LANNIELAND

Tucson

January 2012

When we travel, I bring my set of watercolor paints along and my little travel watercolor book.  I painted the picture above while staying in Tucson at MiCasita.  MiCasita was booked through Vacation Rental by Owner (VRBO).

It was a trip planned a few months back when we were anticipating the usual cold winter that ensues during the month of January in Colorado.  However, when we left for the airport, the forecast for our front range area said  the day ahead was to be sunny and would reach a high temperature in the mid 50's.  

When we arrived in Phoenix from where we would drive to Tucson, we had to wear our jackets because it was cool.  Not as cool as at home, but cooler than we had anticipated.  Nevertheless, the sight of saguaro cactus never fails to make me feel warm and happy.  Actually, I love all of the wonderful southwestern vegetation.   Cactus are so architecturally appealing.  I have a few small varieties in my home and was wondering if I could grow a saguaro in the family room.......I'd be pretty old before it got to a reasonable height.  One foot in 15 years and 10 feet in about 75-100 years.


Here's the bike I rode some while there.  Rather different from my more sophisticated road bike at home.  It was called a "La Jolla Cruiser".  I adjusted the seat for my long "legature" (my own word) and oiled the noisy chain with virgin olive oil.

Day One:  Pima Air and Space Museum.  A plethora of planes. A jumble of jets. Husband went ape over it all.  Me, not so much, and so after about an hour of looking around, I left him there to ogle the goods.  I drove back to MiCasita and hung out, drank iced tea and started my little painting.

Day Two:  Sabino Canyon.  A delightful place, a sunny hike, lunch by the stream - we sat on a big warm rocky slab - and then back to MiCasita.  At this point, Husband discovered the loss of his cell phone.  After a call to notify the visitor center about it and a return call when someone turned it in, it was recovered.  Next morning he drove to get it.

Day Three:  Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum......desert landscapes and a zoo....sort of. Most of the animals were hiding so we didn't see a lot of those.  The aviary was interesting and we did see birds.  The hummingbird aviary was probably the best part.  It was the first time either of us had ever seen a hummingbird nest - so, so tiny.  Watching people trying to capture hummingbirds on their camera phones was entertaining.  

This was our last day so once back to MiCasita, we packed, ate and went to bed early so we could wake up at 2a to drive the two hours to the Phoenix airport for our 6:30a flight.  In the future, if we decide to visit Tucson again, we will fly directly into the airport there.


Note:  you can click on the photos to enlarge them for better viewing.