March 2019 update: This website is no longer online. Here are a few of the many accomplishments of Leon E. Barstow, Ph.D.: Created the world’s first commercial DNA synthesizer, which is now in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution. Developed and commercialized new products with sales totaling $200 million. Raised more than $35 million…
I have a confession to make: I like airports. Even in these days of flight delays, lost luggage, overpriced food, and surly service. Among my favorites is Dallas Fort Worth International, aka DFW. Like its home state of Texas, DFW is huge. So huge that it once took me an hour to walk from one…
Looking for something a bit more interesting than the white background that’s currently gracing your current website? How about something lively and different that will make your pages totally unreadable? After all, you didn’t want those pesky visitors reading your copy anyway. In the spirit of giving that has made the Internet what it is,…
Last week, a neighbor came over to alert me that she and her roommates were having a Saturday night house party. With live bands. "What kind of music?" I asked. "Punk rock," she replied. Now, that brought back some memories of house parties back in my early twenties. Back when this punk thing was just…
Good landscape planning and design is one of those things that a lot of us talk about, and some of us even do it. But, here’s Martha from Reality-ville: I didn’t plan the design of my yard. I just made it up as I went along. And my forary into water harvesting was motivated more…
Okay, ornithology buffs, this one’s for you. I spotted this bird at Wildlife World (near Phoenix) in late 2006. Anyone care to identify him or her?
Yesterday afternoon was a tense time on the University of Arizona campus. The UA-led Phoenix Mars mission was nearing a significant milestone: The end of its 10-month journey to the Red Planet. I was among the hundreds of people who converged on the UA Mall to watch NASA TV coverage of the landing on the…
Stained glass window, Catholic Newman Center, Tucson, Arizona
Back in February, I blogged about one of my Tucson cycling heroes, Lee Rombach. Following his death at the age of 93, his friends decided to offer his much-used (and much-beloved) bicycle as a transportation scholarship for foreign students at Arizona State University. Many of them come to this country with little more than the…
…your prickly pear cactus swoons.
Came across this mailbox when I was bicycling across Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in 1980… Since the day was still young and I had many more miles to cover, I didn’t take Mr. Bishop up on his offer. But his sign typified the generous hospitality I found throughout rural America.
This is a concept illustration for a CD cover… Perfect for some of extra-spacey ambient music. Or maybe some downtempo chill.
Ever been to a cyclocross race? This one happened in Tucson’s Himmel Park in early 1998. (Hard to believe it’s been that long!) Part of the fun is watching the riders jump over things while holding on to their bikes. Perfect theme for a postcard…
This past Saturday, Habitat for Humanity Tucson started construction of its eighth Women Build home. The event drew approximately 100 women volunteers to the Habitat build site at Corazon del Pueblo. Once there, they got down to work with hammers… and saws… Then they put all the pieces together and raised the walls… Tip: I…
This one was created for a Creative Postcard Club assignment… We were given the task of designing a card that would promote our hometown.
This past Sunday, I stopped by the Main Library in Downtown Tucson. Just a week ago, the library plaza had been filled with artists and their admirers. The occasion was the 3rd Annual Tucson Madonnari Chalk Art Festival. Even though the crowds have departed, the chalk art remains…
"Diamond" Jim Hewitt is a musician, music producer, and web applications developer from Oracle, Arizona. He periodically sends e-mails announcing upcoming gigs. The last one included a promo of his Tucson Folk Festival appearance, and it ended with admonition, "Be there or be trapezoidal!" How could I refuse an invitation like that? Jim was playing…
This one started out as a photograph I took while watching the 1996 El Tour de Tucson bike race.
This past Saturday, chalk artists and onlookers turned the Main Library’s Jacome Plaza into an open air gallery. The occasion was the 3rd Annual Tucson Madonnari Chalk Art Festival. Skilled artists and their apprentices painted large, contemporary and traditional style murals in chalk… While the artists painted, Orquestra la Unica played salsa… and the University…
This past weekend provided a visual feast for those who see the bicycle as art. From Tucson’s Bicycle Swap Meet and Alley Cat Bike Scavenger hunt, we have…
Tucson’s Bike Fest 2008 ended this past Sunday. The final event was a scavenger hunt for a good cause. And it started and ended at one of our coolest two-wheeled places, BICAS… The 5th annual Alley Cat Bike Scavenger Hunt was a fundraiser for El Grupo Youth Cycling, and it attracted 134 riders. The cycling…