Last month, I wrote about a Watershed Management Group project that’s transforming a steep slope on a private property west of Downtown Tucson. I’m pleased to report that this project is now done. A small, but mighty band of WMG volunteers applied the finishing touches this past Sunday. Tip: I am available for construction photography…
This past Saturday, the Watershed Management Group ran a workshop to install earthworks on an undeveloped urban lot in central Tucson. Participants working with an excavator (shown above) to create large broad basins, raised pathways, and swales. The goal is to transform this lot into a green space where wildlife can thrive and people can…
Spring is in the air, and that means that Tucson’s Watershed Management Group volunteers are back in action. Here, two shovel-wielding volunteers are helping a local family solve a steep problem… Seems that the west side of their property has a steep slope that does a convincing imitation of a waterfall when there’s a heavy…
Yesterday morning, the Mustangs, Thunderbirds, Fairlanes, and T-birds lined up on Tucson’s Fourth Avenue. The occasion was Fords on Fourth, an all-Ford car show… Fords on Fourth offered a veritable banquet of treats for those who like to get under the hood… Or you could see the festivities reflected on this hood… If there’s one…
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 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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
Cross Mardi Gras with All Souls Day and what do you get? Tucson’s All Souls Procession, that’s what! This annual event is one of the largest parades in Arizona. It features thousands of costumed marchers who celebrate the universal experience of death. The marchers are preceded by a giant urn (shown above), which gets burned…
Event photography can be as predictable as the schedule that the opening ceremony will follow, and as unpredictable as how people will react to your camera. I prefer to do candid shots, but there are times when people simply insist on posing. In these cases, I just let ’em pose and take the photo. Or,…