Tucson here we come again!

The drive on I-8 from Yuma to Tucson on Tuesday morning was rather unexciting and uneventful: just long trains, trucks and feed lots. 

Arrived to Tucson in the afternoon, after a quick detour to the Tucson Outlets for some (cheap) deals. Have been visiting Tucson about the same time last year, and, love it for a variety of reasons.

The AirBnB we had chosen showed to have been a lucky find: high up in the Tucson Mountains, a beautiful adobe-style (in reality wood with a stucco-coating) mansion with an annex as a guesthouse. Bedroom, livingroom with kitchenette and large bathroom, but best: the views from up here, and, the vicinity to Saguaro National Park. Fence runs directly at the back entrance of the guest house, with direct access to the trails. 

 

Unfortunately, pretty cool and a bit cloudy on Wednesday, therefore no spectacular sunrise being seen from our bed, as promised by the owners. But, it became sunny during the day, and, in the evening we were even sitting outside on the patio. Pitch-dark with a full moon and many stars, some coyotes singing, real quiet otherwise. What a good place to live (if you can afford it!),,,

 

In the morning we drove to Tohono Chul Botanical Gardens & Galleries (right photo and below), a 20-min-drive. This garden and nature preserve celebrates the beauty, art, and culture of the Sonoran Desert and its native people, the Tohono O'odham. The garden features walking paths, native flora, and desert wildlife. Cacti - like the Saguaros on the photos - are impressive!

We met with Visit Tucson's new rep for lunch at Wildflower, terrific cuisine and interesting conversation! Afterwards, we drove to our favorite gallery: the DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun (photos below). It's the lifework of Arizona artist Ettore “Ted” DeGrazia and not just a gallery, but a complex of buildings with beautiful gardens, a church - Mission in the Sun -, everything planned and built by Ted DeGraiza himself, who was not only an artist and musician, but also a trained architect. 

Ettore DeGrazia (1909-1982), son of Italian immigrants, was born in a mining camp in Southern Arizona. He became a musician first, then started to paint, got in contact with muralist Diego Rivera and opened his first studio in 1944 in Tucson. Briefly afterwards he and his wife bought the foothills site to build what was to become DeGrazia’s Gallery in the Sun. His paintings trace historical events and native cultures of the Southwest, often in series e.g. "Art and its Relation to Music in Music Education", "Rodeo" or "Los Niños". He also created pottery and other artwork, was good friends with the local Indian tribes, and, a humerous, unconventional, hands-on man. He became really successful from 1960 on. Quite a character! 

Mission church

 

After our "art trip" we drove to some more trivial "sights": Green Things, first, the most fantastic nursery/pottery store we know. Mostly cacti and succulents, but also shrubs and other plants, plus, a huge variety of garden pottery. 

Another favorite next: Bookman's - a bookstore with antiques and everything entertainment. Love to browse there!

Before driving "home", up on the hill, we had a beer at Dragoons Brewery nearby (best IPAs we've had so far), then sat on our patio and admired the views and later the moon. Lots of the gorgeous mansions in this neighborhood seem to stand empty, probably only "part-time homes" of very affluent owners (like ours). 

What a perfect day we've had!