Twenty-Four Hours in Tucson

 

Friday, November 2, 2012 – Twenty-Four Hours in Tucson

It’s amazing how much how much we saw and did on our first full day in Tucson.  When Gale picked us up at our hotel right after breakfast on Thursday, the weather was an ideal blend of cool air and warm sun.  Our first stop was the nearby Botanical Gardens. There were over five acres of gardens, each with a special theme, such as Native American crops, herb garden, barrio garden, Zen garden, and, of course, the cactus and succulent garden.  There was such an incredible variety of desert plants, and because they were all so well-labeled, we really learned a lot.  Some of the cactus names were very descriptive:  flying saucer, pin cushion, golden barrel, pipe organ.  The funniest was a tall white-haired cactus called Mexican Old Man.  We also had a chance to see exotic butterflies from Central America in a specially enclosed tropical butterfly garden.  My favorite was the blue morpho, whose sedately patterned wings open to reveal a brilliant iridescent blue.  Another interesting feature of the gardens was the presence of elaborately costumed skeletons, a traditional decoration for the upcoming Day of the Dead.

Elliott in the herb garden

Zen garden

Golden barrel cactus

The cactus and succulent garden

Some strange looking cactus

The Palo Verde tree is green all over.

Mexican Old Man cactus

Pipe organ cactus

Blue morph butterfly

Another interesting butterly

Celebrating Day of the Dead

A shrine for Day of the Dead

 

Our next stop was in an older and more historic section of Tucson.  The Old Town Artisans is a group of interconnected shops showcasing Native American arts and the work of local artists and artisans.  It also happens to be next door to the Tucson Museum of Art.  Since it was noon, we took a lunch break at the museum’s café, where we sat outside on the patio with our sandwiches and salads.  Although temperatures had risen to the mid-80s, we were very comfortable in the shade.  After the three of us jointly demolished a healthy slice of chocolate mint cake (blame Elliott for ordering that one), we went inside to tour two temporary exhibitions. 

The calorie count isn't too bad when you divide it by three.

The first was a retrospective of the work of Tucson artist Barbara Rogers.  Photography wasn’t allowed, so I can’t include examples of her work, but we all found it fascinating to see the progression of her style from photorealism in the 1970s to the current work, which combines realism with abstraction and ornamentation.  Works on paper by Henri Matisse, always a favorite of mine, was the subject of the second exhibit.  Most of these were linocuts he prepared to illustrate the ancient Greek story of the birth of the Minotaur.  As with his work in all media, his line is so fluid and magical. 

While Elliott took a post-museum nap in the late afternoon, Gale and I shopped.  I was interested in Native American silver and turquoise jewelry and was pleased to find a bracelet and a pair of earrings.  I also brought back a gift for Elliott.  You should have seen his face light up when I presented him with the free real estate magazine I found in the lobby of the hotel.  In case you weren’t aware of it, looking at real estate when we travel is one of Elliott’s hobbies.  Whenever we see a real estate office, he has to stop to look at the listings in the window.  He loves setting up appointments with brokers to see properties although we’re not seriously considering buying another home.  It’s too bad (for him) that we won’t have time to spend a day focusing on real estate on this trip.  He’ll have to be satisfied with a tour of Taliesin West, the Frank Lloyd Wright house in Scottsdale.