Nothing like a sunny fall day for admiring low-water use landscaping in Tucson. This past Saturday’s Homescape Tour attracted more than 100 people to 13 private residences and one public elementary school. The tour was organized by Tucson’s Watershed Management Group (WMG). Although I wasn’t able to participate in last year’s inaugural event, I added…
You have to hand it to Tucson’s bicycling community. When a cycling legend comes to town, they turn out in droves. Such was the scene this past Wednesday when Gary Fisher, the father of mountain biking, rolled up on Trek Bicycles of Tucson. The store presented the annual Ride with Gary Fisher, which attracted around…
It’s been almost a month since we’ve had a proper rainstorm, and I’m starting to feel nostalgic. The last precipitation of note happened on September 11. With predictable effects on flags… After I took my flag back into the house — and hung it up to dry — it was back outside to observe the…
This past August 24, I had the opportunity to travel to Nogales, Sonora, with the Tucson, Arizona-based Watershed Management Group (WMG). I’ve been a WMG volunteer for five years, and I also send them some monetary love via the monthly donation program. The occasion was a fiesta on the campus of Instituto Technológico de Nogales…
If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you know that event photography is one of my favorite subjects. And now that fave has its very own website, TucsonEventPhotography.com.
The City of Tucson’s semi-annual Brush and Bulky waste collection is quite the event. All over town, the treasure hunters come out in force. Some load their pickup trucks full of castoff furniture, scrap metal, lumber, railroad ties, you name it. Count me as one of the two-wheeled Brush and Bulky treasure hunters. And what…
One of the very best things you can feed your garden plants is rotten. Very rotten. We’re talking compost, people! The decayed remnants of your fruit and vegetable scraps, egg shells, tea leaves, coffee grounds, yard clippings, and why don’t we toss in a little straw for good measure? Point of information: You can get…
In November 1991, a storm packing 60 mile-per-hour winds attacked Tucson. Among the casualties was one of our city’s most beloved concert and dance venues, El Casino Ballroom. The storm blew half the roof off the building, and that ended any sort of performances at the Ballroom for nine years. The half that still had…
There’s a big streetcar construction project underway in central Tucson. The construction is wreaking havoc on the smooth flow of vehicular traffic, the survival hopes of small, locally owned businesses in an already tough economy, and the ability of bicyclists to ride safely and find places to park. The hip and happening section of 4th…
Part One: Martha is Totally Underwhelmed Last Saturday, we had a wee bit of rain during the afternoon hours. Enough to make me start worrying about whether I’d be able to head out for an evening of dancing at 2nd Saturdays Downtown. I mean, come on. Do you call this a measurement of rainfall? Looks…
Well, my plans for a quiet 4th of July afternoon at the computer were rather rudely interrupted. Our teaser of a monsoon season decided to let loose on drought-parched Tucson, Arizona. Loud thunder. Lots of lightning. Photo op… The sight of a flood near my front porch did not fill me with joy. But the…
Well, Happy Birthday, USA. You’re looking pretty good for a 236-year-old. I started my Independence Day too darn early. Woke up around 4:45 a.m. Pretty soon, it was light enough to do things like harvest mesquite beans and turn the compost. Such is the life of a micro-scale urban farmer. After breakfast, I rolled the…
As mentioned in previous posts, I have a nice big mesquite tree in my front yard. It’s in the Transition Zone of my xeriscape, and it has become one of my very best friends. When I look at this tree, I say “Feed me!” Here’s why… During June and July, Tucson’s mesquite trees are quite…
Funny thing about those plants in the yard. Although a lot of them are native species of the low water using variety, they still get thirsty. They get especially thirsty at this time of the year, when daytime temperatures are in the triple digits and rain is scarce. A popular solution to the thirsty plants…
So, I’m sitting here in the studio, minding my own business, and what should I hear but a-knocking at my door. It’s Pat from Heath Consultants, and guess what. It’s time to replace my gas meter. For free. Mind you, Heath Consultants (under contract with Southwest Gas) isn’t making this offer out of the goodness…
Spent Saturday morning in a greywater harvesting class. After class, it was time to hop on the bike and head back to the neighborhood. What should I see in the southeastern sky but a huge pileup of clouds. “Yeah, right!” I said to them. Like they were really going to bring us rain. After stopping…
So, I wrapped up a pretty good day of work, and it was time for a bicycle ride. This evening’s destination, the University of Arizona campus. Community open house on the university’s proposed bicycle and pedestrian plan. Okay, so Martha’s on her bike, pedaling toward campus, and what’s this? It’s the Incredible Disappearing Bike Lane!…
Among the many things I’ve become interested in since moving to the Southwest 25 years ago, gardening is among the more challenging. Especially now. Hot summer gardening is one of those challenges that only a plant geek would love. It helps if your geekiness is complemented with a willingness to conduct experiments. My experimental turn…
In the spring of 2009, I began volunteering at Tucson’s community radio station, KXCI. At first, I was part of the pledge drive phone crew, and I was pretty happy working behind the scenes. Late last fall, an invitation to join a KXCI deejay class landed in my e-mailbox. Tuition was at the can’t-resist price…
For the third year in a row, I was the official photographer for the Tucson Folk Festival. Held Downtown Tucson, the Folk Festival treats thousands people to a free weekend of acoustic music on five stages. One of this year’s performers was Michael McGarrah, a singer/songwriter with a wickedly funny sense of humor…
Welcome to my place, home of the slacker mesquite tree. This tree has the dubious distinction of being the last one on the block to bloom. But when it comes to dropping leaves all over the place, my mesquite is a champ. I truly adore having to sweep the porch, over and over again… Then…