Xeriscaping update: It only took 3 hours and 40 minutes to get the better part of that big pile of mulch into the front yard and spread around. Amidst all the mulching, I also had to remove a pile of cut up mesquite branches from the yard’s main water harvesting basin. Those branches were left…
In the life of a xeriscaper, there are fewer questions sweeter than “Would you like some free mulch?” Why the affection for ground up tree trunks, branches, and leaves? Because mulch holds moisture in the soil. It also builds the soil and controls weeds. In the arid Southwestern United States, we like such things. A…
While the Internet is full of advice on how to take better pictures, information on the business side of photography can be hard to come by. To fill this void, I created the Freelancer’s Guide to Starting a Successful Photography Business. It showcases more than 50 resources that will help freelancers learn professional business practices…
I’ll admit to feeling sad while at a bicycling event. Why? Because we may have seen the last UA Criterium on Saturday. The closed-course race around the University of Arizona never attracted huge numbers of spectators. But if you were into cycling, you just had to be there. No way could you miss it. Several…
So, there you are, trying to do the right thing. You go to all the trouble of controlling the weeds on your property, then there it is: Buffelgrass. According to the Southern Arizona Buffelgrass Coordination Center, “[R]apid spread of buffelgrass and conversion of fire-resistant desert to flammable grassland rivals urban growth and water as the…
Time for a look at Tucson concert venues, past and present. First, a look back at one of the hottest dance clubs of a couple of decades ago. I’m talking about the Green Dolphin, which was located a few blocks south of the University of Arizona. This was one of the clubs that students raved…
Always fun to go back and visit the last grade school I attended. If it’s not peering into classrooms and seeing wall charts teaching skills that adults take for granted – remember what life was like before you learned how to tell time – it’s taking a walk around the school grounds and realizing how…
A year ago yesterday, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and 18 others were shot at the “Congress on Your Corner” that she was hosting in Tucson. Six people died. The past few days have been filled with various tributes to the victims. And the big buzz around town was that Rep. Giffords would be attending the candlelight…
When I was growing up, Westtown was that hippie-freak Quaker school at the end of the street. The long hair and love beads crowd were quite the contrast to the buttoned down, straight-laced kids in my neighborhood. I can remember one of the moms making jokes about “Westtown’s finest” whenever she saw students heading away…
Nothing like a backed-up septic tank to enliven an eastern Pennsylvania family’s Christmas Eve. The family in question would be mine. And this story’s almost a carbon copy of the one I blogged two years ago. Once again, a call to Hickman Sanitation, and out comes owner Dave Hickman (below) with one of his employees….
A Christmas holiday visit to family in Pennsylvania reveals a timeless truth about the Keystone State’s winter weather: It varies. On one day, it’s cool enough for a jacket. Perfect weather for my mother to stroll around the neighborhood with Buddy the Labrador Retriever… Looks like Buddy’s found another interesting scent. This one merits very…
Being the owner of a middle-aged house that I’m slowly fixing up, I’ve had the need for more than a few tradesmen and women. Many of them have arrived in huge pickup trucks. Imagine my surprise when I heard about a local arborist who plies his trade by bicycle. Time to do something about that…
This past Saturday was one of those gray, windy days that offered more than a hint of rain. By Tucson standards, it has been a wet month — almost an inch of rain so far — so looking for more wasn’t out of the question. Fortunately, the rain held off until after the weekend. And…
Well, it’s mid-November in Tucson, and that means it’s time for another bike swap meet. Yesterday, thousands of bicycle enthusiasts converged on 4th Avenue for a day of buying, selling, and trading bikes and accessories… Does your bike need a crankset? Plenty to choose from at the swap… Or maybe your taste runs more toward…
Yesterday was one of those cool, breezy days that offered a hint of the Tucson winter to come. And since it was the first Sunday of November, it was time for Tucson’s annual All Souls Procession. This year’s edition featured a new route: From 4th Avenue and University Boulevard, go straight down Fourth to Congress…
My recent visit to the Phoenix area included a hike at White Tank Mountain Regional Park. My hiking host, Judy Vorfeld, selected the Waterfall Trail, a two-miler. Being an Arizonan who’s quite concerned about our state’s long-term drought, I was curious to see how the native desert plants have been holding up. Sorry to say,…
There’s something about visiting the zoo. You can’t help but wonder who’s being more closely scrutinized, the animals or the humans. Let’s begin our tour at the pelican beauty parlor. Nothing like preening with a whole crowd watching. Not that this pelican cares… If you’re a giant iguana, you can pretty well forget about having…
My two previous posts covered Vermont’s annual fall color extravaganza and the impact of a (we hope) once-in-a-lifetime disaster. Time to look at some other aspects of the Green Mountain State. My visit to Vermont coincided with the peak of the fall colors. It also rained just about every day that I was in the…
During the final weekend of August, Hurricane Irene was approaching the eastern United States. Since I have family back there, I called to make sure that everyone was all right. The phone conversation with my Aunt Jean in Vermont had a very worried tone. About Hurricane Irene, she said, “It’s as big as Europe!” After…
Just got back from visiting family in Waterbury, Vermont. October in the state of Vermont means one thing: Fall Foliage. The aftermath of Tropical Storm Irene was very much in evidence, but it didn’t stop the annual party thrown by the trees. Let’s start our fall foliage tour at the Waterbury Public Library… The library…
This past Tuesday, the 2011 monsoon season busted loose with its last hurrah. Which prompted a photographic frenzy around here. First stop on the frenetic home front picture tour: The garden. Is it raining out there? Yes!!! I’m looking forward to the day when the seedlings (which are still too small to see in the…