My house is nestled in the foothills of the Catalina Mountains at 3000′ which subjects us to a bit of snow now and then–an event I’m trying to escape. That said, I’ll continue with my description of my new winter abode (an anagram for adobe) and one of the first places I explore is the Catalina Mountains above me. Within 200 yards above me is the boundary of Catalina State Park, and one of the first things I do is explore the Mt. Lemmon road–about 70 miles long and full of hairpin turns.
The Tucson basin is now populated with about 1 million people. I visited Tucson when I worked for the Phoenix Indian Medical Center in 1978. We would drive up to Tucson (we’re about 2000′ higher here) to cool off. Then, the peak temperatures in Phoenix were 104F–today 120F is the normal high. Baboquivari Wilderness lies in the distance and adjoins Kitt Peak–where there is an abundance of telescopes now threatened by light pollution (and forest fires–the roads are closed to Kitt Peak currently).
Typical granitic rock exposures would make a great climbing mecca except for rattlesnakes and cactus.
About 7500′ elevation
The summit is 9171–almost 200′ higher than Devils Thumb above my cabin in Alaska. There is a small ski area and village near the summit.
To hike (or walk about in the desert) one needs a good pair of shoes and I found them at the Sportsman’s Warehouse–a very good and locally owned climbing and outdoor shop. Shopping for shoes is like shopping for milk or just about anything today.–there are about 200 varieties, colors, shapes and prices–mostly expensive. I buy a 4 oz. pair of Hoka One One, Gaviota 4 V731s for about $220. The shoe saleswoman was persuasive and the shoes are blue yellow gray and red–and attract parrots as I walk about. I’ve also joined Costco and Amazon Prime. I feel like Rip Van Winkle after 20 years living remotely in Alaska. OK–let’s continue with a little local color:
OK–where else do you find Maserati SUVs? Right here in the Foothills. But you also find these:
Rednecks abound here although Arizona is now a blue state with a Democratic Governor and nearly blue Senators (Mark Kelly–NASA astronaut) and Kyrsten Sinema who doesn’t know who she is (she ran as a Democrat and left the party. Let’s drive up to Tombstone:
In this Tee shop, you are greeted with a cardboard TFG (the former guy) both middle fingers extended upward and a plethora of teeshirts that all same the same thing. I queried the owner’s teenage daughter who was working that day about the meaning of all this and she cited several live-stream websites showing our current leader as a…..well, I can’t print this stuff but it rivals some East Coast pizza parlors. Q-Anon is alive and well in some of the armpits of the American West.
Tombstone is also know for it’s gunfights. Twice a month, actors show up and shoot each other–over and over. We got lucky this day (I’m hosting my Oslo, Norway guest around). Here’s another Tucson hallmark:
And I thought I’d seen it all. There are also more nail shops here than….than…..than uh. And shakra alignment centers or tattoo parlors. Vanity sells big here in Tucson.
It didn’t used to be that way–I had guests pretty much non-stop in January and February and we did a lot of museums. Tucson has some wonderful art museums–which I’ll post later–but this painting nevertheless caught my eye. The painting is good but the artist’s name is what I noticed most–“Lone Wolf” Schultz took on the name of C. Hart Merriam. Lone Wolf’s father, James Willard Schults, was a famous explorer of Glacier National Park in the late 19th Century and a good friend of C. Hart Merriam–founding member of the National Geographic Society and one of America’s premier explorers and biologists. He was also a physician and buddy of Teddy Roosevelt. How rich this history is.
Speaking of culture, the Steinway has arrived and it is sweet! Got to keep your priorities straight and at my age, I’m starting with a piano–in this case a model M (5’7″). As a former board member of the Seattle Chamber Music Festival, I plan to host chamber music here. I’ve some Santos (Molesworth) furniture arriving which will break up the acoustics and provide a place for guests to sit. Still camping out……well, sort of.
I finally broke down and got a house cat. This guy keeps the rodents at bay and perhaps a few unruly neighborhood dogs. She has kittens and has appeared a couple of times so far. We also have cougars in the vicinity but I haven’t seen one yet. Love this Foothills living.
Another menu item for bobcats–roadrunners….. I also have Gambel Quail and many other birds. I’ve downloaded a bird ID app (everything is an app today) and sit out on the patio and it tells me what’s off in the distance.
If for no other reason you visit here, the Bach Cactus Nursery is one place you shouldn’t miss. They grow cactus from all over the world–started by seeds and many are rare, endangered plants. This one of dozens of buildings–thanks that they don’t need much watering…… Everything is for sale and you meet the most interesting people here from all over the country. My house is now a cactus garden.
One of the big winter events here is the Gem and Mineral Show. I gravitate to the paleontological exhibits–all models. It takes over the whole town and every large venue (I hate that word) is full of Moroccan ammonites or crystals that will straighten out your chakras; or is it shakras…….
I’m planting a citrus orchard; four trees so far. The place came with an orange and lemon tree (in the courtyard beyond) and I’ve added a second lemon and a grapefruit (bottom right here) and a lime (above with yellowish leaves). The lime has yellowed simply because the soil is alkaline. To fix this I first buy a good book on Arizona trees and then add coffee grounds and some vinegar once a week. I also have sloshed in some root stimulating enzymes. Citrus take up a lot of water–which is probably not a good crop for southern Arizona–however I don’t want to get scurvy, do I? After three or four hours, I manage to dig a 6″ deep trench for an irrigation system–a drip system that waters each tree about 10 gallons of water every day. In know, it’s cheaper to buy fruit from Mexico.
Woke up this morning to a couple inches of snow! By noon, it’s gone. Stay tuned……!
