Ghost Hike

Beautiful 79 degrees here in Southern AZ-so let’s go hiking!

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Moon Over Madera

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No way  staying inside on such a beautiful January day!

Treasure hunting in fallen trees for a specific shape of wood to finish a project.   My backpack is already full of NOT the right shape of wood. 04851eb0-6d26-4118-9f1a-e8dd22959491

We flushed out a pair of cotimundi out of their nest.  I was not fast enough to get a picture so here is an internet picture (ours were BIG & a bit redder than this guy):

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They may have been headed down to the stream937822dc-4d2a-4799-8919-36b51718db44

 

58be67f3-d46d-4d13-a770-1877ba7bcf65Suddenly we come across this trail to an abandoned building!  I am so excited!  Walking through tall grass is not my favorite (sneaky snakes).  We are on the lookout for crawly things and No Trespassing signs. All clear so here we go…

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It is fun to think about the families that gathered here, their pictures that hung on the wall, What the curtains must have looked like.  Much to imagine except…

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…LOOK it’s the kitchen sink!  Below an abandoned Teddy Bear which makes me a little forlorn.   Poor homeless Teddy.

bd41df8c-7eea-4ffb-8310-c46133dda224Lots of good opportunity to play with the light and texture of this old place. Camera Roll below:

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The view of the Baboquivari Peak is stunning.

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We had so much fun and yes I did find a rotted chunk of bark for my project.   Two times we  passed a man beside the path who was watching for birds. Each time I had a boogie board sized chunk of bark under my arm.  The second time we stopped to chat as he recites the types of birds he is watching.  He asked me “Is that the same piece of wood I saw you with earlier?” To which my G replies “She just carries wood around for exercise.  Cool huh?”  I smile & the birder looked puzzled but said nothing as we turned away and  continued down the path.

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AZ Quilt

We stumbled across this Arizona shaped quilt on display at the Naninni Library just as the Librarian was placing it behind the glass. It was mesmerizing.  The  quilt focuses on Historical places in Tucson and southern AZ.  Small touches & attention to detail~WOW! img_5186

Represented are the Tohono O’odham Nation, Saguaro National Park, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Mission San Xavier Del Bac, Stage Coach Southern AZ, Colossal Cave (a natural cave full of geological formation),, or could be Karchner Caverns, the poppies of Picacho PeakJarvick Heart (the first artificial heart), University of Arizona, Historic Fox Theater, Arizona Cotton, Tucson Rodeo La Fiesta De Los Vaqueros, Art Galleries, Kitt Peak National Observatory, Mt. Graham International Observatory, Desert Museum just to name a few.  I stood in wonder identifying the detail the artist has represented.  Well done Tucson Quilters Guild!

I Wish Upon a Shrine?

This cool crisp sunny morning on the 2nd day of a new year is perfect day to visit El Tiradito  aka  the Wishing Shrine.I am not Catholic, nor do I believe in wishing.   However, I do believe in new beginnings and second chances.

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This shrine happens to be the only Catholic shrine where a sinner is buried in unconsecrated ground.  Appropriate place for a visit reflecting on last year’s f’ups & hopes for next year.

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It’s history is a classic tale of a love triangle.

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All of that seems lost with the flickering saintly candles & memorial objects. Our shared pain is here in this place.

0e5abe39-8e0d-460e-8693-3ad0e27ea9b1Our sins exposed like the ruined adobe wall holding little bits of paper, our wishes.

90d90681-2a85-46cd-ab55-5e38c868cf64My wish is here too.  It  is a symbol of what breaks my heart leaving it here for a higher power to handle when I can’t anymore.119F6462-8AEC-4A9D-8F62-0F31DB91EEBF.JPGMy favorite story about this shrine is that it’s presence stopped a highway from cutting through this old part of town.  Thank you Juan Oliveras for your unknown contribution to the preservation of Tucson over 140 years ago.   Just shows you that even sinners make a difference.17fadf50-e44c-4215-907f-d0790651091e

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Exploring further and one finds out that Tucson had a wonderful lakeside resort here in the 1800’s. Check out the picture below.

91f64e17-a376-42d7-8e28-2d8178165313Hard to imagine now while we struggle for decent ground water.  Lush and green many people enjoyed this area for health & entertainment. Now the area is dry as can be. Little touches everywhere.2cecd01b-1a46-4f54-afe2-a4fbb36b6957

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The neighborhood was renamed Elyasian and this historic market remains as someone’s home.IMG_5134.JPGContinuing on through the neighborhood there were a lot of interesting textures.

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3142c3d2-6581-4b51-801f-ff32fa0396d7This is the theater located off a side street.img_5137img_5136

I am grateful for this part of Tucson.  The Old Pueblo.  Grateful for this beautiful day to walk in the sunshine around this old neighborhood. Celebrating the new year by exploring the past. Acknowledging that we are just traveling through and life changes in an instant.

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Talking Boobs

While standing in a long  grocery store line I point out this tag line on a magazine cover to G. He says “If your boobs could talk we’d be RICH!

With my luck my boobs would be sarcastic, kind of like Triumph the insult comic dog, but with boobs. Nobody wants sarcastic boobies. I forgot what magazine it was so I googled it. The astonishing result of my partial entry below.  (It struck me that one of those lines is different from the others; like a Sesame Street song).

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Apparently I am polishing off 2016 with the mentally of an 8th grade boy.

Friendships- The Rewrite

So the reflection of this year I am CELEBRATING the “ride or die’ crew.  Celebrate their love for each other.  Celebrate how no matter when things get bad, good, great, horrible, sad, fun that we are traveling together.  I want to SHOUT how wonderful they are!  Our TRIBE.

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I often re-read books  but none more valuable to me as The Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes.  I have shared and gifted this book over and over again.  She reached me in such a positive way.  There are layers in this book.  Each time I read I take away something different.  Today I am in a reflection of the past year and my attention is on her writing of her friendships.  Her “ride or die crew”.   Suddenly my eyes are opened by her description of a friend she deems as becoming more toxic.  To paraphrase; the author slowly realizes that she was being manipulated by this friend.  As she became healthier she realized she had actually created the friend’s kind persona. She described the sloth-like awakening to the real personality perfectly. I experienced something similar a few years ago it rang true to me today like a bell.

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I had the same experience and was truly devastated by the cruelty of a friend. Like Shonda I had manufactured the reciprocal  friendship.  Their manipulation & betrayal  happened during a very bad year.  The year of the Smackdown.  The year I longed for  support. The year I almost lost G to a bizarre disease. I saw the friend as they truly were.  As G always said they were and I denied.  It is now my favorite year as I found my TRUE “Ride or Die” crew.

There are people in our lives that become family.  Our tribe. After that experience I check myself.  Not for the fake friends because we can always be fooled.  No, I now make SURE I am not rewriting the personality of the friend.  That I stand up to those who are manipulating. It’s more honest. It’s more painful.  It’s more joyous.
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My experience was the toxic don’t go quietly.  To survive them is an accomplishment.

We are all part of a Tribe.  We find each other randomly and become like family.  I may not even see my fellow tribesman for years but when we meet it’s like we were never apart.   To those beautiful, funny,loving, crazy people in my life who I would “ride or die” with; you are loved beyond measure.

 

 

 

Five Palms yes or no?

We were treated to dinner at the Five Palms Steak and Seafood restaurant for a company Christmas party.  G & I get there early to make sure all is set up.

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YEA we are set up in a beautiful private room upstairs with dark wood, beautiful ceilings.

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Really looking forward to dinner here in this lovely place.

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The sun had not yet set so our view was spectacular.

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Having time to spare we wandered next door to the upstairs bar and out to the patio to watch the sunset. Beautiful desert views & excellent cocktails.

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Loving the black & white flooring mixed with the dark wood.

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Looking up in the bathroom made me feel a little like Alice in Wonderland.

Having praised the ambiance & cocktails, I now have to deliver the bad news.The food was very disappointing.  Our party was only 10 people & although our waiter was diligent & very accommodating he couldn’t make up for the quality of the food.  The appetizer came our right away but our main course took more than an hour.  The food was delivered cold, plates were cold & one chicken meal was RAW!  Bloody raw chicken.  We sent it back and by the END of the meal they delivered a plain (perhaps microwaved) chicken breast.  It wasn’t the dish that was ordered and we were leaving so the guest just took it to go.  I enjoy fancy steakhouse mashed potatoes, but cold steaks and cold mash potatoes so  unappealing .

Conclusion:  I WANTED so badly for this to be great.  I wanted to find a new exciting place to go.  Perhaps they are trying to take on too much, or maybe the chef is in the Murder and Magic Show that was going on. In any case the food was not the standard they boast and definitely not worth the price.

Question:  Should we give them another chance?  I can’t decide.

 

Whatever happened to the curtsy?

I really thought the curtsy would be more of a thing based on my upbringing.  We even  had a section of P.E.which we  had to practice the curtsy. Unfortunately, my legs were so long & skinny; like toothpicks with knobby knees poking out like skewered olives, that my curtsy was not demure or sweet at all. I THOUGHT I looked  like Disney’s  Alice or 1940 actresses. My curtsy was more spider-ish with pointy elbows and legs everywhere.   Oh, one must still curtsy when meeting  Royals & when in GB  last summer I was ready. We did NOT see any Royals so another part of my education wasted. I do like the formality of the curtsy as a sign of respect and kind of wish it were still a thing.   However, now that I have the “one good knee” there is a high probability I won’t get back up.   For those not fortunate enough to have learned the curtsy in P.E. class, there is a tutorial in 5 simple steps here  in  wikiHow.  Good luck with curtsy practice. I’m off to order something from the ACME corporation & wait on the side of the road in the desert for my package to be delivered so I can catch that roadrunner… or even go find some quicksand.