Tlaquepaque in Sedona

The landscape around Sedona is beautiful. The valley and its red rocks are truly incredible.

Sedona, the town, is a tourist town, not that there's anything wrong with that. It seems to be a one-strip business district that follows the highway in, and out of town, regardless of direction. There are far too many "tourist information" offices that are really fronts for real estate and time-share sales centres, which is annoying to no end. There are lots of T-shirt shops, tour agencies, and local artisan stores of dubious integrity. It could easily be something related to Whistler, or Victoria, or Gastown in Vancouver; the Sedona business district is that bad.

However. Tucked away, out of sight of the red rocks, and down by the river, is a retail development that deserves attention. It is Tlaquepaque, and it is well worth a visit.

Tlaquepaque was the idea of Abe Miller (1912 - 1982). Begun in 1971, the idea was to create a Mexican-style village that featured artists and craftspeople of the area. That idea took root in some fashion, evolved, and Tlaquepaque was born.

Today, the village has the feel of something European, but it is actually founded on a Mexican village concept. Over forty shops and galleries, several restaurants and a number of offices make up the complex, and it is delight to walk around the property.

Giant sycamore trees have been left in place and are lovingly protected according to Abe Miller's original promise in 1970. The village was quiet when we were there, but this place might just be the heart of the artistic side of Sedona's mercantile district, and it certainly beats whatever is happening along the main drag.

For casual dining, Rene's offers a menu and presentation that exceeds anything along the main highway. For a truly exceptional dining experience however, the nearby, L'Auberge Restaurant is not to be missed. Elegant, expensive and amazing in every way, L'Auberge provided a near perfect dining experience. 

Photos by Jim Murray.

Copyright 2014.

J. Knox Corbett House & Cafe a la C'Art

Part of the impressive Tucson Museum of Art in downtown Tucson is the Historic Block of which the J. Knox Corbett House is the centrepiece.











Completed in 1907, the two storey mission-revival style house has been restored and furnished with period pieces.



































The house was built by a merchant family, the Corbetts, who were involved in lumber and hardware businesses in Arizona, and later in politics. The house was one of the finest in the city in its time and has been restored in the elegant fashion of the period. Tours occur not all that frequently and are well worth the time, if you are there at the right time.

Nearby is the wonderful little Cafe a la C'Art. Located in the courtyard of the museum, this place is a gem. While the espresso drinks were lacking, in temperature and strength, the food items were impressive enough and the outdoor setting, on a fine desert afternoon in winter, was delightful.

Photos by Jim Murray.  Copyright 2014.

Who are these people?

Sometimes, at those scenic viewpoints along the highway, where people take photos of family and loved ones with a beautiful backdrop of mountains or lakes, your faithful scribe and photographer has offered to assist with the taking of the photo. This very thing happened along an Interstate in Arizona, where a family of Spanish speaking americanos, were trying to take a photo that would include everyone, and Jeem stepped in to help.

Initially the plan was to take a few photos of the nice family, with their cameras, and then, for fun, to take a photo of Sherry, the writer, with her new, extended americano family, with our camera. Jeem might have been a wee bit confused; it's a multitasking problem for men generally, and to be fair, there were at least two different cameras involved in the process.

So today, somewhere in the Excited States, and probably in Mexico too, someone is asking, "Who is that nice woman with the family?" or quite possibly, "For the first time in seven years we get the entire family together and ... who is that woman?"









Yes, Sherry is in all the photos on all the cameras.

And who is the guy with Sherry?

Group photo by Jim Murray.
Photo of the couple, by the female, 
back row, fourth from the right. 
Muchas gracias senorita.

Copyright 2014.

Leaving Tucson ~ and the saguaro cactus

The saguaro cactus is an amazing life form. The one here is probably almost 100 years of age, perhaps more. It stands 10 metres and is actually displaying a different type of arm growth: that of a crested fan shape.



The fantail saguaro is an example of fasciation, which can be caused by hormonal imbalances, random genetic mutation, or some kind of bacterial phytopathogen. The fantail saguaro isn't all that common, so it was interesting to see this one on one of our walks near our cottage on the outskirts of Tucson.



Tucson was an interesting city, rather sprawling, and the downtown is beginning to see the early stages of a much needed revitalisation. The city is devoted to the automobile. We were fortunate to be outside the city itself and near the eastern half of the Saguaro National Park.








At night we heard the coyotes howling as though they were right outside our door, and they probably were at that. I wasn't going outside to find out.

This is not a coyote. A guard dog perhaps but not a coyote. Nor is it any other wild creature from the desert. It's a wonderful Corgi pup watching me from the main house at Serenity Guest House.


Photos by Jim Murray.
Copyright 2014.

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum ~ a drive not to be missed

The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum west of Tucson is considered a world class museum... about deserts.





Established in 1952, it covers about 9 ha and has 3.5 km of walking trails (for the most part easily accessible to everyone). It is three things rolled into one: a zoo featuring over 230 different kinds of animals, a natural history museum aimed at newcomers to the desert, and a botanical garden with over 1200 different types of plants. Almost 500,000 people visited the Sonoran Desert Museum last year.




I'm not a fan of zoos. Though I understand the educational component of zoos, I don't believe animals should be kept in captivity, especially for the enjoyment of humans (the Vancouver Aquarium comes to mind). There is something troubling indeed about seeing a wolf pace back and forth, or a mountain goat, or any other creature for that matter.














The truly wonderful thing about the Desert Museum, apart from an impressive aviary, is the 25 km of travel from Tucson to the site, through an amazing landscape of saguaros that seemed unearthly.

Travelling back to Tucson, was an entirely different experience 

because of the changing light, creating new shadows and patterns on the rugged hills. 

The drive was breathtaking, as is much in the Outback of Arizona.

Photos by Jim Murray.    Copyright 2014.