Left in Tucson

Recently, we reconnected with an old friend from New Jersey.  He voiced his concern for our safety and well being living here in the "wilds" of southern Arizona.  This prompted a rather colorful response from Jim, which I thought I should share here with my followers.  ------------- As my good friend George Bryan would say, “Don’t believe the hype!” And, in the words of Robert A. Heinlein, “ An armed society is a polite society. Manners are good when one may have to back up his acts with his life.” While the FBI Uniform Crime Report, and the much-exploited Gabrielle Giffords shooting reflected poorly on Arizona in-general, and Tucson more specifically, things aren't as bad as they might seem.  The Violent Crime Rate for the US in 2012 averaged 386.9/100k; whereas Arizona’s was 428.9/100k… or about 11% above the national average.  But, this is still a statistically small number, and even more, it is surprising.   Considering that Tucson is...

This afternoon, while returning from my regular walk, I came a upon a fairly good sized brown and tan bat lying on the sidewalk in front of the house diagonally across the street from our house.  As a let out a groan of surprise, the bat twitched and attempted to move.  I was sure that he/she was dead, but was somewhat relieved to learn that it was still alive.  As a checked the surrounding area, it seemed most likely that he had fallen from his perch in the palm tree directly overhead. I figured he/she would be safe for a couple more minutes until I got home and alerted Jim (Dr. Doolittle) to the little bat's plight.  (See earlier blogs regarding summertime visiting bats.)   When I got home and announced my discovery to Jim, he immediately went into action.  He grabbed an empty box from one of our storage cabinets, hurried out and across the street to try to capture the bat and get him to safety.  I followed Jim back to the spot where I found our li...

Now that November is upon us here in Tucson, if you have olive trees you probably have loads of olives falling everywhere.  Why not gather them up and put them to good use.  Home curing your olives is simple and easy.  Jarred olives make great holiday and hostess gifts, too!  Here are a few links I would like the share. Click here.       Click here

We spent last weekend in Albuquerque, NM enjoying the first weekend of Balloon Fiesta 2013.  This is the 42nd year of Balloon Fiesta.  With 654 balloons, it was an outstanding event.  The trip was a meet-up for members of our Tucson Mercedes Benz Club, Chaparral Section. Here is a video from the Dawn Launch. Here is a video from the Dusk Glow. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151900557191602 Our drive from Tucson took us through Globe, Pine Top and Show Low, then into New Mexico through  some amazing scenery. Our return to Tucson from Albuquerque along the southern route took us through the Gila National Forest, Emory Pass, a stop in the town of Mimbres for lunch and a visit with club members, and through Silver City.  Wonderful fall weather - clear and crisp days. Entering NM on the highway to ABQ On the highway to Albuquerque, NM On the highway to Albuquerque. View from old bridge in Kingston, NM on the road through ...

Check out this article that explains what is behind the media hype and Federal Government stats regarding our dearth of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math ( STEM ) talent in the US.  Your comments, please. 

It's that time of year again, and our visitors have returned for their autumn vacation. This year Manuel Jesus Ramone Ortega our seasonal boarder, a Mexican Free-tail brought his buddy Pedro with him to hang-out in the patio. At about 8PM, approx 30 Mexican Long Nose guys come to party in the patio every night, they completely empty three 250 ml. hummingbird feeders in about an hour and a half. It looks like the Reno Air Races circling counter-clock-wise through the patio. Unlike birds, they are in constant motion, so while there are between 20 and 30 in the back yard, I can only get about 4 - 5 in the picture at a time due to field of view and range of the flash. Standing in the middle of the swarm of these curious little guys as thy zip past to buzz me with their sonar and check me out is pretty cool. Last year, I tried to set-up the video camera on a tripod, but, it was too dark to capture anything, but, it was very neat to see the more advent...

My father died on May 24, 2013 after a noble battle with lung cancer, congestive heart failure and diabetes.  He would have been 87 this September.  After several days of slipping the bonds of this world, he passed peacefully before dawn.   While the seven months he lived in Tucson, AZ were extremely challenging for me, I am left with the peace of mind that he was well attended to by a team of very respectful healthcare professionals and caregivers. Throughout all his ups and downs, Dad never missed an opportunity to express his delight in living surrounded by giant saguaro cacti and mountains much higher than our familiar New Jersey Watchung Mountains. His greatest enjoyment was just sitting out in the warm spring sunshine under a perfect blue sky.  It always amazed him that after a lifetime of living in New Jersey that he should end up spending his final days in Arizona.   I still miss him every day.  The memory of his impish smile and the twinkle in...