Left in Tucson

Challenge Diary - Whole Living Daily : Whole Living

I have recently launched a new project!  With my long-time fascination with carousels, I began researching their history, the craftsmen who created them, and learned how few are still in operation. Most  that still exist are in serious need of restoration and preservation.  Carousels and their ponies hark back to the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. They proudly display all the mechanical wonder and pride in craftsmanship of an earlier time.  So different from today's technological world of everything "i-."  A ride on an antique carousel is a chance to slow down and experience the world at a more human speed.  Does anyone remember what that was like?   Our primary mission is to rescue carousel ponies of all makes, models, and breeds that are in urgent need of care. The rescue and preservation of carousel ponies that have been neglected, abandoned or abused is paramount. Secondly, our mission is to inform and raise awareness of the public about what it

On the way back from our most recent hike along the Ventana Canyon trail, I narrowly avoided stepping on this little guy.  It's a baby Black Widow Spider!  This is another first for me!  So far, my lifetime rare tiny wild creatures discovery tally stands at three.  My first, was a newt I spotted while walking a trail in the New York Catskills at Mohonk House.  My second, was a horned toad while walking along the roadside in Greer, AZ.  Since, I am often accused of not being aware of my surroundings, I think this is pretty good spotting.

Here are a few new pics, compliments of Jim, from a recent hike into Ventana Canyon.  The temperature could not have been more perfect, with a bit of cloud cover and a mild breeze to keep us cool. As a result, we finally succeeded in reaching a higher elevation, which offers an amazing vantage point to view T-Town.  For all our friends who live east of the Mississippi River, these photos are especially for you.

Day of the Dead

Ever since I first discovered Georgia O'Keeffe and her famous paintings of  steer skulls , I have always wanted a real steer skull of my very own.  I don't know why, but I just thought it would be a cool thing to hang somewhere in my house someday.   When I was in my late 20's and I finally did take my first trip to the southwest and to Arizona, I was determined not to return home to New Jersey without my steer head.  I had envisioned driving along an empty stretch of highway through the Sonoran desert and discovering one just lying there not far from the side of the road.  Well, of course, that never happened.   For years after that trip, my desire to own a steer skull and have it displayed on a wall in my house would crop up from time to time. It never occurred to me that you could actually buy such a thing almost anywhere in AZ.  And there was no Internet in those days where I could just go and find one on eBay.  It wasn't until Jim moved west to Tucson to start

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We have the good fortune to live in a house in Tucson that came with two "legacy" olive trees in the front yard. I refer to them as "legacy" trees because these two are the last remaining curbside olive trees in our community.  When our development was built, olive trees were the builders' tree of choice for curbside, street trees in many neighborhoods.  Over time, however, Tucson and many homeowners learned the error of their ways.  People found that the spring flower bloom of these olive trees brought about pretty severe allergic reactions.  Also, if the trees are not pruned regularly, they become quite wild, with limbs growing into power lines, and dangerous when they begin to obstruct lines of sight on busy streets and at traffic intersections.  They also have a tendency to develop multiple trunks which makes them vulnerable to spliting in heavy wind storms. About 25 years ago, the city of Tucson banned the planting of olive trees and began removing them fro

Tucson has its own twist on the annual OktoberFest. 

Driving is a privilege not a right.  That's why you obtain a license.  On August 23, 2011, while driving back home from running a series of regular errands around T-Town, I got photo flashed at the infamous Speedway and Kolb intersection.  I was about the 4th or 5th car in the flow of the traffic proceeding through the yellow light, when I saw the flash.  I prayed that it hadn't been for me but for the person behind me.  About three weeks later, I learned that flash familiar to all Tucson drivers had been for me.  The proof positive arrived in the mail from the Tucson Police Department; a photo of me behind the wheel of my BMW 325 CI, with hand raised as I swore at myself for being so stupid, along with a ticket for $335.  Ouch! A week later, I received my "invitation" to attend the mandatory Traffic Survival School, an 8-hour class to re-teach me the rules of the road.  While others I know have attended this class and similar ones, once or several times, this w

This spring, while reading other blogs related to growing figs, I discovered that here in the Southwest we are blessed with two crops of figs; one in early summer and the second in the fall.  Figaro was planted in the fall of 2007 and produced his first crop of figs in his new home in summer of 2008. Up until this summer, I was perfectly content with my summer fig harvests.  I never expected a second crop to come in the fall.  When I lived in New Jersey, anyone with a backyard fig tree or bush harvested their crop in September and October, and that was it.  This July, for the very first time, while picking figs from my tree, I began to notice a new set of tiny bumps along the branches; the budding of a second crop of figs!  You cannot imagine how exciting and rewarding this discovery was.  The thanks really goes to Jim for installing and monitoring our backyard irrigation system.  While I do the pruning, grass trimming, fertilizing, and fig picking, consistent watering here in our dese

MBs on Parade - Sept 10, 2011 Chaparral Club drive to Mt. Lemmon Catalina Highway to Mt. Lemmon The best of the best Note the "White Queen" in the far right corner View of sprawling Tucson below City of Tucson with Catalina Highway in foreground City of Tucson - Another angle A good place from which to take that leap.... Jim standing in the wash at Catalina State Park- sans Monsoon rain run-off. Bridge across historic Roosevelt Lake and Dam View of Roosevelt Lake to the south Roosevelt Lake sans boat traffic Rainbow over Tucson - East side Same Rainbow over East Side of Tucson Spring time in Catalina State Park "Great Horny Toad!" at Catalina State Park Same Horned Toad The trail at Catalina State Park Spring time view from trail at Catalina State Park Another spring time view from the same trail The wash (where's Jim?) at Catalina State Park Prickly Pear C

AS the 2011 Monsoon season in Tucson comes to a close, here some photos of funnel clouds that formed over the city on Saturday afternoon.  Click here.   And here. And here .

Businesses, not Obama or DC, must fix job crisis -- The Buzz - Sep. 8, 2011 This is a wonderful article.  I totally agree that only businesses can improve the jobs situation.  Once corporations and companies truly believe that the Federal Government will not hamstring their future endeavors with regulation, ObamaCare, and outrageous taxation, they will start hiring with a vengeance. Right now, every single employee is doing the work of not two people but three people.  The tech sector, the energy sector, and the manufacturing sector are all making great strides in innovation and efficiency.  Many US industries are poised to explode on the world market.  I strongly believe that our economy is like the hang glider standing on the edge of a cliff just waiting for the perfect wind current to allow us to sore like never before.  We are going to witness the most amazing 4Q2011 US economic results, and they will astound the world. 

Pima County GOPgun raffle offensive to some It is interesting to note that there were 125 raffle tickets sold at $10 per and they sold out in  45 minutes today at 7:45 AM. Another Glock was raffled off and it, too, sold out in minutes. This is Tucson !

Click here. Video Our "classic" mid-century modern ranch house on the east side of Tucson, came with an artifact salvaged from the El Con Hotel - a solid, rough hewed oak beam that adorns the home's family room addition.  Boy, I sure wish I could find a photo of the area of the Hotel in which this beam once existed.

Telemedicine Saves Mayor of Bisbee

What's a haboob, you ask?   See the haboob!  

My Boot Camp About a month ago, I got this alert from my Living Social account about a local boot camp one-month membership.  I took the bait and signed up.  It was $20 bucks. What did I have to lose?  Well, about 5 lbs would be a good start.  You may have seen my Facebook entries and Twitter posts about BodyZen Boot Camp from a few weeks back.  How hard could it be? I thought.   I can be at the park a couple of blocks from the house by 6 AM 3 mornings a week.  I am not employed right now.  I exercise regularly.  I'm pretty fit.  I can do this for a month. So what, that I just found out that my hyperthyroid condition has returned and I am now taking two prescriptions to slow down my heart rate and hyperactive thyroid gland.  Exercise is always a good thing. I arrived 15 minutes early the first morning.  At 6 AM, in Tucson AZ in the middle of July, it was already hot and muggy.  Ugh!  The exercise clase is conducted on the beat-up tennis court at Jesse Owens Park.  It

Nature provides the best fireworks.

Big overnight storm contrasts with day AZ Monsoons don't disappoint.

FDA OKs first-ever treatment for scorpion stings . Tucson's U of A Viper Institute developed new treatment in partnership with Mexico.

The next morning came.  Very early in the morning, Teddy took us up out of the basement and into a big truck.  In no time at all we were all in the truck and it was moving.  We rode for a long time in that truck. "Jake, where do you think Teddy is taking us?" asked Bluebell. "I don't know." I said.  "But, remember, Teddy told us not worry and trust Teddy to tell us the truth." "I sure hope you are right, Jake." Said Dusty.  Shadow was quiet but had a very nervous look in his eyes as he kept peeping through the little window on the side of the truck.  Finally, the truck came to a stop. I smelled something very familiar in the air.  I heard some very familiar sounds, too.  Then, the doors opened, and I couldn't believe my eyes! "Well, here we are!" Teddy said.  "Welcome home!"  There inside a big dark room was our old carousel!  It's lights were gone now.  It was all dark, like the room.  It looked sad and lonely

The next thing I knew the young man was carrying me out the door and down the street.  He brought me home with him.  He took me down into his basement.  There I sat, with all these toys.  There were cowboy hats, and boots, and wagons, too! Then, I saw the picture! It was, Teddy!  Teddy was dressed in his cowboy hat, boots, and leather vest!  He was riding me on the carousel, just like in the old days! The man who had brought me home with him was my old pal, Teddy.  He was Teddy who used to ride with me and Wildfire and Bluebell and all the others.  He was now all grown up.  I felt sad when I looked at that picture.  I no longer had the bright new shiney paint that I had in the picture. Teddy told me, "Don't be sad, Jake, my old friend.  I'm going to take care of you, now." The nexxt day Teddy came home with a surprise.  Teddy brought Dusty down to the basement to join me!  Dusty looked worse than I did.  His brown mane was mostly gone, now.  There were only patche

   When I was a young Pinto Pony on the carousel, there was a little boy who liked to ride me best of all.  Teddy and I would gallop around on the carousel all afternoon, while the waves crashed on the beach and the seagulls screeched above our heads.  We never got tired.  Teddy liked to dress in his cowboy clothes when we would ride together.  Teddy would wear his cowboy hat, boots, and his leather vest, along with his gun and gun holster.  Teddy's gun was a six-shooter with a pearl handle and looked just like the ones real cowboys used, but Teddy's gun didn't shoot real bullets.  We were all very happy on our carousel by the sea, until one day something happened that changed everything.  Wildfire came to us and said, "I heard a man talking to Mr. Peterson about selling our carousel and all of us, too."  "Mr. Peterson told the man that he loved the carousel and would never sell it or all of us ponies, either." Mr. Peterson always made sure all o

On Thursday, July 21, Jim and I took a drive to New Mexico and ended up in Las Cruces , the home of  the White Sands missile testing range.  Since this is monsoon season in the southwest, the drive provided some spectacular views of mountain ranges and puffy clouds back lit by the sun.   I captured the sunset in a video on the return trip to Tucson, AZ. History of Las Cruces

Figaro, my fig tree continues to produce figs. I am harvesting them daily! The bowl in the refrigerator was overflowing with these beauties. Jim is not a fan of figs, and I can't eat them all. They are excellent digestive "regulaters," however, I don't wish to eat so many that I spend the whole day in the bathroom :) I discovered several delicious and easy recipes for preserving my crop of figs. Which I will share here. SPICED FIG PRESERVES http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Spiced-Fig-Preserves-15606 FIG JAM http://southernfood.about.com/od/jamsjellies/r/r81018i.htm

Hi! My name is Jake.  I'm a carousel pony.  I'm gong to tell you a story about me and some of my pals, and about our carousel, where we live and play. We were all carved out of wood and painted by hand a long time ago.  We were made by wood-carvers who came to America from far across the sea.  The wood-carvers came to New York City to make carousel ponies for boys and girls to ride.  The wood-carvers were so proud of their skill and so happy to be in a new country.  They wanted the ponies they made to be as proud and happy as they where.  That's why we look so strong and as free and as fast as the wind. These wood-carvers made me, Jake, and all my friends.  I'm what they call a Pinto Pony. That's because of my brown and white spots.  They are like the spots on a pinto bean.  Pinto beans are what cowboys eat when they are out on the range roping cows. Let me tell you about Wildfire.  He is the biggest, strongest carousel pony of us all.  Wildfire is painted wit

#comment-14131 This is an outrageous breach of our national trust. Get involved!

Tucson Real Deals

 Wyoming is the place:  Click here.

Click here for mobile access. Chart your course for exploring the REAL Southwest.

For those of you who believe that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is really in business to protect you, the American citizen, think again.       Click here.

getinvolved - therefugeeexperienceseries   TRES Director, Vivian Nguyen is a Rutgers Alumus, DC'99, GSC'06.  Professionals need to get involved and make a difference in our world.

YOU CAN TAKE THE GIRL OUTTA NJ,   BUT YOU CAN'T TAKE NJ OUTTA THE GIRL (or Guy!) I spend my weekends at the mall, my summers down the shore, and late nights in a diner with a plate of cheese fries. I know which exits are which, and that there's no decent beaches north of 100. I spent prom weekend in Seaside, and many a summer on LBI. I know the mob isn't just on the Sopranos. I know better than to drive through Camden, and that there are nice areas of Elizabeth. I know what good pizza & good bagels taste like. I  eat Boardwalk fries, zeppoles, & CASE's  porkroll on a hard roll. (yum!) I love to feel the wind in my hair, and the sand between my toes. I know there's no place on earth quite like New Jersey. And that no matter where life takes me, this will always be home.     AND YOU KNOW YOU'RE FROM JERSEY WHEN: You've been seriously injured at Action Park . You know that the only people who call it "Joise