Ahhh, Tucson

We have come to Tucson for a wedding and have been surprised by the beauty and diversity of the area. Trying to fit in all that Tucson has to offer in just a few short days is impossible. The area offers something for everyone. My FOMS disease (Fear of Missing Something) has flared up big time with the realization that there is not enough time to do it all.  This time of year is especially busy due to the nice weather and everyone is scheduling their event before the snowbirds leave and it gets too stinking hot to do anything.

My sister-in-law, Maria, had a break between all the family wedding preparations so we picked her up and headed to Saguaro National Park (to get my passport stamped, of course).  We did not have much time before Maria had to be back for the rehearsal dinner so we selected a short hike to explore the beauty of the Sonoran desert.

The wildflowers and cacti were beautiful.

I have also discovered my new cacti obsession, the rare crested saguaro.  I love the look of the "crown".

 
Ready for some city life we headed downtown. Since 1970 the Fourth Avenue Street Fair in the historic downtown shopping district has been delighting visitors every spring and fall. Since this is the weekend we headed downtown to check out the action. There are over 400 artist booths, 35-plus food vendors selling an eclectic mix of fair food, and street performers entertaining the crowds.

It was a warm afternoon so we stopped in for some cool refreshment before exploring the rest of the fair.

We had a wonderful afternoon exploring the fair and watching people.

These would look great in my rust garden at the cabin.

A mural on Fourth Avenue.

A chocolate covered pickle, want a bite?

Today's 3 Fun Facts:
     1.  Arizona is a Basque word meaning The Good Oak Tree dating back to Juan Bautista de Anza.
     2.  Tucson is the home of the University of Arizona Wildcats, currently in the March Madness.  Go Cats!
     3.  A chocolate covered pickle is not bad, although Bill and Suzanne would not even take a bite.