920's Ford Station Wagon c. 2000-2015

And the Addams Family...a favorite TV show in 1646-1966.

They're creepy and they're kooky, mysterious and spooky. They're all together hooky...

It's a beautiful museum and Joe and I enjoyed our adventure there.

One last stop before heading home.

Back at the oasis, it took two days for the Goldfinch to find their feeder. And everyday since, the feeder seems to have more takers.

A Tucson Bonze Tarantula visited.

The butterflies found the Firecracker Plant.

He knows better.

Jack has enjoyed the warm sunshine.

Sally struck a pose.

Dover pulled her favorite toy out of the basket.

And, Joe and I walked. Until next time,

HAPPY TRAILS !

Saturday, September 10, 2022

Birds, Brunch, and Begonias

Corona de Tucson

September 10, 2022

Friday afternoon clouds...we could smell the rain !

Yesterday morning, we found ourselves heading back to Tucson. Joe had an appointment with the eye doctor at 8:00 am. We skipped walking, had a cup of coffee while the puppies had breakfast and were out the door by 7:00. It is a common answer when either of us asks, "How far is it?" to always reply 26-28 miles. So far, the miles/time to get any where in Tucson is the only downside to living southwest of the city. By no means is it a complaint...we love it here! Traffic can be a little on the heavy side that early in the morning (some folks do have to go to work) so we allowed ourselves a good 45 minutes. We prefer these early appointments. There are usually other stops to make and Friday was no exception. After getting a great report on Joe's eye, we were off to Wild Birds Unlimited...I love that store. We bought a goldfinch feeder and Nyjer Thistle seed. Lesser Goldfinch live in this part of the country year round. They often stop by for a drink, but never visit any of the other feeders.

The ladies at Wild Birds Unlimited (WBU) are awesome. Not only are they friendly and glad to answer all my questions, they are a wealth of knowledge. We learned a lot about Lesser Goldfinch. First off, these sweet little songbirds prefer to eat away from the large birds so as not to be intimidated or harassed. And second, the Nyjer seed should be kept fresh and dry. We had no idea that these picky little acrobats prefer a high oil content seed and once the seed dries out will turn up their beaks and look for fresher food.

We also learned they will eat at the patio (a less chance of the seeds getting rained on) and have no problems sharing their space with the hummingbirds. So, we hung the feeder this morning and fingers crossed we have takers.

Our next stop was almost as exciting as the bird store. It has been awhile since we treated ourselves to brunch. Brunch is my favorite meal to eat out and being so close, I couldn't resist a second visit to Cafe a la C'Art. I love this old historic part of downtown Tucson.

We arrived about 10 minutes early...they open at 10:00 am during the week...along with a couple of other folks.

We chose to eat inside this time even though the patio is very inviting...but then so are all the other spaces.

Both of us ordered the exact same thing we had last time. Joe had the Cafe Skillet and after tasting his roasted potatoes with bacon, tomatoes and rosemary, I might have to make a change next time. I ordered the Salmon Benedict...a yummy combo of poached eggs, salmon cakes and sautéed spinach all smothered in a dill dijon creamy sauce.

Back at the oasis, we welcomed dark clouds and patches of blue. We could smell the rain and hear the thunder.

It was a nice surprise to wake up this morning and see that we did get rain sometime during the night.

I planted a small pot of begonias this past spring. I always had pots and beds of begonias in Georgia and thought why not. To my astonishment, the one little pot I planted is quite huge and very pretty. It has to be watered everyday, so who ever rinses out the bird bath (which we do every morning) also has to water my begonias. This was one small tray with six tiny plants.

After the rain...

This morning, we had a rather historic visit. I counted at least 35 Gamble's Quail in the yard all at the same time. They arrived in hordes thru the fence over the fence and even over the concrete wall. They just kept coming and coming !

They ate, they scratched, they fussed, they had water, and they chased each other in circles.

And then they left...just like they came...over the wall, over the fence, and thru the fence until there were only a couple remaining that didn't linger long.

When it was all quiet again, I happened to notice a new hummingbird at the feeder. I spent time trying to identify it and found a close match (White-eared Hummingbird) but there were differences so I don't think that is it. Do you know this hummingbird? I don't remember ever seeing a hummingbird with a white stripe over his eye.