We're at the worst time of the year, weatherwise. Tucson is well over 100 degrees every day and the humidity is climbing; but the monsoon hasn't actually arrived yet to clear the air with frequent afternoon thunderstorms. I love photographing the clouds and the flash flooding of the monsoon. John and I both enjoy "dramatic weather," and I enjoy the picture-taking possibilities. Here's a shot from June 28th in the late afternoon. We had a nice build-up of clouds, and I began to hope the monsoon was imminent. But nothing much came of it.
On June 2nd, 2010 I spent the very early afternoon at Tucson Botanical Gardens. I'm sure Carly would love the place, for different reasons than mine. Here is a traditional Mexican style garden, one of many themed mini-gardens on the grounds of this local treasure.
My most recent trip up to Mount Lemmon's Babad Do'ag Vista was on May 31st around noon, in search of saguaro blossoms. Mount Lemmon Highway would be an absolute must-see during a visit by Carly.
A few weeks before that, on May 6th, I got a little further up the mountain, chasing the sunrise. Morning or afternoon, it's a great place to visit.
On May 21st I made a quick dash down I-19 to Mission San Xavier del Bac, arriving no more than 15 minutes before they closed the mission's museum at 5 PM. A visit from Carly (or anyone else) would be a great excuse to go down there again, and take many more interior and exterior photos of this historic mission.
And that's just an overview of some of the scenic places I've visited over the past two months! We could easily go to the top of Mount Lemmon, or hike Sabino Canyon. We would certainly visit the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, home to live desert critters from mountain lions to hummingbirds; and Old Tucson, where Rio Bravo and many other westerns were filmed. For real-life historical sites, there's Fort Lowell and Agua Caliente Springs Park, or we can drive out into Agra Valley to look for petroglyphs. We can even go to the Center for Creative Photography, and check out their Ansel Adams collection. Some day, Carly, when we both have time and money, you ARE going to visit me at some pleasant time of year (say, around my birthday in March), and see all that Tucson has to offer someone who loves photography as much. Have I convinced you yet?
Karen
P.S. I know Google lets us link photos to maps, but I haven't gotten the hang of it. Here's a map I've been working on intermittently:
View Karen's Tucson in a larger map
3 comments:
Thanks for showing part of your world with me,I would love to visit those mountains with you, Karen. Just to see those beautiful view around it and the cactii! It's almost the same weather as ours here,so I think I can be at home there. The only thing is, I got to save enough money for the airfare! lol
Hi Karen
I think I would enjoy every place you mentioned. I am not much for Southwest art, but I have been inspired by more then one of your sunsets. I am really not a desert person at all, but I know stepping out of my comfort zone would be good for me. Yes, someday, I will visit, and we will snap the town red! LOL.
-Carly
Hi Karen, looks like you went on a tour kind of like I did. You have some great places to go with your camera. I'm jealous over the desert terrain you have. We have the heat, but no cactus.
Greg
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