This Big Landscape

Papa and I have made Tucson our home since early April 2017.  We miss some aspects of the ranch.  I miss the views and Papa misses the space.  Now feeling at home in Tucson, I am awed by the Tucson landscape every day.  The magnificent saguaros take my breath away.  I feel privileged to have a mountain view from every window of our house.  I am grateful for the privilege to live in a city with a community of people of many different ethnicities, religions, and cultures.  

Bullion Plaza Museum

Papa and I drove to Miami, Arizona this morning, to deliver several photos that his Dad had taken many years ago, as a donation to Bullion Plaza Museum.  We were in touch with long time family friends of Papa's, Peggy and Charlie, who met us at the Museum.  Charlie and Papa's Dad worked together at Inspiration Copper Company for many years and their families shared a lot of time together.  Peggy and Charlie gave us a tour of the Museum and Papa signed paperwork for the donation.  We went to the El Rey for a delicious Mexican lunch afterward.  We had a delightful time!

The Bullion Plaza Museum in Miami is located in the Bullion Plaza School, which opened in 1923 as a grammar school for Mexican and Apache students.  It was desegregated in 1950 and operated as a school until 1994.  The Museum opened in 2000.  We were delighted to see the McKusick Tile Exhibit.  We visited Mr. McKusick some 25+ years ago and have several of his handmade tiles.  The Mining Room had wonderful large photos that gave a good sense of copper mining many years ago.  The Mexican Cultural Exhibit is in a room with handpainted walls from the 1930's and full of local historic photographs.  The Museum is very well done.

The 100 mile drive to and from Miami was beautiful.  After lunch, we stopped to take photos of the open pit mines, which dominate the mountainous landscape of the Miami/Globe area.  A truck pulled in front of us carrying several large copper anode slabs.  Papa drove by his childhood home and we made a quick stop at El Capitan Pass.  "This pass was used by Kearny's army of the west in a march to California in 1846. Guided by Kit Carson. It was described in a journal of the trip as "Carson's old trail". The pass led around the impassable canyon on the Gila river where Coolidge dam has now been constructed."  We had many history lessons and reminders today.  A good day!

Sweetwater Wetlands

I wanted to hike this morning, so Papa suggested we go to Sweetwater Wetlands, a place he discovered on his bike rides along the Santa Cruz River.  "Sweetwater Wetlands is one of the most important functional, environmental, and educational components of the City of Tucson's reclaimed water system. Treated water filters through sediments beneath recharged basins and replenishes the local aquifer. This reclaimed wastewater is recovered by extraction wells during periods of high water demand. Since 1996, the recovered wastewater is distributed for reuse in Tucson's golf courses, parks, schools, and other large turf irrigation areas."

We walked about 2 miles through Sweetwater Wetlands, with the pathways mostly shaded.  We stopped to watch ducks and various birds.  We enjoyed seeing water friendly vegetation, like cattails and cottonwood trees.  And we were amazed to be walking in such a lush, wet place in the middle of Tucson, in the Sonoran desert!

   

Blooming Barrels

We have various colored barrel cactus blooms in the yard now.  I just love them!

Kitchen

I hung a photo on the door to our pantry yesterday.  I had the photo mounted to foam board, so there is no glass in the frame, and I mounted to the door with Command Strips.  Its a sepia toned photo taken in the Saguaro National Monument West.  Papa installed our cabinets when we bought the house in 2008.  I love our cubby of family photos, the family handprints on canvas, and our view of the Santa Catalina Mountains.

Cruise Planning

Since returning from our trip to Italy on July 14, I've spent a considerable amount of time planning our next travel adventure.  We are confirmed to go on a cruise from Dubai to Capetown, from November 6-December 9.  We will leave on November 3, with arrival in Dubai on November 5.  We have planned dinner with friends in Dubai that evening.  We plan to board the ship on November 6 with this itinerary:
DAY         PORT                
Nov 6 Mon Dubai, United Arab Emirates Embark
Nov 7 Tue Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Nov 8 Wed Fujairah, United Arab Emirates
Nov 9 Thu Muscat, Oman
Nov 10 Fri Cruise the Arabian Sea
Nov 11 Sat Cruise the Arabian Sea
Nov 12 Sun Mumbai, India
Nov 13 Mon Mumbai, India
Nov 14 Tue Goa (Mormugao), India
Nov 15 Wed Mangalore, India
Nov 16 Thu Cochin (Kochi), India
Nov 17 Fri Male, Maldives
Nov 18 Sat Male, Maldives
Nov 19 Sun Cruising the Indian Ocean
Nov 20 Mon Cruising the Indian Ocean
Nov 21 Tue Mahe, Seychelles
Nov 22 Wed Mahe, Seychelles
Nov 22 Wed Praslin, Seychelles
Nov 23 Thu Cruising the Indian Ocean
Nov 24 Fri Cruising the Indian Ocean
Nov 25 Sat Mombasa, Kenya
Nov 26 Sun Zanzibar, Tanzania
Nov 27 Mon Cruising the Indian Ocean
Nov 28 Tue Nosy Be, Madagascar
Nov 29 Wed Cruising the Mozambique Channel
Nov 30 Thu Cruising the Mozambique Channel
Dec 1 Fri         Maputo, Mozambique
Dec 2 Sat Richards Bay, South Africa
Dec 3 Sun Durban, South Africa
Dec 4 Mon Cruising the Indian Ocean
Dec 5 Tue Cape Town, South Africa
Dec 6-9         Cape Town, South Africa - Winelands & Wildlife Land Tour

Papa and I have not been to any of the ports we'll visit, so I have a steep learning curve.  I have been researching each port, the "don't miss" attractions, UNESCO World Heritage Sites nearby, tour guides, and more.  I've applied for and received 3 of the 4 Visas necessary for the trip.  Fingers crossed that the Mozambique Visa will not be a problem.  I've progressed to reading both fiction and non-fiction based in some of the places we're traveling.  The planning process is fun!

Architectural Boat Tour of Chicago

On Sunday morning, we drove down town Chicago to do the architectural boat tour.  The narrator was a knowledgeable Chicago architect.   We really enjoyed the stories of the buildings and the history of Chicago.  Nice!