Tucson, Arizona - December 2010
My Birthday Weekend
The day before my brother David and I were leaving for Tucson, Arizona, my clothes washer broke down. Not the best start to what was to be my special birthday weekend at Cherry Valley Ranch in Oracle near Tucson, Arizona. Water leaked out onto the carpet in the hallway and into the computer room. I called my insurance company right away and they sent someone over to take care of it. The repairmen came over with gigantic fans and a dehumidifier that were to be there for at least five days. They were so noisy that I could hardly hear the sound from the television. My brother was on his way from California to Mesa, Arizona to help me celebrate my 60th birthday (December 18th) in the Tucson area. We had old family friends in Oracle to visit and I wanted to do some photography of San Xavier del Bac Mission and El Barrio.
David arrived in Mesa very late in the evening on December 17 because he had to go back to L.A. to get his wallet which delayed his arrival for about three hours. David and I left for Tucson early in the morning of December 18 and arrived at the B&B that David had reserved for us at Cherry Valley Ranch in Oracle. It was a comfortable place to stay and beautiful scenery from the top of the hill where the owners lived, just a short five minute walk from our unit.
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| Cherry Valley Ranch - Oracle, Arizona |
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| David - checking text messages |
After unloading the car and putting our suitcases in the B&B, we headed over to the Oracle Inn for lunch before heading out to see our friends at Rancho Linda Vista who were old friends of our parents, artists who taught at University of Arizona in Tucson. We had lived at the Ranch in the early 70’s for a short period, so there was a lot of nostalgia visiting this artist's colony.
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| Rancho Linda Vista View - Oracle, Arizona |
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| Cherry Valley Ranch - Breakfast with a view. |
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On Sunday morning, we woke up for the breakfast at the main house at Cherry Valley Ranch. The house was stunning and the view from up on the hill was spectacular! The people we met there were a pleasure to have met and share our meal with.
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| Hilltop view from Cherry Valley Ranch, Oracle, Arizona |
David and I went back to Rancho Linda Vista after breakfast for a brief visit. Then we drove into Tucson to see San Xavier del Bac Mission. The Mission was photographed by Ansel Adams many years ago. I had the opportunity of meeting Ansel Adams when I was seventeen years old and I can only hope that a fraction of his talent rubbed off on me. I have so much more to learn!
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| San Xavier del Bac Mission - Tucson, Arizona | | | |
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| Holy water - San Xavier del Bac Mission |
Sunday, December 19th was a clear and warm day in Tucson where David and I had lunch at the Congress Hotel. There was a Christmas tree in the lobby and an old telephone booth. I hadn't seen one of those in years! The food was excellent and the interior of the restaurant had some interesting objects up on the wall including a chandelier made of wine bottles!
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| Lunch at The Congress Hotel with my brother, David |
After lunch, we saw St. Augustine’s Cathedral on our way to the next point of interest. This was an unexpected photo op that we just happened to pass on our way to the colorfully painted buildings of El Barrio. I took some pictures from the outside and then took a peek inside the door to see if there were some stained glass windows to photograph. My favorite stained glass was of St. Francis of Asisi located in the lobby of the cathedral.
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| St. Augustine Cathedral - Tucson, Arizona | | |
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| Interior of St. Augustine Cathedral - Tucson, Arizona |
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| St. Francis of Assisi - Stained Glass |
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El Barrio was just a few blocks away and as you turned onto the street you could see multi-colored buildings and doors.
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| El Barrio - Tucson, Arizona |
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| El Barrio - Tucson, Arizona |
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| El Barrio - Tucson, Arizona |
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| El Barrio - Tucson, Arizona |
It was just about dark and the last stop of the evening was back at Rancho Linda Vista where we visited with several other friends from The Ranch. They were having a music and poetry reading night. The art gallery inside The Barn was featuring the work of a photographer which made it another highlight of the evening.
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| Chuck, Arnie and David |
David and I went for dinner at the Oracle Inn Restaurant after the get together and then headed back to the B&B for the rest of the evening. We got to sleep early since there was a long drive back for David from my place in Mesa. When we got back, David took a short nap. Before he left, he took apart my desktop computer that had crashed a couple of months ago and hooked up my large monitor to my netbook. He’ll be getting the desktop computer upgraded for me and I will certainly look forward to having it back up and running! David left for California about 4 p.m. and got home about midnight.
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| Oracle Inn Restaurant - Oracle, Arizona |
Being able to see old family friends, Sax Xavier del Bac Mission, St. Augustine’s Cathedral and El Barrio was a great 60th birthday gift! But, the best gift was that I was able to share my 60th birthday with my brother, David. It would have been even better, though, if my brother, Donnan, could have been with us!
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www.tam-ryan.artistwebsites.com
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© 2010 All words and images are the property of Tam Ryan
