Tohono Chul Clay Artists Spring Show

I am all set and ready for the sale. Today and tomorrow-- weather is co-operating this year.  Think last year it snowed on us!! 

First Bloomers - Spring coming to Arizona

The Tucson Rodeo

rodeo week in Tucson.  We love going to the finals

on Sunday and as always, it was a fun afternoon.

Bronc riding is my favorite--but can't imagine how

they walk away when they are done!!

'Spose she really would ??

Aeri actually did cry when she had to leave

because she didn't want to go home!  She 

had a good time at Grandma and Grandpa.

I teased her Mom and Dad and said I was 

on my way to get her!!

On the Trail

Last weekend we had the DeBoer siblings here and it was a wonderful time. Just doesn't happen often enough. Next one planned for May in Orange City for Tulip Festival.

There was a short overlap when Doug and Tammy and the girls came out! Short time when Doug got to say hi to his aunt and uncle and I was so glad to show off Aeri and Lia.

A definite highlight for the girls was a horseback ride. Both girls did just great! Giggled their heads off. The guide was amazing as she actually "led" Aeri so she felt like she was in control. Lia can ride on her own, no problem. Plus the guide took a gazillion pictures!!

We kept busy doing lots of fun things.

Pretty quiet in my house now!

visitors

More of Doug and Will

Doug just sent me the pictures from his phone of the guy's trip to Myanmar and they were such good pictures of the two of them, I wanted to share them!

And yes, they hiked the 777 steps up that mount to the temple on the top!!

Stop-in-my-tracks Tucson sunset.

This beautiful Saguaro Cactus is across the fence in my neighbor's back yard. Framed by pink sunset clouds against a blue sky.

And then the sky turned blood orange as the sunset deepened, over my back yard wall.

Newly discovered--the oldest memorabilia fromy childhood!

Just aquired my birth

 announcement from my brother--who got it from an unlikely source. A Westside friend found it amoung old family pictures-- his family, not ours!  I was blown away. Perfect condition. Interesting that it is written in pencil.  But that is my Mom's handwriting for sure.

It's no more than 3" wide. It's 72 years old!!

 

Will is home

At the Singapore airport before they part and Will catches his flight for the long ride home!

But before this. . .they finished clearing out Doug's apartment and then went on one last adventure to relax and travel together.  Except they did not relax--they crammed a lot into 3 days in Myanmar. Visited Yangon and Bagan, rented motor bikes to tour the cities, dinner at sunset at a river front restaurant, visited a laquer factory, toured a number of Buddhist temples from modern to temple ruins from the 11th century.  That is what this country is most famous for--that is what tourists come to see.

But the highlight of the trip was a sunrise hot air balloon ride out of Bagan to see the over 2000 temples and stupas and ruins in various stages of repair.  Can't imagine that, but actually at one time there were upwards of 10,000. Now a UNESCO site.

Bambi's Mug collection

I went on a SACA sponsored studio tour with a group of local potters to Green Valley to Bambi Anderson's home and studio.  She has a ceramic mug collection that is out of this world. She collects from well-known and emerging artists from all over the world and has close to a thousand hand made clay cups. Many of them may appear decorative and non functional but her criteria is they must have a handle and she must be able to drink at least one cup of coffee from them. 

Plus Bambi is an amazing clay artist herself. Her home is one of those spaces that is cramed with amazingly creative and imaginative art. And it spills over into her yard where she displays her own totems.