Tucson or bust

Well... We made a quick trip south and basked in the sun. We were there a brief Friday - Monday but managed to cram in some really fun stuff.

Scott picked us up from the airport. We ate a quick lunch of burgers with seasoned fries at Brooklyn's Beer & Burgers. I think the ranch seasoned fries are the best. We stopped off to see Scott and Paula's place before we drove to see Paula at work. She is a teacher at a terrific charter school. They have the most amazing grounds. A courtyard, a pool with a view, and the friendliest kids... Here is a picture of the pool.

After we tried to help Paula with her crazy amount of paperwork (She is great with those kids!) we hiked Sweetwater and enjoyed some really great views of the sunset and cactus.

For dinner, a little local place called Rosa's. I enjoyed a green-corn tamale, a avocado enchilada, and a chile relleno. Alan enjoyed his cheese enchilada and taco. We all shared a plate of sopaipilla. Mmmmmm....

Breakfast... One word. Bobo's. I am a huge breakfast fan. I eat breakfast as often as I can, even breakfast for dinner. I am always hoping to enjoy a new breakfast place when traveling and now, I will compare every place to Bobo's. Apple pancakes, bacon, biscuits and gravy, chocolate milk with whipped cream, home fries, eggs... all cooked perfect and all very tasty. Bobo's is breakfast.

After Bobo's we headed to the Tucson Convention Center for a small taste of the Tucson Gem Shows. There are apparently 'shows' all over town for a couple of weeks and we were hitting the tail end. We decided to go to the convention center because it had a nice long list of exhibitors. We were not disappointed. A beautiful layout. Those folks know how to display rocks. I have never seen so many shiny, beautiful things. The four of us even got to pick geodes at one booth and they split them open right there for us. We each got a different rock. I think mine was called Angel Wing Calcite.

Dinner that night was a couple of tasty pie from Brooklyn Pizza. Solar powered and satisfying. They have coupons on their website that get you free garlic knots and free Italian ice.

The next morning Paula got in some work while we (Scott, Alan, and me) biked over to the Tucson Botanical Gardens to check out the butterfly exhibit and the cactus garden. I rode the 'Free Spirit' bike. I have never ridden a commuter style bike and I am sorry I waited so long. It was super comfortable and such a classic bike. I love that bike!

The butterflies were a flutter and the room they were in was very humid. All of our cameras fogged up and it took about 3-5 minutes before the lens adjusted. There were a lot of people there but they limit how many are in the space at one time. Such colorful creatures! I had a blue butterfly land on my camera bag and hang out with me for a while. I also found a green butterfly that matched my shoes perfectly (Alan snapped some great shots). The best find though was the Atlas Moth. They have what look like snakes on the top tips of the wings. Wow. Huge. The orange body was as big as my pinky finger.

The cactus garden was amazing and I think I need to go back just to make sure I see it all. Fuzzy, pokey, tall, short, layered, crested, are just a few words that come to mind when thinking about the cactus. My favorite has to be the Mexican Old Man Cactus.

Sunday night, Alan and I headed over to my Aunt Linda and Uncle Bob's for dinner. They live in SE Tucson and have a lovely view of the Santa Ritas in the distance and they live close to the Rincons and Saguaro National Park East. My cousin Paul and his family live in Tucson also so they came over for dinner too. I never really had the chance to hang out with my Aunt and Uncle and I had never met Paul's family so it was a great experience. Paul's wife, Diane, is lovely and his girls are crazy smart.

Monday was our last day in Tucson. Alan and Scott headed out for an exciting ride (read more about the ride here) and I got to reading Fiesta or as it is known in the United States, The Sun Also Rises. I picked this book up in Paris at the Shakespeare & Co Bookshop after I finished A Moveable Feast. (A Moveable Feast is very dear to me now, thanks Carey.) I also have a great print from a local Eugene artist, Noelle Dass, that references The Sun Also Rises so I knew I had to read it. Sorry, side notes...

After the guys returned from their ride, we headed to the Desert Museum. It was sunny, warm, and full of critters and cactus. We got the chance to see javelinas, coyote, and some big cats. The hummingbirds were hilarious, the aviary colorful, and the lemonade very refreshing.

After the museum, Scott drove us to the airport for the flight home. Thanks for the awesome weekend Scott and Paula. Come visit us and meet the cats soon!

Oh, and another side note... I brought home a lemon from Scott and Paula's lemon tree. I used it to make broiled butter, lemon asparagus. O so tasty.

For a look at some photos from the trip, visit my flickr account. We will be adding more photos from the trip soon.