Saturday May 8, 2010

Getting up at 6 AM and being on the road by 7 AM is not in my game plan, but our bodies have stayed on Eastern Standard Time and so when 6 AM hits, the eyes open. In Arizona, which is the Mountain Time Zone (two hours behind us), they elect NOT to observe Daylight Savings Time and so they actually end up being three hours behind us. ‘Nuff said.

We head to downtown Tucson, which is only three miles from our campground. Tucson boasts a population of 490,000 and is Arizona’s second largest city. It is about an hour and a half south of Phoenix, which has almost 4 million people within the Phoenix area.

Our first photographic find is El Presidio, a gorgeous historic building with a mosaic tile dome. The building is used by the county for mundane departments such as tax assessor, permits, etc. It offers a spacious plaza area and the offices all face the plaza. Sure beats the county building we have back home. The sun is still playing peek-a-boo with us and so we hang out a bit, waiting for a break. The difference between a picture with sun and without is so significant that if you can wait, it is well worth your time.

We also grab some shots of a colorful shopping and gathering area called La Placita. Bright colors wash the stucco walls while wrought iron tables and chairs invite you to sit and relax while enjoying a meal. It is a nice touch to an urban area. We then walk to the famous St. Augustine Cathedral, which is adjacent to several imposing skyscrapers. It is a religious oasis in a modern city. We walked inside to take a few pictures. The exterior is far more notable than the interior. It did have many stain glass windows however that were beautiful. I also saw an old hotel of bygone days that has been converted into apartments. It was known as the Pueblo Hotel and the sign still stands.

Does every major city have a Fox Theater? Tucson is among the many cities that have one. We also capture some pictures of the Federal Building, the Masonic Temple and the Children’s Museum. New cement was poured in front of the Children’s Museum but craftsmen respectfully cut out a stamp from the original sidewalk that was marked, WPA 1937. For those of you old enough to have heard of the WPA, it was a works program to put unemployed workers in a job during the Great Depression. Sound familiar? Near the Children’s Museum was an orange metal art piece that looked like a cross between a bird and a dog. Not sure what it is, but I will investigate. I also saw a large Saguaro cactus with blooms! The bees were having a field day.

We finish downtown Tucson and drive seven or eight miles southwest to San Xavier Del Bac Mission. You can see the complex from at least two miles away. Its bright white color is striking and its architecture is beautiful against the desert background. It is often referred to as the White Dove of the Desert. It is over 300 years old and is now part of an Indian Reservation. It is one of the eight missions founded by the Spanish Padres between 1687 and 1720. Again we not only photographed the exterior; we entered the church and were able to take pictures of the interior. I climbed hill of sorts nearby the mission and took some photos from an elevated standpoint. The hill has a simple white cross on the top and I incorporated some shots with the mission and the cross. I had to have something to show for my climb up this rocky hill. No stairway or walkway was provided so if you wanted the picture, you had to climb like a monkey up the hill. It’s always a challenge when you are carrying a backpack and a camera around your neck. If you begin to fall, the mantra is “protect the equipment at all cost”. Lol

After leaving the mission, we leave Tucson and begin our trek to Phoenix. Phoenix is the capital of Arizona. Along the route to the capital city, we travel on I-10 through some mighty small towns. We stopped along the way at a Carl’s Jr. for some “healthy” burgers. Lol There isn’t a thing on Carl Jr’s menu that is healthy, but mmmm, mmmm is it good. The staff is very well trained and very friendly. They actually welcome you into the establishment. So unlike a McDonald’s or Wendy’s. We had never been to a Carl Jr.’s before but I have seen enough commercials on television to know I wanted to try one. We were not disappointed.

We get off the interstate in Phoenix and head to the Capitol building. We want to see if it is a morning or afternoon shot. In this case, it is neither. The front of the building faces south so it is never fully lit. We take some pics of the building as well as some surrounding buildings and statues (you know the drill from our previous state capital adventures). The building is not breathtaking by any means. It has a historic building flanked by more modern buildings on either side; one houses the State Senate and the other the House of Representatives. The building is closed so we can’t see if there are legislative chambers within the historic building.

We plan to park our rig on the driveway of our old Port Huron friends, Diane and Bob Jechura. Dennis and Bob taught at Port Huron High School together and had a wedding photography business together in the early 70’s. They eventually opened their own businesses, but always remained friends. In fact, Bob photographed our wedding thirty-three years ago! They’ve been living in Sun City AZ for ten or so years. They’ve graciously invited us to plug in and stay on their drive. We’ll visit with them and learn about any local pictures we need to take in the area in the next two days.

We also plan to visit my nephew Anthony who is attending school in Phoenix and living in Avondale. We are going to check out his “crib” and go to breakfast tomorrow morning before he has to work. Looking forward to this since tomorrow is Mother’s Day. Sadly, Anthony lost his Mom nine years ago so this is particularly special for me.