September 2015 update: This website is no longer online. When I was a first-grader I had a fabulous teacher. I owe my love of reading to that lady, because she taught me how. Toward the end of the school year, she made an announcement that disappointed the whole class. She said that she wasn’t coming…
Was pedaling over to a Saturday afternoon class, and what should I encounter but the massive Interstate 10 widening project. This construction project is causing all sorts of headaches for the motoring public, and it’s supposed to continue until 2010. I-10’s Downtown Tucson worksite was chock-full of barricades, mud, heavy equipment, and other obstacles that…
It’s raining. Again. Been quite busy pulling weeds, but that’s a good sign. It’s a sign that my yard plants will soon start blooming like this ocotillo, which gets quite motivated after a rainy spell…
I’ve been seeing a lot of the Tucson Fire Department recently. Not that I’ve had any house fires or accidents. It’s just that we keep running into each other at large community events. The above shot is from last Saturday’s Harambee Festival, where the TFD was offering firetruck and ambulance tours.
This past Saturday, Tucson Parks and Recreation and the Northwest Neighborhood Center hosted the 24th annual Harambee Festival. Harambee (pronounced "ha-RAM-bay") was a coming together of cultures to celebrate Black History Month. It featured ethnic food, information on community resources, and plenty of local talent, including One Kingdom Image…
This is the fourth in a series of posts on combining bicycling with photography. This one’s about carrying your photographic gear. As mentioned previously, I’ve done a lot of traveling by bike. To put it mildly, this is a lesson in minimalism. You don’t have a lot of space in your bike packs, so a…
This is a tribute to one of my bicycling heroes, Lionel "Lee" Rombach. He died last month at the age of 93. Up until a few years ago, Lee logged thousands of miles per year on a used Univega six-speed. Meanwhile, Ina the Car sat at home, gathering dust. He only drove a few hundred…
Nature photography seems to have this “way far away” cachet to it. As in, you must travel a long, long way to get your nature pictures. Well, sometimes you have to do that. But nature is all around us. Today’s post features photography from a churchyard near the Mississippi Gulf Coast…
This past Saturday, Tucson’s Northwest Neighborhood Center hosted a safety fair. This event included free Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) etching, courtesy of the Tucson Police Department: The idea behind VIN etching is to make your car a less attractive target to car thieves. (Alas, Arizona has quite a few of those.) Since windows are the…
In January 1934, the United States was in the throes of the Great Depression. Since the suffering was so widespread, driving fancy new cars and sporting the latest fashions was an easy way to stand out. Especially in a small town like Tucson, Arizona. Standing out was what notorious bank robber John Dillinger and his…
Enjoyed the opportunity to have lunch at the Guadalajara Grill. It’s just north of one of Tucson’s most interesting neighborhoods, Richland Heights West. This neighborhood like a throwback to the Old West, only it’s right in the heart of the city. RHW residents are quite fond of their natural desert environment and their dirt roads,…
Ever seen that bumper sticker that proclaims that the driver’s Border Collie is smarter than your honor student? Well, be forewarned, they really are that bright. Take, for example, my parents’ Border Collie mix, Sandy. She has proven to be a formidable subject whenever a camera appears. Her specialty: being in such constant motion that…
I was in eastern Pennsylvania visiting family over the holidays. Rain seemed to be the dominant theme of the visit, and the moisture was quite welcome. This area had been suffering near-drought conditions for a good part of 2007. Rain presents unique challenges to a photographer — such as how to protect the camera —…
Yesterday brought an early Christmas present for Ann Hoy, her youngest daughter, Dani, and her grandson, Aiden. They became the proud owners of the 273rd house constructed by Habitat for Humanity Tucson: This occasion was marked by an official Habitat dedication, which included some really cool housewarming presents: I first met Ann when she came…
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I get around by bicycle. Most of my riding is utilitarian, ’round town stuff, but when I was younger, I biked all over the United States. While I was out on the road, my carrying space was limited. So was my strength. Which meant that I was forced to take a minimalist approach to photography….
Long-term weather forecasts were promising a winter with above-normal temperatures and below-normal rainfall. Boy, were they wrong on that one. Our current cold snap is making the utility companies very happy. And, since late November, we’ve had almost 2.5″ of rain. So much for that dry spell we’d been having. To document our unusual weather,…
Here in Tucson, we love our offbeat parades. Take, for example, the annual Downtown Parade of Lights. If there’s a theme, it’s "Things That Have Lights On Them." And that covers a lot of territory. The 13th edition of this parade included a collection of vintage police and fire vehicles, the public library’s Bookmobile, a…
One of the great joys of visiting another place is wandering around. Even if you’ve been there before. Take, for example, Ann Arbor, Michigan, which is home to the University of Michigan. I first developed the habit of wandering around town with a camera while I was a U-M student. It was a nice break…
Quite often, identity design is a team sport. Take, for example, the creation of a new identity for the Tucson chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). In 2006, IABC-Tucson set about the task of redesigning its logo, which was incorporated into the chapter’s new website. The new logo was created by Julie…
On Saturday, December 1, Tucson’s Watershed Management Group (WMG) will have an open house at the Ward 3 City Council office. The open house will showcase WMG’s latest water harvesting demonstration site. Here are the specifics: Water Harvesting Open House Saturday, December 1 4:30-6:30 p.m. Ward 3 City Council office 1510 East Grant Road, Tucson…