Spring and ARt in in the Air!

Finally we're in to more normal spring temperatures. Although those who come here from the northern climes revel in the high 90s, it's a little scary for those of us who will still be here in June. This weekend is the University of Tucson Festival of Books and the organizers have drawn some pretty big names. If you're a writer or a reader, you should find something or someone in the lineup to suit you. My pick would be Billy Collins, former US Poet Laureate and if you're one of those people who just doesn't "get" poetry, consider this Collins poem, Introduction to Poetry

I ask them to take a poem
and hold it up to the light
like a color slide

or press an ear against its hive.

I say drop a mouse into a poem
and watch him probe his way out,

or walk inside the poem's room
and feel the walls for a light switch.

I want them to waterski
across the surface of a poem
waving at the author's name on the shore.

But all they want to do
is tie the poem to a chair with rope
and torture a confession out of it.

They begin beating it with a hose
to find out what it really means.

There's too much going on there to list here but you can find it all here.

Tucson artists will be opening their studios this weekend. These are all over the greater Tucson area (a few in my neck of the woods) so your best bet would be to download the map, choose an area and hit the road or look through the listing and visit those that catch your eye. Either way you can't go wrong. Tucson Open Studio

Oro Valley on the far NW side of Tucson will be hosting the Southern Arizona Arts and Cultural Festival with music, food and art at the PCC Northwest Campus.

Attendees will be treated to live music and performing arts entertainment including jazz guitarist Dan Griffin, the Amelia Dahl Jazz Quartet, the Tucson Chinese Council performing the Lion Dance, American standards with Joe Bourne, bluegrass and fiddle with Peter 'Doc' Rolland, Latin and Irish music from the Street Minstrels, folk music with Amber Norgaard, flamenco guitar with Jon Banuelos and blues and boogie woogie with internationally acclaimed Mr. Boogie Woogie

Singing Winds Bookstore is having a quilt class on Sunday. Now, the quilt class is probably full or you may not be into quilts but tuck away the name Singing Winds Bookstore and visit there sometime. If you appreciate unique, this is a place for you.

Patagonia is also having an art walk this weekend. The thing about an art walk in Patagonia is, you could actually walk to most of the galleries. And if you've never visited Patagonia, this would be a good excuse and a beautiful drive.

Patagonia is one of my most favorite places in SEAZ, another is Arivaca-and this is the weekend for the Arivaca Chili Cook-Off. It's Saturday and the info is here. Again it's a good excuse for a beautiful drive-if you need that.

Whatever you do, have a great weekend.

Wildflowers and other Beauties of Arizona

Fiesta de Saguaro is TODAY at Saguaro National Park East. It's a celebration of Hispanic culture complete with food, music and dance. Looks like a great day to get out and enjoy the park.

Another beauty of living in Tucson is our access to the University for many different opportunities. The UA operates telescopes on Mt Lemmon and this month you can take part in one of their Sky Nights. Bundle up though, cause it will be chilly up there. In Tucson with have the Sweetwater Wetlands, in Sierra Vista there's the EOP which also attracts wildlife.

The Sierra Vista Environmental Operations Park (EOP), also known as the
waste water treatment plant, is open for bird walks each Sunday morning.
The walks take about 2 hours and are led by docents from Southeastern
Arizona Bird Observatory (SABO), Huachuca Audubon Society (HAS) and the
Friends of the San Pedro River (FSPR).

Info here.

Spring training has begun. If your year starts with the sounds of "Play Ball!" this is the place for you. Cactus League information can be found here.

But you could just spend the next week to 10 days driving around the desert and enjoying the wildflowers. Wildflowers bloom is such a big deal here that there are wildflower watches and day to day reports. Arizona State Parks provides Ranger Cam, but I think the best reports come from DesertUSA.

Now, I'm off for a walk.