Showing posts with label Tucson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tucson. Show all posts
Friday, October 26, 2018
Exploring the Gardens
Today my friend and I strolled through the Tucson Botanical Gardens and we had it almost to ourselves. One chicken, multiple birds and butterflies accompanied us and a few lizards skirted across our path. Enjoy these few photos. I went a little crazy on my facebook page, too. www.facebook.com/anitafonte
Sunday, April 8, 2018
More than an Obituary for Ginny Dobbs
More than an Obituary for Ginny Dobbs (based on the 4/8/18
obituary of Genevieve “Ginny Dobbs/Steed-Gideon, Arizona Daily Star)
Ginny and Tom had a dream and ran a motel by that name,
Dream House. Still located on Miracle
Mile, back in the late 1940s it pulled in a steady stream of road trippers. Maybe a few babies were made on the bed sheets
Ginny washed and dried; maybe a few lovers hid behind the curtains she sewed.
When the freeway was built, the motel income faded along
with the bed sheets and curtains. So
Ginny and her husband turned to other small businesses; they always ran them
smart. Tucson was a growing town and
folks needed furniture and cars needed repairs.
When the repairs couldn’t keep cars running, a wrecking yard stocked
with vehicles, broken concrete and spooled wires was the next venture for Ginny
and Tom.
Gifted with a business mind, bouncy smile and sparkling
eyes, Ginny could warm the hearts of customers and sometimes charm them with
freshly baked goods. After her Tom died,
Ginny kept busy with cooking, sewing, and tending grandchildren. Never one to be idle, she managed the family businesses
and became an admissions clerk at St. Mary’s Hospital.
She lived a long life of ninety-four years. Probably not a remarkable woman in a large
sphere of life, but her face in the local paper’s obituary column pulled me in
and my eyes set on the pearls in her ears, and the pearl strand around her
neck. Maybe her husband gave her that
matching set for an anniversary gift. I can
see her touching them like a rosary before she put them on for church or
special occasions. They would be
precious to her for decades, but now they lie in a green velvet box, in a
drawer, covered, like a shroud, by one of her pressed cotton handkerchiefs.
Sunday, January 14, 2018
Happiest in Tucson (from Poets & Writers Poetry Prompt, 2.12.18)
Yesterday my friend and I
spent the day wandering through
downtown and beneath
the mountain where
over 2000 years ago,
Tucson became a living place
for humans.
They joined the coyotes,
bobcats, mountain lions,
lizards, butterflies and
birds who thrived along
the rushing waters of
the Santa Cruz River.
Corn was planted,
homes were formed out of mud,
shade trees softened the
summers.
Much later,
a mission was built,
bringing the word of God
to those already living
the Word.
Today, we saw a few
hard-working young women
and men working the fields of
Tucson's Mission Gardens,
hauling compost, digging holes
collecting brittle stalks and leaves.
With the workers then and now,
I embrace our living history
filling me with stories
of the place I call home.
And where I am the happiest.
Yesterday my friend and I
spent the day wandering through
downtown and beneath
the mountain where
over 2000 years ago,
Tucson became a living place
for humans.
They joined the coyotes,
bobcats, mountain lions,
lizards, butterflies and
birds who thrived along
the rushing waters of
the Santa Cruz River.
Corn was planted,
homes were formed out of mud,
shade trees softened the
summers.
Much later,
a mission was built,
bringing the word of God
to those already living
the Word.
Today, we saw a few
hard-working young women
and men working the fields of
Tucson's Mission Gardens,
hauling compost, digging holes
collecting brittle stalks and leaves.
With the workers then and now,
I embrace our living history
filling me with stories
of the place I call home.
And where I am the happiest.
Sunday, June 26, 2016
June Road Trip and "found" poem
At Starbucks: Haiku
Grab something: yum, yum—
The icy side of cold brew.
A splash for summer.
Road Trip to La Encantada
My Saturday tasks are done.
Time for a bit of fun and mingle among the foothills crowd for a summer
road trip. Up and down curvy Campbell
Avenue, I easily find a parking spot.
The moneyed class is in California or Colorado and Tucson’s plebes
benefit on the less trafficked streets and open parking lots.
AJ’s is air-conditioned chilliness and bustling with kids in
soccer shorts, punk teens with studs in their tongues, and seniors cradling
shivering Schnauzers in baby strollers.
I head straight for the “grab and go” counter and buy a slice of
vegetable pizza. In the shade and under
misting sprinklers, I am at a table by a fountain and potted blue flowers. Picking the onion off the cheese, the pizza
is savory, but dry from too long under the heat lamp.
Sucking on a dessert chocolate with sea salt, I go for a
mini-shopping spree and leave Crate & Barrel with a cruet rubber stopper
and a single glass from Italy that fits precisely to my hand. Up the escalator to browse in a bohemian
clothing store. I pick a bar of soap on
sale that is wrapped in pink paper and smells of peonies. When I use it at home, I will be reminded of
my mom who loved her late spring peonies that grew in our Illinois back yard.
Succumbing to the temptation of clothing racks on sale, I
find a light cotton blouse that could match a navy pair of linen pants I
already have. I have never ventured into
the dressing area before and am surprised to be greeted by Angela who asks my
name. I wonder why she wants to know my
name, but see that, as I tell her, she writes it on the small blackboard sign
on a dressing room door that, for the moment, belongs to me. The blouse “fits” in the style of
summer-loose, but it is beyond my weekly budget. Indulge: yes or no? Well, I am alone all week and no one to scold
me, so I decide to buy it, too. As I
give Angela the clothes hanger she waves me to the treat table: lime-flavored
water and tiny chocolate cupcakes topped with a red raspberry. I sip the water and skip the cupcake.
After my purchases, I decide: enough! It’s time to head down the hill and go to
Starbucks to write. So, with a smile and
a song from Keith Urban, my Subaru glides through the turns and I savor my Tucson
townie road trip on a Saturday in June.
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Important Story on Poverty in Tucson: How do we build a more prosperous community for all?
The Arizona Daily Star is doing a terrific job this week, with their in-depth investigation on poverty in Tucson: http://azstarnet.com/news/local/losing-ground-tucson-kids-pay-poverty-s-high-price/article_b79c3c72-bd69-5898-8876-d60bf8045746.html .
I hope that, after this series has been completed, Community Renaissance can collaborate with others in taking some "next steps" in answering the question I pose in the title of this post: How do we building a more prosperous community for all?"
I don't doubt that the majority of us in the Tucson region want more prosperity for ourselves, our families and our neighbors. I really do believe that most people want a better life for everyone, not just themselves. And the stories in the Star are showing how complex issues of poverty are for individuals and families. So there's no easy answer. But, like any problem, if the pieces can be taken in small steps, progress can be made.
When I first came to Tucson in 1971, recently graduated from college in the midwest, I felt at home here because I thought "ah, there are a lot of people like me here, struggling to survive." Tucson has the same, if not worse, reality 42 years later. Yes, choices were made and are still being made and some of the factors (such as our proximity to Phoenix where large external capital investments are often featured in the news) are beyond our control, but I think each of us can do take one more step to help solve this problem.
I have made several community commitments: to assist my neighborhood and HOA as an active member, to weekly volunteer in a TUSD location, to volunteer for the public library and, when possible, to offer Community Renaissance's pro bono program, PECE, to assist with forward-leaning community conversations.
These are my commitments and I am willing to take one step more. What about you? (This is a picture from flickr.com and their "commons"--it's the scene of Huck and Tom fixing up their community by painting a weathered fence.")
I hope that, after this series has been completed, Community Renaissance can collaborate with others in taking some "next steps" in answering the question I pose in the title of this post: How do we building a more prosperous community for all?"
I don't doubt that the majority of us in the Tucson region want more prosperity for ourselves, our families and our neighbors. I really do believe that most people want a better life for everyone, not just themselves. And the stories in the Star are showing how complex issues of poverty are for individuals and families. So there's no easy answer. But, like any problem, if the pieces can be taken in small steps, progress can be made.
When I first came to Tucson in 1971, recently graduated from college in the midwest, I felt at home here because I thought "ah, there are a lot of people like me here, struggling to survive." Tucson has the same, if not worse, reality 42 years later. Yes, choices were made and are still being made and some of the factors (such as our proximity to Phoenix where large external capital investments are often featured in the news) are beyond our control, but I think each of us can do take one more step to help solve this problem.
I have made several community commitments: to assist my neighborhood and HOA as an active member, to weekly volunteer in a TUSD location, to volunteer for the public library and, when possible, to offer Community Renaissance's pro bono program, PECE, to assist with forward-leaning community conversations.
These are my commitments and I am willing to take one step more. What about you? (This is a picture from flickr.com and their "commons"--it's the scene of Huck and Tom fixing up their community by painting a weathered fence.")
Monday, July 15, 2013
Snap Surveys: an activity of Talk UP^ Tucson presentation/houseparty/salon gathering etc.
As a "next step" for my 2013 book Talk UP^ Tucson..., when a person or organization buys two books (or more), I will come and do a presenations, reading, sharing, etc. based on the book. I have done three events so far, meeting my minimum goal of one event per month. At Kellond School's 3rd grad class where I volunteer during the year, we brainstormed responses to "what do you like about the Tucson region?" and I wrote down their responses with the cup (half full, or, in this case, brimming).
At Centra Realty in June, I did that activity and added a "snap survey" activity. I asked the group to rate the Tucson region on a 1 to 5 scale (one=low, five=high) on the "Four Pillars of Gross National Happiness."
1. Promotion of equitable and sustainable socio-economic development
2. Preservation and promotion of cultural values
3. Conservations of the natural environment
4. Establishment of good governance
(source: http://www.ghhusa.org/what-is-gnh/
I did the same activity yesterday at a friend's book-house party.
I am looking for locations/invitations to do more events like this and gather enough informal data to share in a fall newsletter. So let me know if you would like to participate. Books are available at Mostly Books www.mostlybooksaz.com and Antigone Books www.antigonebooks.com
At Centra Realty in June, I did that activity and added a "snap survey" activity. I asked the group to rate the Tucson region on a 1 to 5 scale (one=low, five=high) on the "Four Pillars of Gross National Happiness."
1. Promotion of equitable and sustainable socio-economic development
2. Preservation and promotion of cultural values
3. Conservations of the natural environment
4. Establishment of good governance
(source: http://www.ghhusa.org/what-is-gnh/
I did the same activity yesterday at a friend's book-house party.
I am looking for locations/invitations to do more events like this and gather enough informal data to share in a fall newsletter. So let me know if you would like to participate. Books are available at Mostly Books www.mostlybooksaz.com and Antigone Books www.antigonebooks.com
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Tucson Neighborhood Leaders Meet and Do the Hard Work: BrightSpot Surprise
"This is really hard work," one of the participants mused at yesterday's meeting of neighborhood leaders who gathered for a 2nd of 3 scheduled meetings this summer convened by the Tucson Neighborhood Infill Coaltion.
"It sure is hard work," Ruth Beeker, facilitator for the meeting agreed. "Moving ourselves from complaining (actually, Ruth used the "bit....." word, but I am cleaning it up a bit for my post) to finding solutions is hard work." And, silently, I also agreed, saying to myself, "And this is why I am here: to find solutions."
As part of my tentative re-emergence in community work focused on "my cup is half full" philosophy and practice, I wasn't sure I had a place in this group. But I decided to give it a try and administer a kind of self-test about how deep my exploration of community happiness and prosperity had really gone into my psyche. So far I would say, it's made a definite positive difference in my attitude and behavior of public particpation. I listen more closely and think a bit longer before I say something. I judge less and appreciate different perspectives a bit more--not a 180 degree shift, but, still a change.
It's too soon to tell if this gathering of 22 neighborhood associations and 44 civic organizations can lean forward toward a more positive direction between neighborhoods, businesses and local government, but, as of today, I am hopeful. One example emerged from my small group where a representative from the Garden District NA talked about how they have formed a public-private partnership with two neighborhood stores. The businesses now fund a neighborhood newsletter and have altered their business hours to accomodate neighborhood concerns. If this kind of progress can be duplicated in other neighborhoods (and expanded), Tucson can offer a brighter neighborhood-business community future.
My neighborhood of Crest Ranch (located in Campus Farms NA) is just east of what I refer to as an example of "funky Tucson." Walking west along the rurban roads along Vine and King, I enjoy rabbits and quails, lizards and diverse birdlife and the holiday decorations provided by one of the residents. If I go east, I quickly can shop at Safeway and eat at Ghini's and buy French pastries at La Baquette Bakery. On cooler days, I can ride my bike to UA Farms and enjoy the animal life and green fields that remind me of my farming roots. All this, and more, contribute to the good life in my neighborhood. While establishing a "little free library" remains a challenge to my HOA (we have expanded my front yard "book basket" practice to something bigger...), a dedicated group of my neighbors and I are working with our HOA board to find common ground on this small community-building project.
What creates the good life in your neighborhood and how are you contributing to it on a regular basis?
"It sure is hard work," Ruth Beeker, facilitator for the meeting agreed. "Moving ourselves from complaining (actually, Ruth used the "bit....." word, but I am cleaning it up a bit for my post) to finding solutions is hard work." And, silently, I also agreed, saying to myself, "And this is why I am here: to find solutions."
As part of my tentative re-emergence in community work focused on "my cup is half full" philosophy and practice, I wasn't sure I had a place in this group. But I decided to give it a try and administer a kind of self-test about how deep my exploration of community happiness and prosperity had really gone into my psyche. So far I would say, it's made a definite positive difference in my attitude and behavior of public particpation. I listen more closely and think a bit longer before I say something. I judge less and appreciate different perspectives a bit more--not a 180 degree shift, but, still a change.
It's too soon to tell if this gathering of 22 neighborhood associations and 44 civic organizations can lean forward toward a more positive direction between neighborhoods, businesses and local government, but, as of today, I am hopeful. One example emerged from my small group where a representative from the Garden District NA talked about how they have formed a public-private partnership with two neighborhood stores. The businesses now fund a neighborhood newsletter and have altered their business hours to accomodate neighborhood concerns. If this kind of progress can be duplicated in other neighborhoods (and expanded), Tucson can offer a brighter neighborhood-business community future.
My neighborhood of Crest Ranch (located in Campus Farms NA) is just east of what I refer to as an example of "funky Tucson." Walking west along the rurban roads along Vine and King, I enjoy rabbits and quails, lizards and diverse birdlife and the holiday decorations provided by one of the residents. If I go east, I quickly can shop at Safeway and eat at Ghini's and buy French pastries at La Baquette Bakery. On cooler days, I can ride my bike to UA Farms and enjoy the animal life and green fields that remind me of my farming roots. All this, and more, contribute to the good life in my neighborhood. While establishing a "little free library" remains a challenge to my HOA (we have expanded my front yard "book basket" practice to something bigger...), a dedicated group of my neighbors and I are working with our HOA board to find common ground on this small community-building project.
What creates the good life in your neighborhood and how are you contributing to it on a regular basis?
Thursday, May 30, 2013
FaLora: a new foodie "BrightSpot" on Broadway Blvd.
Last night, before heading to a Tucson Padres game at Kino Sports Stadium, our family gathered for salad (us) and pizza (all) at a terrific new food "BrightSpot": FaLora http://falora.com/. It is owned and operated by Ari Shapiro who also runs http://sparkroot.com , a "brightspot" I wrote about several months ago on this blog. There are so many nice things to say about this place. The location is terrific: on the corner of Country Club and Broadway Blvd. with easy access to El Con Theaters, Kino for baseball, soccer, other events, only 10 minutes from downtown and free and plentiful parking.
When you enter the restaurant, you come through the patio, facing Broadway, and, I suspect in the not too distant future, there will be music playing to welcome the patrons. Hanging by the door is a large spool of brown butcher paper with the daily specials. This recalled to us the casual-clever ambiance of Thomas Kellor's Ad Hoc that we fondly recall from our Napa trip with our son several years ago. Coming into the restaurant are long wooden common tables as well as a few window tables with comfortable chairs. At the far end of the space is a wall of pecan wood for firing up the 900 degree pizza oven, imported from Italy. There is an open kitchen with stools for eating and watching a master making Neapolitan-style/thin-crusted pizza. (Our six-year-old guest observed the process with unabashed glee, singing a pizza song from school). Against the patio window is a stack of LPs and music from a LP player which, on this night, was featuring an album by Stan Getz.
From the salad we split--(named "Butter Pecan), which featured spinach and butter lettuce, fennel, apples, chevre, toasted pecans with apricot viniagrette, to the pizza (Margherita for us; Cura for the others) with fresh ingredients and mozzarella from Wisconsin (some entrees feature it from NYC)--the meal was delicious. Once the pizza is dressed, it only takes 90 seconds to bake in the oven and the pizza comes out lightly crispened and bubbly. They use e.v.o.o. which I needed Ari to explain to me means "extra virgin olive oil" on the Margherita and chili oil on the Cura. I asked for a bit more of the e.v.o.o. so I could soak my crust in it which I love to do when something is this good and worth savoring.
Enjoy these photos but, believe me, you have to go there and enjoy a meal to appreciate the details of this place--which includes hand-made artisan blocks for serving the pizza and small wooden artisan clipboards to handle the affordable bill.
When you enter the restaurant, you come through the patio, facing Broadway, and, I suspect in the not too distant future, there will be music playing to welcome the patrons. Hanging by the door is a large spool of brown butcher paper with the daily specials. This recalled to us the casual-clever ambiance of Thomas Kellor's Ad Hoc that we fondly recall from our Napa trip with our son several years ago. Coming into the restaurant are long wooden common tables as well as a few window tables with comfortable chairs. At the far end of the space is a wall of pecan wood for firing up the 900 degree pizza oven, imported from Italy. There is an open kitchen with stools for eating and watching a master making Neapolitan-style/thin-crusted pizza. (Our six-year-old guest observed the process with unabashed glee, singing a pizza song from school). Against the patio window is a stack of LPs and music from a LP player which, on this night, was featuring an album by Stan Getz.
From the salad we split--(named "Butter Pecan), which featured spinach and butter lettuce, fennel, apples, chevre, toasted pecans with apricot viniagrette, to the pizza (Margherita for us; Cura for the others) with fresh ingredients and mozzarella from Wisconsin (some entrees feature it from NYC)--the meal was delicious. Once the pizza is dressed, it only takes 90 seconds to bake in the oven and the pizza comes out lightly crispened and bubbly. They use e.v.o.o. which I needed Ari to explain to me means "extra virgin olive oil" on the Margherita and chili oil on the Cura. I asked for a bit more of the e.v.o.o. so I could soak my crust in it which I love to do when something is this good and worth savoring.
Enjoy these photos but, believe me, you have to go there and enjoy a meal to appreciate the details of this place--which includes hand-made artisan blocks for serving the pizza and small wooden artisan clipboards to handle the affordable bill.
AAA Tucson Baseball is a BrightSpot
I love baseball. Love to watch it, used to love to play it (pitcher). Growing up in suburban Chi-town, I was raised to be a White Sox fan, but I have become a Dbacks follower--although it's getting harder to know the players with the fast trades that go on in the sport these days.
So, last night, it was with much happiness--tinged with an impending sense of loss when the Tucson Padres move to El Paso-that we introduced a six-year-old to Kino Sports Stadium and to baseball. It was a perfect night to be on the lawn, watch the nightbirds (what are those yellow fly-bys), bats, other families, AAA-type between innings entertainments and, yes, even watch the game (Padres won: 3-2). Here are two shots of two different kinds of "BrightSpots" in my life.
The field and sky for a perfect baseball night:
So, last night, it was with much happiness--tinged with an impending sense of loss when the Tucson Padres move to El Paso-that we introduced a six-year-old to Kino Sports Stadium and to baseball. It was a perfect night to be on the lawn, watch the nightbirds (what are those yellow fly-bys), bats, other families, AAA-type between innings entertainments and, yes, even watch the game (Padres won: 3-2). Here are two shots of two different kinds of "BrightSpots" in my life.
The field and sky for a perfect baseball night:
And a six-year-old getting "kitty hugs" between innings:
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