The Meet Me at Maynards weekly social/run walk just turned a year old. To celebrate, 1,261 people converged on Maynards Market and Kitchen in Downtown Tucson. They began the festivities by sampling the wares from a variety of local vendors… In front of the market was a health fair featuring Rock and Stroll sponsor Tucson…
This past Saturday, a Tucson tradition began. Nine local bands joined together for a rousing good fundraiser for our community radio station, KXCI-FM 91.3. As one would expect from a station that plays a little bit of everything, a wide variety of musical talent was on display. Headliners Calexico weighed in with a tasty blend…
This past Saturday was another one of those warm, sunny Tucson classics. Perfect for one of the first days of spring 2010. All the better for holding Solar Rock, a sun-powered concert in Himmel Park. Attendees could review and sign the Solar Energy Industries Association’s Solar Bill of Rights… Or how about some Arizona sun-baked…
This past weekend was one of those springtime Tucson classics. Sunny days, warm temperatures, and who wants to spend a moment indoors? Time to head down to 4th Avenue for the 40th annual Street Fair. If you rode your bike to the fair, the City of Tucson offered free valet parking. And, yes, I took…
Care to share your love of reading with thousands of your best friends? Well, the Tucson Festival of Books is your kind of place. Now in its second year, the festival drew bibliophiles of all ages to the University of Arizona Mall. While there were plenty of booths filled with the latest books from all…
It’s been a very rainy winter here in Tucson. More than three inches of the wet stuff has fallen on my house and yard since January. We’re supposed to get more rain this weekend. In addition to bringing forth spring flowers like the ones on this front yard primrose… …the rains have also given rise…
This past Sunday, the clouds threatened a repeat of the rain we had on Saturday. But that didn’t keep the Fords and their admirers from returning to Tucson’s Fourth Avenue. The occasion was the 2010 edition of Fords on Fourth, an all-Ford car show. Whether you’re into hot rods or classic pickups, this show offers…
Now in its third year, Tucson Carnaval celebrates spring, life, the arts, and community connections. This event featured concerts by many local bands, including Spirit Familia. Here’s Spirit Familia’s band leader, Jomo Alan, who lives a block away from me. He practices the flute while bicycling along our street… Richard Rivera adds guitar and vocals…
Five years ago, I decided to replace my house’s drafty metal casement windows. I’m pleased to report that this home improvement project has finally come to an end. Earlier today, the Open Enclose crew came and installed two new windows in the living room. But the old windows didn’t go down without a fight. The…
This past Saturday, hundreds of bicycle racers and fans converged on the University of Arizona. The draw was the all-day UA Criterium, which wound its way around the campus. This one’s from a men’s race that took place during the afternoon…
My previous post on Dillinger Days was mostly about cars. Well, I’m here to tell you that a lot of people rode their bikes to Dillinger Days, so it’s time to give some equal time to the two-wheelers. Like this one, which casts an interesting shadow on the Toole Avenue sidewalk …
This past weekend, I attended the annual Dillinger Days celebration in Downtown Tucson. This event commemorates the 1934 capture of "Public Enemy Number One," bank robber John Dillinger. The festivities centered around the Hotel Congress, where Dillinger and his gang of outlaws stayed when they first hit town. The hotel boiler caught fire, forcing the…
Well, it’s December, and the Christmas shopping season is hopping. Time to join several hundred thousand of your best friends on Fourth Avenue for Tucson’s Winter Street Fair. Along with several dozen other Watershed Management Group volunteers, I worked the edge of the fair. My job was to prevent people from leaving with open containers…
Was riding across the Snake Bridge, which is just east of Downtown Tucson. This is a bicycle and pedestrian bridge over Broadway Boulevard, and the outside skin has a snake pattern. The southern entrance has a rattler that goes off whenever someone approaches. The juxtaposition of the Snake Bridge, the traffic below, and my venerable…
Last month, I was walking along Congress Street in Downtown Tucson. It was a Monday night, not much happening, and I spotted this lone bike outside the Rialto Theatre. No acts performing at the Rialto, so that didn’t explain why the bike was there. It almost seemed as if it was forgotten, but it was…
If you’re a bike-tographer like I am, El Tour de Tucson draws you like a magnet. This annual event goes around the perimeter of Tucson and attracts cyclists from all over the world. I didn’t ride in this year’s El Tour, but I went Downtown to photograph the finishers. And to indulge in some artsiness……
Tucson’s annual All Souls Procession turned 20 this year. It started in 1990 as a ritualistic performance by artist Susan Johnson, who was grieving her father’s death. All Souls now attracts more than 20,000 people to a memorial march/street performance on the streets of Downtown Tucson. Here are five glimpses of this year’s event. Before…
How about a nice, warm bowl of chili for a good cause? And, better yet, cooked and served with a smile by local firefighters? At last Friday’s Tucson Firefighters Chili Cookoff, thousands of gallons of the good stuff were available. Firefighters from various departments set up booths to sell dollar-a-bowl chili, with the proceeds going…
Since we’ve had a warm, dry fall here in Tucson, it’s been a good time for outdoor projects. My latest was getting the mortar and stucco repaired on my house’s exterior walls. Then it was time to freshen up the paint. Here’s Kurt (from Creative Kurt Painting) getting my studio windows taped… With all the…
My front yard was graced (if you want to call it that) by a crumbling brick retaining wall. The wall had no seep holes, which meant that it was gradually being weakened by moisture. Time to tear down the wall. I wanted replace the old wall with something more attractive. Since I’m a member of…
Tucson Meet Yourself marked its 36th anniversary this past weekend. This annual festival bills itself as “a celebration of authentic cultural foods and the living traditional arts of Southern Arizona’s folk and ethnic communities.” Because of the emphasis on food, the festival has also earned the moniker “Tucson Eat Yourself.” Since my digestive system was…