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 awarenes...

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 mo...

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