Friday, January 25, 2013

First Adventures of 2013


This adventure is on the coldest day we could have chosen. The wind is blowing a little, and the clouds are playing peek-a-boo with the sun. We parked at the convention center parking lot where we originally intended to see the quilt show. After paying $8 for parking and anticipating $10 each for the quilt show, I opted to find the Presidio, which is the remains of an old fort in the middle of downtown Tucson. Today was a reenactment day. They had demonstrations, food, and cannon firings. The guys in the picture above told Ginny that they made those coats they are wearing. I sure could have used one. Below is the courtyard just before you enter the gift shop. We hung out there for a while to warm up.



Above is the courthouse; I keep repeating myself by saying that I want to come back another day and take more pictures. Below are the office buildings that I just love to take pictures of because of the reflections of the clouds.








Ginny is taking pictures also. It's strange the way her jacket is the same color as that wall. The turquoise blue line on the brick pavement is what we followed to get to the Presidio. We also found Tucson's Old Town full of old shops, courtyards with food vendors, and some things I might want to buy.


On Monday we went to the Quilt Show at the Historical Society's Museum. Arizona is celebrating their Centennial the same as New Mexico. I took close to 100 pictures of quilts. These three wall hangings are among the best in my opinion. They really depict Arizona. Notice the "Do not touch" signs. They were absolutely necessary. That was the first thing you wanted to do.








This is the outside of the building which is actually on the University of Arizona campus. In fact, the bookstore was directly across the street. The admission was reasonable with free parking in a covered garage. My kind of outing!

The Last Adventures of 2012


Actually these adventures took place between Christmas and New Year's. We went to Madera Canyon, because I had heard so much about it from my birding friends. The weather was bright and sunny, but there was left over snow. I still tromped around jacket-less, taking pictures. The background was beautiful, but I concentrated on the yucca pods.



The volunteers at the bottom of the canyon told us about a Mexican restaurant in Green Valley, so we went there for lunch. It's called Los Agaves and is probably the best food I've had since my arrival.


One day we went to Bisbee, an old mining community, and toured the Queen Mine. It was cold in our mile high location, and colder down in the mine. My pictures didn't come out very well due to the lighting.
This is one of the antiques in the hotel dining room where we ate.

This is the outside of the hotel. It's at least three stories. I wonder if they give tours and whether they have a ghost. I think I'd like to come back here when the weather is nicer.

In the lobby, they had a metal sculpture of a palm tree that was very interesting.

Here's Ginny suited up and getting a light attached to her belt. They asked us to be there 20 minutes early, so we could get dressed.

At Tubac a few days earlier, we took an historic tour of the settlement. That lady was our guide and did a good job. It's presently an arts and crafts colony. I was here in the spring and you can see more pictures from my earlier postings. We enjoyed a nice lunch in one of their small restaurants, but I can't remember the name.