Fiesta Garibaldi, Tucson International Mariachi Conference

We arrived at Casino del Sol Amphitheater at 11 a.m. and left at 7 p.m., with more mariachis left to perform!  What a day at the Fiesta Garibaldi, an all day celebration of music, food, and culture, at the end of the 36th Tucson International Mariachi Conference.  We heard amazing child musicians playing violin, trumpets, guitars, and harps, singing their hearts out.  Each mariachi group was on stage about 20 minutes and they gave it their all.  They came from California, Las Vegas, Mexico, Texas, and plenty from southern Arizona.  From the first established youth mariachi group 50 years ago, Los Changuitos Feos de Tucson, to Mariachi Milagro, to the Tucson High School Mariachi Rayes del Sol, and many more, we enjoyed every group plus the folklorico dancers.  Every child on stage was poised, well practiced, and an incredible entertainer.  We loved every moment!

Morning Walk In the Neighborhood

I walked between 7 and 8 this morning.  There were plenty of bright blooms.  This palo verde tree in full bloom, greets us as we drive in and out of our neighborhood.  Beautiful!

Chomsky and Ellsberg

Papa and I go to UA events regularly, several times per week!  The UA calendar is a "favorite" on my computer and I check to see what is coming up that we might enjoy.  Last night we attended a discussion between Noam Chomsky and Daniel Ellsberg on the topic of nuclear policy and war.  Noam Chomsky joined the University of Arizona as a laureate professor of linguistics last fall.  He has had an amazing career, joining the MIT faculty in 1955, and best known as "the father of modern linguistics, as a major figure in analytic philosophy and one of the founders of the field of cognitive science."  There is more about him at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noam_Chomsky.  Daniel Ellsberg is most famous as the Pentagon Papers whistleblower.  He has written a new book, The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner.  There is more about him at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Ellsberg.

Last night's discussion was held in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, to a full house auditorium.  It was very interesting!  We were reminded of the times we participated in school drills as children, with the bell sounding and everyone getting under their desk.  Chomsky and Ellsberg's message was that the world's nuclear situation, number of bombs and nuclear material, is actually not much changed since those days, and is completely at the whim of world leaders who make comments such as "I have a much bigger nuclear button than ..."  What is very different is the world's population has grown exponentially and many millions more people would be affected by a nuclear war today than 50 years ago.  A free livestream of last night's event is here.

Hot Pink!

 These flowers bloom a very short time.  They are so beautiful, so delicate.  There will be a few more blooms over the coming days.  There are 65 blooms open today!  A treat for us to see every spring!

Hike in Catalina State Park

Papa and I were up early and on the Romero Trail by 8 a.m.  We hiked 5 miles.  It was a beautiful morning and the mountains had a green glow, lush with new growth on the mesquite trees and an understory of wildflowers and grasses.  I tried out a new pair of hiking boots that felt good from beginning to end.  We had a nice hike!

Busy Day!

By 8:30 this morning, we were on our way to meet Yadi at David's office, the Metropolitan Education Commission.  We arrived by 9 and met with David until 10:30, helping Yadi choose dorms at UA for the fall along with several other checklist items.  Next up, we drove across town to First Watch to meet Alan for lunch.  He was full of good advice for Yadi, about scholarships, parking passes, and all kinds of things UA related. 

By 1, Yadi headed back to the ranch and we headed to UA for the Arizona All-State Concert.  Every three years, the University of Arizona hosts Arizona's All-State Festival. Top band, orchestra and choir students from around the state visit UA campus for an intense period of rehearsal with nationally known conductors. We were welcomed to today's concert by the UA steel band playing outside Centennial Hall.  UA music students performed as an orchestra and in ensembles and solos, in various places around the auditorium, pop up style.  From a saxophone quartet to a trio of drums to a lone trombonist marching down the aisle playing New Orleans style, it was fun!  The UA marching band ended the concert as we exited Centennial Hall, dancing to upbeat music and finally the UA fight song.  We topped off our day with a double gelato at Frost.  A good busy day!

Walk in the Neighborhood

We are in between blooms, with poppies and brittle bush blooming, and prickly pear, cholla, and saguaros full of buds.  My walk this morning was quite beautiful, under a cloud dappled sky.