Pretty in Pink

All dressed up and invited to a brunch.  Lilliana is really stepping out in style.

Lets see. . she must be almost 16 months old now.  Such a little lady. I miss her.

Another Day

We went over to the Nature Conservancy property near Patagonia to see what we could find for birds there, and to hike the trails. The Sonoita Creek actually comes to the surface and begins to flow here. Its also known for the huge native Fremont Cottonwood trees that flank the creek. They are mammoth.

We sat at this spot for a few minutes just enjoying the sounds and views around us when a couple of deer came up the stream toward us. We stayed very still and they came surprisingly close before they got wind of us and bolted.

Thanksgiving at Patagonia

Beautiful Sycamore

Enjoying Thanksgiving holiday at Patagonia. I cooked my turkey on Monday with all the trimmings and packed it up and brought it all along. We have been eating it all week and had plenty left for another big meal on Thursday. Pumpkin pie lasted until today! However, tonight we went into town for pizza at "Velvet Elvis." This is a Patagonia icon. Its even been written up in Sunset magazine. Upscale pizza and calzones and imaginative salads. Yummy.

We took a drive on some back roads to find the ghost town of Harshaw. Not much left from the 1880's town but the cemetery remains and is so interesting. Its on the side of a hill and still maintained by someone! Among the overgrown weeds and broken down markers, there are modern grave stones. Some are old sites with deaths from the early part of the century with modern grave markers. Obviously family around to care. Also it was highly decorated, we're guessing left over from recent Dias de la muerto (Day of the Dead).

And then there are the birds to watch

Sonoita Creek Preserve

We hiked about four miles into the Sonoita Creek State Natural Area which is a permit preserve next to Patagonia State Park. Sonoita Creek is one of those few precious perennially flowing waterways in Southeastern Arizona. We felt like we had the whole thing to ourselves as we did not meet another person although there were other cars in the trailhead parking lot.

All the colors of the Southwest palette are there!!

New kayak

We got ourselves an inflatable kayak and today was a good day to test it out. Will is getting ready to blow it up with a foot pump.

Ready to go on its maiden voyage.

Works really well. We paddled all around the lake. At one point we floated into this little cove and flushed a pair of beautiful bronze Cinnamon Teal Ducks. I didn't have time to open my mouth to exclaim how pretty they were, when like lightning, a Coopers Hawk came out of nowhere and picked one of the ducks right out of the air! Have to admit that it was an exhilarating sight, but not one I really wanted to witness that close.

All set up and ready to enjoy the holiday week. Drove down to Patagonia this morning and checked into the campground at the State Park. Amazing day so far, lake is calm, trees in the arroyos actually have some fall color. . .birds are calling!!!

el Tour de Tucson 2012

Today was Tour deTucson.

Museum of Art's fall Artisan's Market

If anyone is interested in finding just the right piece of pottery--this is the place to come.  The Tucson Museum of Art is sponsoring its fall Artisan's Market this weekend with all kinds of artists and crafters showing and selling their creations all around the grounds of the museum.  But "Southern Arizona Clay Artists" have one big booth for 22 of Tucson's pottery makers.  We each get a table and/or a grid to display our best.  It is quite amazing to walk around and see everyone's work.  Such a variety of style and creativity from functional and decorative to pure fun.  It will be going on all weekend.  This is the second time I have participated--its a good one.

This is a corner of my table. 

A few more pictures from Mexico

Here is side by side--old house next to new one.

Imagine wash day using this!

No English--no Spanish but we communicated thru that common language.

In one corner of the lot is this beautiful papaya tree.  One finds beauty where you can.

Aching bones together!!

Scot was quite the star when he started juggling blocks of wood for the kids!!

Chapter Two- Story continues. . .

Tired or not. . .we had a job to do so it was back to the job site for a big day. Stud walls up, windows and doors framed, particle board nailed on sides, roof frame built and set in place, tar paper nailed onto particle board walls, roof tar papered, tarred and asphalt rolled down and secured, chicken wire tightly applied to outside walls.

Will and Rodrigo putting first coat of stucco on front of house.

building a stud wall--beyond that berm and trees is the new landfill. Wouldn't call it the best location for a neighborhood but that is what it is.

One Mission has a system for determining who is eligible for one of these modest homes—we have nothing to do with that but we quickly learned to appreciate Juana and Rodrigo. One criterion is that each recipient must put in a certain number of hours in community service. Rodrigo earned his hours by taking classes to earn his elementary school certificate—he learned to read and write at age 56!! In fact, another couple, Maria and Pedro worked side by side with us on this house earning credit hours toward their own house.

We also had extended family members on site helping. They worked so hard. But why should we be surprised—these people have done nothing but work hard all their lives to hang onto what little they have. They have never had any kind of a safety net. Oh, and did I mention kids!! They came out of the woodwork to see what was going on and they wanted to be a part of it all so bad. Our foreman was a saint. He accommodated just long enough for them to think they did something and then it was time to shoo them away.

Late in the afternoon we were ready to do the first coat of stucco. Again, we mixed it all in wheelbarrows and then we all got hands-on lessons in troweling mud onto the walls. The trick was to keep it on the walls. One coat done and it was time to quit for the day.

Bone tired again we headed back to camp just as the wind came up again. This time it was no use trying to keep the tents up with the patchwork repairs from the night before. We all pitched in and tore the tents down, thru them in the trunks of cars, grabbed pillows and sleeping bags and sneaked St Andrews people into the back door of the condo. They slept on the floor—under a roof and out of wind for next two nights. Pantano tenters moved into RV’s that offered floor space. It also turned cold that night so everyone ended up snug and warm somewhere out of the elements.

Third day
One more workday. One more coat of stucco and finishing touches and by shortly after noon it was ready to turn the house over to the family. We had a little “presentation of the keys” and blessed the house with scripture and prayer. Everyone was moved. Some Pantano ladies had made quilts and curtains and we also had given a love-offering and presented them with some canned goods and household items that they were in need of.

We finally got a few hours to ourselves, people walked the beach, or showered, or soaked in hot tub or did whatever before dinner. There was a bonfire on the beach in the evening but Will and I were really chilled by that time and went back to our room for an early night. Sunday morning was a special time as a local pastor conducted church service on the beach. Was in Spanish but we had a marvelous interpreter—not an easy job on the fly like that—and was a very worshipful experience. Then it was tear down the camp, pack up the cars, hugs all around and head back to Tucson. It was truly hard work and at times I just thought I don’t want to do this—but as soon as it is over, we are making plans to come back. It’s an experience that fills the heart, I am sure I received more than I gave.

Sunday church service on the beach.  Campground is behind us and the condos where we stayed are off to the right in picture.

This is the sandy beach and sunset over the Sea of Cortez that people come to this resort town for! Tide pools are great here when the tide is out as in this pic.

Episode One--Mission trip to Puerto Penasco

St Andrews team with Juana and Rodrigo

We’re back home after a 4 day Mission trip to Mexico. We brought back tired bodies, a bunch of very dirty laundry, a ton of stories to tell, new friendships, and gratitude and humility for what the Lord can do in all circumstances. This is our 4th or 5th visit to Puerto Penasco (Rocky Point) and our third trip with a group of dedicated Christians to build houses for some people living on the edge. We were two of 17 St Andrews Presbyterians who joined about 80 people from across town Tucson’s Pantano Christian Church who drove across the border to a resort town maybe 60 miles into Sonora, Mexico on the Sea of Cortez. Lots of Arizonans  go down to Rocky Point to enjoy the sun shine and beautiful beaches and luxury condos. However, there is a whole population of local Mexican citizens who are just trying to keep their families together beyond the beach houses, bars and gift shops. Since the economy of the US took a nose dive and the drug traffic scare increased, a lot of these people are in dire straits—they depended on tourism dollars that are no longer coming.


We partnered with “One Mission,” a community development organization that works exclusively in Mexico and with local congregations to reach out to the poor and give them a hand up. We had enough people for three teams and were able to complete three 12’ x 20’ basic houses in 3 days.

“Our” family consisted of a 78 year old woman, Juana, and her 56 year old son Rodrigo. They are actually Tarahamara Indians who moved here from the state of Chihuahua about 6 years ago to find work. They have been able to purchase a lot in a “new” area of Puerta Pinasco that in fact was a landfill not that long ago. The structure that they are living in now really breaks your heart but it is the best they could do. Actually, the harder you look at this ramshackle house the more you are impressed by their ingenuity and resourcefulness. But this dear lady needs a real home!

Thursday morning we met up at 5:30am and caravanned car loads of people and luggage across the border to get there by noon. About half of our group set up tents in a campground while the rest of us Presbyterians checked into one of those cushy condos right next door. Most of Pantano’s people stayed at the campground in tents and RV’s. Will and I shared a 3 bedroom condo with fellow St Andrew’s workers –5 others split another 3 bedroom unit down the hall. I for one decided I could do this if I could get a good nights sleep. I am past the days of sleeping on the ground in a tent. . . First thing, we grabbed a quick lunch and then out to the work site to meet the family and to pour the slab for the house. That’s the first thing and it had to get done so that the floor could set up enough to build the walls the next day. We mixed concrete and gravel in wheelbarrows with shovels and hoes. We were working too hard to stop and count how many wheelbarrows full of concrete we mixed by hand but it was a lot. We’re in the barrio and no electricity for power tools. Everything done by hand. I am sure I would never work this hard on a project for myself at home!!

We used the gravel as it came to make the cement for the pad but we needed to sift it for the mud for the stucco we will use later.

troweling it smooth

We women hammered and sawed right along with the guys!

Pad is done!  12' x 20" would be a storage shed for us!

Walls coming up on day two.

We were like little worker bees all over that site. Everyone found multiple jobs to do and our foreman, Kevin did an amazing job of orchestrating it all. We went back to camp after the first day where the kitchen crew prepared a hot meal for us and we drug our tired bodies off to our various beds. Condo people had a great nights sleep. However, a wind came up off the ocean and tore into the campground with a vengeance. Tents collapsed, ripped, even some RV’s had some issues. Anything not tied down was blown down or scattered. We arrived at camp in the morning all refreshed and had no idea how miserable the camper’s night had been!

Episode two coming next!!  Lots more pictures

Art in the Garden

 Today was my "Arte en el Jardin" Art Show in my friend, Margery's back yard.  This year she had a metal artist, a watercolorist and an oil painter, several potters, a leather craftsman, three very different jewelry designers, apparel, hummingbird feeders, UUkrainian eggs, mosaic artist, and more I can't remember off hand.  The weather was perfect, nice crowd of patrons, classical guitarist serenading from the patio for atmosphere, and all in a landscaped desert garden and back yard that just goes on and on.  I actually had some very nice sales which was pretty nice.  So fun to see so many friends and familiar faces come out to enjoy the day!