What the?

Gas in Tucson is down to $2.89. Guess that's the silver lining to this recession cloud.

Flagstaff and the Great Outdoors

A few months ago, Skip and I took up hiking. Exercise, nature, quiet moments of contemplation. Bug bites. Cactus needles. Being lost in the woods. Getting pulled downhill by the dog. It's been a little up and down, but we've finally worked out the kinks and have had a few hikes without getting lost or being injured. We enjoy it quite a bit. Especially since we acquired a first aid kit. And a compass.

This weekend we headed to Flagstaff and the highest peak in Arizona, Mt. Humphrey. A towering mountain I first saw in April. Mt. Humphrey is the highest of the San Francisco Peaks. Snow capped no more, things look a little different in the fall:



Well, still a little snow up there. But, it was still very fall like at lower elevations:

At 12,000 feet, it's no easy hike. We hiked up to 10.3k, that was all I could take. I'm not so good with the altitude; breathing gets a bit tricky. The dog and I headed back, but Skip continued to the top. Sometimes crawling on hands and knees as the wind was gusting up to 80 mph, but he made it. Sniff. So proud.

The next day we headed to the Grand Canyon, only 90 minutes from Flagstaff. If you don't miss a crucial turn. But, hey, it was a fortuitous detour as we saw some gorgeous parts of the Painted Desert. We forgot to take pictures of that.

We did remember to take pictures at the Canyon:

Hard to believe that 'tiny' river carved the canyon. Astounding.

It was freeeezing there, literally 60 degrees colder than Mexico the weekend before. Thank goodness we stopped to buy scarves and hats. Brrrr. Made it hard to be outside for long periods of time, so we didn't walk around too much. We'll have to go back when it's warmer, but before it gets too crowded. That's probably a very narrow window...maybe four hours on the second Tuesday in May?

Mexico, Ole!

The first weekend in October we loaded the car with food and drink and headed down to Punto Penasco, Mexico. It's a popular get-away for southern Arizonans as it's just a 4 hour drive. We didn't know what to expect, but, hey, weekend at the beach. Can't be that bad.

Um, yeah. Not bad at all.

When we walked into the condo, I think all our jaws dropped at the same time.

I mean, we could quite literally roll to the beach from our room. At the very least, we could roll right to Mexico's premiere cash-only swim-up bar. "We'll take wet cash!" Yeah, not helpful.

It was a good thing we were so close to the water, it was 100+ when we were there. Yikes. It hurt to walk on the sand.

The resort had a very strict "No Tolerance Policy" for rule breaking. Odd to see so many rules and regulations and seriously uptight security guards at a beach resort. I get that they want to crack down on huge parties and spring breakers (all for that), but it was a little like vacationing in the "No Fun Zone". We had a great time, but those who crossed the securidad came to regret it.

We got a big kick out of the signs posted throughout the No Fun Zone. The exact literal translations were a crack up:

I think this might be the least enforceable rule ever:

What are they going to do? Put a time stamp on your hands and check? And as Jeff pointed out, they serve food at the swim up bar - they are giving you food while you're already in the pool. Good one.

Note, the pool closes at 8:45, and the guards are standing by to lock it down. They weren't messing around. My favorite pool rule:

Behave morally. Good reminder. Although I'd think "use bathing suits" would be covered by 'behave morally', no?

There may have been a few cocktails consumed during the trip.

Before:

After:

In addition to the fun we made for ourselves, we also witnessed the most poorly organized Triathlon ever. I guess you can't expect much when the race is run at a beach town in Mexico, but, man, glad I wasn't competing. Later, we witnessed a lovely wedding on the beach. Only a few people yelled "don't do it!" Touching. Perhaps they shouldn't have set the wedding up right next to the beach-access stairs.

Looking forward to the next trip to the No Fun Zone.

Urgent: Watch Jay Leno Tonight!!

It pains me greatly to say that, as I'd rather stab myself with a sharp stick than watch Jay Leno. But, you really need to watch to see the astoundingly talented Marc Broussard.

We saw him last night at Club Congress, and, WOW.

Hard to describe his sound. Best I can say it's a bluesy-rock with influences from New Orleans, Stevie Wonder, Amos Lee, and Robert Randolph and the Family Band. He's the most soulful white guy I think I've ever seen. You might know his song "Home" (it's on his Myspace page).

And his band was excellent. Usually I don't notice the band. To me, there's no difference between Natalie Merchant and 10,000 Maniacs. But these guys, WHOA. Each was a huge talent. And man, did they blow the doors of the joint. I was exhausted just listening to them, don't know how they play so hard every night.

Tonight they're on Jay Leno. Then they're back on tour, really just starting their tour. Many dates near you, go see them and prepare to be amazed.

Earth From Above

While I have many fascinating things to share with everyone, I haven't had a minute to get them out of my head and onto the blog. BUT, I had to quickly share this...

"Earth From Above" is a series of stunning photos taken by Yann Arthus-Bertrand. I saw his work in Chicago a few years ago and was just blown away. His exhibit is going to NYC in 2009, and I encourage everyone in the area to see the exhibit. His website shares nearly 2,000 images for free. You can easily spend hours looking at them.

The Boston Globe's fantastic The Big Picture - News Stories in Photographs (see link on side bar) is featuring some of his work this week. Check it out. Then book your trip to NYC.

More Great Live Music in Tucson

Yesterday friends won tickets to see an artist perform at a radio station. We couldn't join them because, you know, jobs. But, we looked up the guy and decided to go see him last night at Club Congress.

It was actually 3 guys for the price of one. First was Jason Reeves, who was surprisingly good. Usually the first guy in a three act performance isn't so hot, but he was great.

Next up was Keaton Simmons, also very good. Apparently Tucson was the first place one of his songs hit #1, so he loves Tucson. He seemed to be better known by the crowd than the headliner. He was really great live; I might prefer his live set to his recorded stuff, which I think is a great sign about how good a musician someone is.

Last up was the guy we went to see, Tyrone Wells. He was fantastic. His cover of "Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone" alone made the evening worth it.

They've got a lot of tour dates left, including stops in Boston and Chicago. Go see them.

Music is an art form in which the medium is sound organized in time*

We saw a few concerts in September, all of them great.

We saw Squeeze in early September. Yes, "Tempted" and "Black Coffee in Bed" Squeeze. They were great, they kind of actually rocked hard at times. It was a lot of fun, although I can't imagine what it's like to be singing the same songs many times a week for 20+ years. Is that enjoyable as a musician? It is sure enjoyable to listen to as an audience member!

Opening for Squeeze was Theresa Andersson. She was amazing. She is a one woman band who plays all her instruments live, using looping devices. It's hard to explain, but it was amazing, and she has a gorgeous voice. Watch this video to get a better idea of what she does, you may need to watch twice to fully get it. The video doesn't do her justice. Two people in our group separately both said, "I'm not a religious person, but that was like a spiritual experience." Really, she's great.

We also saw Amos Lee, who was fantastic. And tall. He's shockingly tall. The show was great, he played many types of songs, such a range. It was really a great show.

Next up in October: Marc Broussard , Matt Nathanson, and Dar Williams.

* So says Wikipedia, which is what I found when I Googled "music" when I couldn't come up with a title for this post.

Hello Again

August and September were pretty busy months, work-wise. Lots of 14+ hour days, weekends working. It was pretty exhausting. I don't know how I used to work 80 hour weeks for months on end. Then again, I was in my 20s. Everything was easier then. Sigh.

Things should be calming down now, thankfully. Fingers crossed.

Matt Nathanson - new tour dates

He's playing all over the place this October/November, including many of your cities. Just go, he's great, you'll love it. I'll refund your money if you don't have a fantastic time*.

http://www.mattnathanson.com/tour



* not really

Apparently I'm VERY White

Looking over the list of Stuff White People Like, I see a pretty accurate portrait of myself:

. #38 Arrested Development

. #36 Breakfast Places

. #25 David Sedaris

. #24 Wine

. #15 Yoga

. #63 Expensive Sandwiches

There are many more on that list that resonate.

Take a look at the list - how white are you?

Assorted Updates

The last few weeks in Tucson have been pretty chill. Lots of socializing and relaxing. The heat has let up, it's been very nice here. Still looking forward to fall, but the heat could be a lot worse.
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Saw my first tarantula last week. Skip saw it in the driveway and said, "cool!", then hopped out to get a closer look. Me, I stayed in the truck, and possibly locked the door. I did eventually get out to see it, but I stood behind Skip so I could push him in the way if the tarantula busted any moves. Later that night we heard the coyotes howling in the wash. Hello, wild kingdom.

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Another animal related update: the tortoises are in heaven - it's prickly pear fruit season. Although they're covered with horrid fine pricklers, the tortoises go nuts for the fruit from the cactus. Their little mouths are stained red from all the juice:


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Since when is an Escalade a compact car?

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Does the world really need these?

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This was the total for the car in front of me. The only reason it stopped at $100 is because the gas pump won't go over $100 to protect people from fraudulent credit card use. They probably need to raise that limit.

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Mmmmm...nothing like a nice ripe mago.

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I came *this close* to adding an apostrophe. Or crossing off the 's'. The Typo Eradication Advancement League would be disappointed in me. Maybe I'll change it next time I'm there.

An Old Boyfriend Has Come Back Into My Life

While on this trip to Chicago, I connected with an old dear friend. I knew I was going to see him, but when I did, I was surprised at how my heart jumped.

He was always there for me, except for one dark period in fall 2005 of which we do not speak.

He got me through some tough times, made those long cold Chicago winter nights more bearable. I didn't realize how much I'd missed having him in my life.

It's great to have you back, TiVo.

I don't really know how I could have left you behind for so many months. How sad you must have been, languishing in Scott's closet, unused and unloved for so long. I think you'll love Arizona. Cox Communication has many new channels for you to get to know, I think you'll make some new friends quickly. *sniff* I'll never leave you again.

One Town That Won't Let You Down

Oh, Chicago. How pretty you are with your 80 degree days, clear blue skies, shiny buildings. So lovely to see you again.

Except for those 4 buses that were broken down on Michigan Avenue yesterday, causing the usual traffic snarl.

And your 10.25% sales tax, highest in the nation.

And $4.49 for a gallon of gas.

It's been a quick whirlwind trip through the City of Big Shoulders. I've caught up with friends, visited the temporary office, and have liberated some stuff from storage. A good trip all in all.

While here, I took a few photos of the office building's lobby. Some of you might recall that they filmed the current Batman movie here last summer. They spent 4 months constructing a set in our lobby, filmed for one weekend, and then vanished. Why it took 4 months to build that set, I don't know. Still not sure why they picked this space, but it was fun to see the building in the film.

The space itself is in the mezzanine of the building; in the movie, it was a penthouse apartment. Where the Hyatt ballroom is, in the movie it was only skyline and stars. Bruce and Rachel walked onto the terrace to view the city skyline; I walked out to get the bus. Potato, potahto.

The scenes they filmed were the ones in Bruce's penthouse living area (the bedroom was filmed in a different building). The big fundraiser took place here. I can't find photos of the movie scenes to do exciting before and after shots. FYI, don't Google 'penthouse images' at work. Just a tip.

When Alfred and Rachel are talking, they're in this corner.



This picture shows one of these columns. Fascinating, no!?

Day Trip to Tubac. Also, Planes.

Sunday morning Skip and I headed to Tubac, AZ - "Where Art and History Meet". It was blazing hot, and we were two of oh, maybe 12 people there, so it was kind of deserted. Neither of us is a big shopper, but since the shops and galleries were well air conditioned, we did a lot of browsing. After 45 minutes or so, we called it a day at Tubac. Kind of a bust, but glad I saw it and can cross it off the list.

For lunch we went to the Tubac Golf Club. This is a lovely property, surrounded by mountains and blue skies. A serene place to spend a long weekend even if you don't golf. While having lunch, we spoke to the couple next to us. They moved to Tucson from...any guesses?...that's right, from Chicago. Shocking, isn't it?

Heading back into town, we drove by the Airplane Boneyard. Officially "Davis-Monthan's AMARG Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group", it's one of the places the military stores planes when they are taken out of service. It was amazing, I can't imagine the billions of dollars in equipment sitting in those fields. There are some great photos here. In searching for those photos, I just discovered that the Pima Air and Space museum gives tours of the Boneyard - I am so doing that!

Quick Quiz: Where do YOU think I was this weekend?

Take a look at these photos:

Where do you think they were taken?

A) Colorado

B) Napa Valley

C) Reims, France

D) Southern Arizona Wine Country

Believe me, I'm as shocked as you are to see that there is land like this in southern Arizona. Just a few miles off the I-10, we entered wine country. Man, it was gorgeous. I kept saying, "I can't believe I'm still in Arizona." Southern AZ is unusually green right now, so this was pretty trippy to see. Also trippy - most of the wines were actually pretty good. Never would have guessed that.

The reason for the trip was Sonoita's Wine Harvest celebration. While at the harvest fete, we sampled wines, had some food, petted some horses, and stomped some grapes. While in my head the grape stomping was going to be more of a head to head stompin' competition with several tubs lined up next to each other, it was sadly pretty lame. Each team got in the same vat one after the other, and the judging was on style and sassiness, not pure grape stomping aptitude. Oh well, we had fun doing it and none of us slipped into the slushy sticky muck (easier said than done).

All in all, a great day in Arizona.

The bin in which we stomped grapes. Not exactly what I had in mind.

A great example of Arizona weather - sunny on the left, rainy on the right, biker in the middle.