This past Saturday morning, representatives from 10 Tucson neighborhood associations rolled out of bed at dawn and converged on the Ward 3 City Council Office. The Ward Office hosted a free breakfast and workshop on a very timely topic: graffiti removal. Sorry to say, but Tucson is under heavy attack by taggers. And, with city…
Tucson’s summer monsoon season is in full swing. This is rendering swamp coolers ineffective and that’s bad news for some of us. (I have a swamp cooler.) However, the plants are welcoming the rain the only way they know how. They’re getting very green. And the cactii are plump again. Here’s how the plant life…
Since mid-April, I’ve been blogging about Tucson’s weekly Meet Me at Maynards Social Run and Walk. And here I go, I’m doing it again. This past Monday marked the 14th running (or walking) of MMM. And, once again, I went walkabout with my camera. I’m not going to be one of those Downtown Tucson cheerleaders…
This past Saturday was Tucson’s hottest day of the year — so far. The temperature topped out at 107 degrees. But the sultry weather didn’t stop more than 500 people from attending a health care reform rally at the Tucson Convention Center. The event was hosted by Congressman Raul Grijalva’s office. It drew young and…
Tucson’s summer monsoon is in full swing, and that means thunderstorms. Big ones. They form quickly, and they can really pack a wallop. Yesterday afternoon, a real thumper rolled into town. Dumped .58″ of rain at my house, and that made my plants very happy. It also made for some interesting photographic opportunities. The festivities…
Since mid-April, a group of walkers and runners has been exploring Downtown Tucson. The weekly Meet Me at Maynards Social Run/Walk has proven to be a big hit. Even during this summer weather. Last week, the festivities were cut short when a giant windstorm came roaring into town. The wind was blowing so hard it…
This past Saturday was our nation’s 233rd birthday. This All-American event was celebrated with parades, speeches, picnics, and fireworks. Here in Tucson, it was a great day to take Old Glory for a bicycle ride. And that’s just what I did. Taped a small flag to my tire pump, then stowed the pump and flag…
This three-day weekend includes Independence Day. It’s a day for picnics, parades, cookouts, concerts, and fireworks. The last item is what I’m going to elaborate on here. While fireworks are fun to watch and listen to, your dog probably has a different opinion of them. Many dogs find the sound of fireworks terrifying. Some of…
From the “I’m not making this up” department comes this road sign from western Pima County in Arizona. You can find it along state highway 86, and, yes, both towns do exist…
September 2015 update: This site was redesigned by the university. Earlier this year, I was asked to redesign the website of the University of Arizona Professional Science Master’s Degree in Applied Biosciences. The site serves as a student recruiting tool, and it combines UA campus scenes with information on degree requirements, career opportunities, and application…
For a long time, the Amtrak station was a Downtown Tucson afterthought. There wasn’t much reason for going there unless you had to catch a train or you were meeting someone arriving by rail. And did I mention that rail service to Tucson is not a daily thing? The station was renovated not too long…
My preferred mode of travel is the bicycle. As wonderful as it is, the bicycle isn’t ideal. Especially for really, truly getting to know a place. For that, you need to get off your bike and walk around. This Downtown Tucson photo is a classic example. Had I been bicycling along Cushing Street, I would…
February 2022 update: After the July 2021 death of the client, this website went offline. Longtime client Sheila Tobias has made an art and a science of being an outsider to science and mathematics. Hers is a household name for books like Overcoming Math Anxiety, which is still in print more than 30 years after…
This past Friday, Habitat for Humanity Tucson had a four-house dedication ceremony at its Corazon del Pueblo project. Like many other Habitat events, the media were included… Habitat Tucson’s executive director, Michael McDonald, checked last-minute details with the clergymen who blessed the houses… The crowd joined in a prayer for the houses and families…
In addition to being the coolest station in Tucson, KXCI-FM 91.3 has some marvelous community events. This past Saturday, KXCI deejay Cathy Rivers played the tunes while Sunflower Market served burgers for a buck… Burgers for a Buck proceeds benefitted KXCI.
In Tucson’s Armory Park neighborhood, I came upon this gate sculpture. Obviously done by a bicyclist wishing to find another use for all of those old bike parts… March 2019 update: Oops! Looks like that photo went bye-bye when I had this blog redesigned. But, never fear, here’s a bit of bike part art.
I live and run my studio in a house that’s 53 years old. Like most houses its age, it has issues. (Translation: It’s an emotionally needy house.) Earlier this spring, I was repairing the plumbing in the shower. When I went outside to shut off the house water, I noticed that the water line was…
Since mid-April, I’ve been participating in the weekly Meet Me at Maynards social run and walk through Downtown Tucson. A record number of 212 people participated this past Monday, bringing the total participation in the six events to 1,087. Not bad for almost summer in Tucson! Here is a look at Monday’s action, starting with…
In the interest of helping its members grow more of their own food, the Food Conspiracy Co-op just presented a composting workshop at Tanque Verde Gardens. Our Professor of Compost was none other than Leo Mercado, owner/operator of Tanque Verde Gardens… Leo talked about his farm and his philosophy for creating great compost. He showed…
This past weekend was a busy one in Tucson. The Downtown scene was enlivened by the 24th Annual Tucson Folk Festival, which featured two days of music, workshops, and food and craft vendors. The Folk Festival attracts talent from near and far, and here’s the really cool part: There’s no charge to attend any of…
Permit me to start this post with a disclaimer: I’m not an economist, and I don’t play one on TV. But I have been noticing that, despite all the news of economic turmoil, locally-based, community-oriented businesses are doing just fine. Take Tucson’s Food Conspiracy Co-op, for example. Despite its location on parking-scarce 4th Avenue, sales…
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