Last month, Tucson became the first American city to require water harvesting for new commercial developments. The new city ordinance requires new developments to meet 50 percent of their landscaping water budget with water that falls on the property. To show how the ordinance will work, the Ward One City Council Office is creating a…
This past Saturday, thousands of bicyclists converged on Fourth Avenue near Downtown Tucson. While many of the two-wheeled legions rode to the semi-annual Bicycle Swap Meet, there was more looking than riding. With so many people gathered in one place, it was hard to get more than a couple of pedal strokes in. Besides, there…
Tucson’s dearly departed got a unique tribute during the 19th Annual All Souls Procession. This one-of-a-kind parade started shortly after sunset this past Sunday. Marchers gathered at 4th Avenue and University Boulevard, then wended their way Downtown for a grand finale at the Franklin Street Docks. I divided my time between being an observer/photographer and…
If you have a mesquite tree in your yard, you know that they’re just full of beans. And, every summer, those beans come a-tumbling down to the ground. You’ve probably wondered if there’s something better to do with them than raking them up and throwing them away. The good news is that there is. You…
Today is Election Day, and today’s bicycle ride took me through much of central Tucson. I took advantage of the opportunity to seek out long lines at polling places. And I couldn’t find any. I was also looking for those clusters of campaign signs that spring up at just about every major intersection. Wouldn’t ya…
I’ve just added a Photo Essays department to my website. It includes essays on: 1. Post-Katrina reconstruction in Mississippi. 2. Building a water harvesting demonstration site at Tucson’s City Council Ward 3 Office. March 2019 update: I have removed this department from the site.
This past Saturday, Tucsonans held a huge party for the earth. Thousands came to Downtown to celebrate La Vida Verde. The festivities included tasty solar-cooked meals like this stew… Our furred and feathered friends also got into the act. Meet Hopi, the career-changing Harris Hawk… Hopi is a two-year-old male that came into the Forever…
Another example of my ongoing quest to design with type and combine the result with photography. This promotional postcard offered a business tip (to hire me for Web and print design) along with a garden tip that plays off the image…
These flags are part of a Southwest Airlines/Chicago Midway Airport effort to honor active duty military serving overseas…
Although the University of Michigan campus has grown since my student days, the Diag is still the heart of it all. The Diag consists of two diagonal walkways that intersect outside the Graduate Library. It’s long been a hotbed of activity, including this outdoor yoga class… The student’s feet are tantalizingly close to the Block…
This past weekend, I went to Homecoming at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. A mandatory part of this experience is football Saturday. Game day preparations start many hours before kickoff. Tailgate partiers arrrive in fully equiped RVs and set up camp near Michigan Stadium. And did I mention that flying the Block M…
You might think that, since this is a design and photography blog, I was an art major in college. And you would be wrong. My college major was economics. (Bachelor of Arts, University of Michigan, 1979.) It was one of those "on a whim" things. I had an good professor for an intro economics course…
September 2015 update: The website has been redesigned since this post was published. Incorporated in 1981, the Friends of Western Art is dedicated to supporting awareness of and promoting Western Art in Tucson and Southern Arizona. I have been working with FWA on the redesign of their website. The new site is based on Web…
Tucson is bisected by one of the busiest freight rail corridors in the country. The Union Pacific tracks run just north of Downtown Tucson, which is where I spied two freights heading in opposite directions…
It is time for some cool fall weather here in Tucson. Today’s forecast high is 95 degrees. So, to help motivate some positive changes in our local weather, here’s an autumnal closeup from Pennsylvania…
You probably know that old song by heart. The one that goes, “Birds do it, bees do it, even sentimental fleas do it. Let’s do it, let’s fall in love.” Well, I’m here to tell you that the birds, bees, and fleas aren’t the only ones getting in on the action. The trees are doing…
Today is National Park(ing) Day in Tucson and other cities. It’s an an opportunity to celebrate parks in cities and promote the need for more parks by creating temporary public parks in public parking spaces. Tucson’s insta-parks were created by a wide variety of public and private entities. City High School set up an outdoor…
I was a very lucky kid. One of my grade schools was set amidst an ecological paradise. I mean, this place had it all — tall trees, flowers, birds, and all sorts of furry creatures. The perfect place for a daydreaming, artistically-minded kid. I’ll admit to hearing more than a little bit of teacher flak…
Here in Tucson, we have an ample supply of sunshine. Which means that we can harness that natural energy and put it to good use. I’m part of a small group called The Solar Society. It’s made up of people who want to develop and build devices that use solar power for home use. Examples…
Was on my way to an early morning meeting just north of Tucson’s Rillito Creek. We had yet another rainstorm last night, which meant that the creek was running. But it wasn’t running as briskly as it had been on Labor Day weekend. So, no creek photos. This time, the eye-catcher was a construction site…
One of my favorite types of graphic design: Designing with type, then combining the result with photography. Here is an example that came together on a promotional postcard for my studio…