You want FAIR? ...then find one near you



 

As a kid growing up in Seattle my parents would answer my "that's not fair"  with the phase, "you want fair?"- with - "we'll go to Puyallup in September"....(when the county fair occurred). Now as an adult I can go to any street fair that I happen upon and this weekend we found ourselves in the midst of the Tucson 4th Avenu Winter Street Fair where they close off almost 1 mile of the street near the University. And with 400 booths we spent most of the day exploring those booths.  Oh, darn - Sun and art in December...can't get better than that.

Tucson 4th Avenue Street Fair - Winter - is this weekend, however March 22-24, 2013 is the date for the Spring Street Fair if you want to mark your calendar.  I found 3 of my favorite

 

   Food

 Music

 

 

and some really amazing artists....

Dona Calles 

 

I collect "faces" in art form. Ceramic masks, mixed media (wood/paper/shells etc), and have needlepointed several myself. These copper figures (very light weight) called Ancestors caught my eye....she sells them on Etsy - in addition to the "Ancestors" she also has some amazing photographs, nightlights and other art she has created. Check her out!

 

this little piggy
 

metal musician

  hookah anyone? shop on 4th sells them.

For a day activity this had it all; music, food, arts, and exercise.

~Ciao

 

 

Baja Adventure - Part TRES - MUCHOS Beach Activities

getting up early to watch the sun rise and have coffee never got boring.....however,

on several occasions during our weeks of preparation to travel down Baja we discussed what we would do with our time while parked on the beach. We are not beach people...you know - the people who go to a beach, spread their towels, lather on the sun screen (or not) and lay down to bake. There is nothing wrong with this activity...however, our days of rving are filled with museums, hikes, national parks, historical buildings and the local history of whatever village, town or city we might be touring. Boy, were we pleasantly surprised! In addition to just sitting and reading a good novel, walking leisurely through the surf and interacting with the many beach vendors we discovered much, much more to the fine art of boondocking on the beach in a foreign country....

Our first day in town we attended an art
show to benefit the volunteer animal clinic
Patron of Animal Welfare.

These panels are actually cement slabs/tables/benches/counter-tops with cut glass designs embedded.

SeaKelp baskets <

Weekly art classes are available

for those who want to learn a new craft...

led by artisans that winter here as well.

                              Sea-grass basket weaving >

Gourds

In addition to the arts - other activities included:

 Geocaching/hiking

 Fishing

Kayaking

Paddle-boarding

bird watching....includes pelicans (shown), blue-footed boobies, egrets, herons, vultures, gulls and hummingbirds, ravens and assorted songbirds.









Baja has many beautiful and ancient Spanish missions....scattered throughout the countryside. Day trips to see Mission San Javier, Mision de Loreto Concho, or Mission Santa Rosalia de Mulege .

Other day trips to view pictographs near Mulege and Loreto were also on the calendar....

and drives down arroyos found us viewing trees

or to discover an oasis along the way.....

and when all else fails....deciding to learn now to cook in a solar/sun oven - not that I did.

 But one does have the time to learn if so inclined.

or looking for and collecting shells...

We discovered a variety of activities that filled the hours between sunrise and sunset and still managed to lather ourselves with sun-screen....

~ Adios amigos~

Life on El Coyote

The lifestyle on El Coyote is any one story of the people that you might meet. We have met some very interesting people....from British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Washington, Arizona, Colorado, Oregon, California as well as other states...each unique in the telling of course, all searching for Sun and fun. Not all retirees either....families from CA & Oregon....on winter holiday vacations.

Water is brought here by vendors, as is veggies, tamales, fresh fish, fruit, fresh bakery goods...."almost free" is a favorite selling point.

 

Almost everyone who comes has a kayak, inflatable Kodiaks, or small sailboats (they fold up)... hiking, fishing, daily 4pm happy hours and weekly craft classes are just some of the activities. We've already had 2 potlucks and one is scheduled for New Years...sitting in the sun and reading has been a favorite pasttime of mine so far...that and collecting seashells by the seashore (sorry, couldn't resist )

My new obession: Kayaking....this in a borrowed, but much appreciated, boat.

RV parking on the beach....

We also went to a local art show earlier in the month....this amazing German woman creates these cut glass and shell (Slabs of concrete) pieces that can be used as benches, tables, headboards or whatever one can think of...the slabs are 3 inches thick...I spoke with her for quite a while to discover how she creates them...once designed the work is place upside down on a glass table, reinforced with rebar and then concrete is poured......6 months to make them. She had quite a few for sell...this is just one of the slabs that she was showing.

Ciao~

HIGH in Canada...Rockies that is!

We are currently parked in the George Lane Memorial Park, High River, Alberta, Canada, roughly 30 miles from Calgary.

It is a small, quaint and friendly town. just off Hwy 2 The campground is managed by the Lions International group and is well maintained, has nice showers and is close to Old Town…. It'is within walking distance to shops, services and eateries and a mid-size community family park with a really nice baseball diamond rounds out the setting. Only downside - the cottonwood trees are shedding and the mosquitoes consider me their human buffet-dessert zone. We are now heavily outfitted with 30% Deet lotion, 23.5% Deet spray, some anti-itch cortisone cream and a anti-histamine - the bugs are thick here and apparently I am allergic given the size of the welts. (Local posters warn of West Nile virus prevention - something we hadn'tconsidered as an issue south of the border…it's kinda freaked me out-given the dessert platter I appear to be for them.)

We have found the local coffee shop with free wi-fi for those who have their own computers - since we have no tv, this little piece of technology = happiness. They also have amusing cartoons in the ladies room:

 

A short walking tour this morning provided us with some local history and a wonderful series of hand painted murals on many of the buildings throughout the town (slideshow of local photos to the right).

Prior to horses being imported by the Spanish in the 1600's, which eventually migrated North the First Nation (Canadian) peoples (as did the American Plains Indians) drove herds of bison off the surrounding mesas (an easy alternative) to achieve multiple kills. This mural depicts that history:

Tomorrow we will drive 20 miles to the "railway" parking lot to take the train into Calgary. Apparently parking is difficult to find and expensive….we can compare out MAX line to what the Can-nucks offer.

Ciao~

got to love these small towns....

This is just outside Browning, MT... looking west - that's Glacier National Park. We've been in Montana now for about 5 days. We are staying in the small (2800 pop.) town of Conrad, about a hours drive from Alberta, Canada - our distination. It is a really friendly community, well manicured lawns and amazingly, it boasts 2 city parks, 1 with a community pool.

The fire department sounds an air-raid-like siren, every nite...we also discovered that the 1910 bank building (first established bank) clock chimes @ 4pm every day.

At the Museum of Plains Indians in Browning, MT, we found this pedstal monument depicting, by foot/shoe imprints, of the tribal and political members who gathered at a1931 conference on Plains Indian had gesture language.  (It is significantly larger with about a dozen impressions.)




Found these "junk" horse and riders outside Browning, MT on Hwy89. No sign, no credits - nothing to indicate a "point of interest" ahead. We actually had to turn around and go back to get the photos. All of this is fashioned from salvaged pieces of metal - very creative,  very green!

Our Grand Tetons and Yellowstone National Park photos are just to the right of this post as slideshows. Enjoy.

Our rig is parked just east of a lamb ranch, which has been educational and interesting - aren't they cute. Kinda of raggedy...lots of babes in the field, running after the ewes...sweet.

Listen for the sound of music...instruments that is

While in Phoenix we discovered the Musical Instrument Museum - which opened last April. It is simply a gorgeous building with the most amazing interactive displays.



Once you have paid your admission you are given a pocket receiver w/head phones and given instruction as to how it provides you with hands-free remote audio play.As you approach a display the receiver plays the music that is being demonstrated on LCD flat screen TVs. As you approach or depart it will fade in and out until you arrive at the next display.



Artwork in the lobby

Mexico - Tree of Life

There were displays on how Steinway makes a piano - parts of an actual piano are on view.

Almost every country and musical style was on display - although we were there for several hours it is hard to imagine that we got to see it all.

Until next time...safe travels.

To Bisbee

 Bisbee, AZ - journey back in time; mineral mining was the industry - founded in 1880 -  it's claim was the largest city between St. Louis and San Francisco and by 1908 had an electric trolley running 12 miles to the smaller communities housing the miners and their families.

Under of the coldest temperatures that this part of Arizona has been subjected to in decades, we ventured out to see historic Bisbee. The main street is narrow, busy and without those annoying signal lights so one needs to be alert to cars pulling out from side streets - awkward if what you are doing is looking at the old buildings, visible artwork and sculptures and signs pointing out the old-cool stuff. So cold there were few people walking around at noon.  Quite a few B&B's and inns, but we were surprised at the number of cafes that didn't open until 5pm-at least in OldTown.

< Bisbee's Post Office is nestled back

in a corner as you enter town and the Copper Queen Mine headquarters now houses the Bisbee Mineral and Historical Museum >>>>>

 

Currently the Smithsonian is a part of the exhibits inside which is interesting and well done (as only the Smithsonian can do. They don't want you taking photos but I did snap (without flash) these two. I couldn't resist given the technology of the <1870's Phone  and the Victoria > for both were great examples of where we were and where we are now: cell phones and I-pods....image what the people of the 1800's would think about progress in these two areas today?



The museum has a large amount of mineral ore as examples, a wealth of history on mining and the development of the union which created an uprising and eventual strike and deportation of about 1200 workers.

It was truly sad to then drive out of town to see the large open pit Lavendar mine. This sign stands in the parking lot where visitors can 'view' the now non-operational Lavender pit. It scars the land for miles as the tailings are piled high for what seems forever. Some of the photos we took of the pit are posted in the "Additional photos of the day" to the right of this post, and it also includes some artwork photos from around town too!

Next stop - Tombstone and the Fight at the OK Corral.

Until then - Ciao.

Hola - darting across the border

HOLA - un día a través de la frontera (a day across the border)

We've been hearing quite a bit from friends and new aquaintances about the many benefits of crossing over into Mexico for services and products that are, ok I'll say it, outrageously overpriced here in the states. Now that we are retired, dental insurance is a luxury item that, well frankly we won't be purchasing once my current policy ends next Fall. With friends having done the research and found competent dentists in Los Algodones we made appointments to get our teeth cleaned...$30/each and it took all of 20 minutes. Latest technology, nicely appointed offices and I am certain that once it was determined that I didn't speak or understand Spanish - I was discussed at lenght (grin)!  So now we can spread the word on the dental office/services we received.

Once we were done, we set out to explore the town and attempt to find the patio restaurant for lunch from our visit 10 years ago with friends to have some lunch. We didn't find that one, but the lunch we did have was just fine. We did find a lovely spa services courtyard, which also have some interesting and unusal metalart animals that, if I'd had a way to travel with them, would have been in the truck.

 

 

The owner took our photo, all the time trying to sell us on getting massages. 

Just across the border - advertising billboards for dentists...and about every 3rd person on the street asks you if you are looking for dental services.

Giant pinatas. This guy (dental barker) was originally to the right of this post and when he saw that I was taking a picture asked me to take his too....and then asked to see it to make sure I had.

I came home with 3 pieces of pottery and yes, one has a face on it...It's a Sun with heat waves and will be put out in the garden once at home. Wish I had taken a photo of it prior to the "wrapping for travel"...live and learn.

Adios, amigos!