Walking Tlaquepaque

Did I spell it right? That's half the battle. The other half is pronouncing it. But however you say it, it's a gorgeous place to just walk around and take in all the artwork. Sculptures, fountains, gardens, architecture, flowers -- it's breathtaking. Now here's a strange confession. I didn't even look inside the shops! For me, the experience of Tlaquepaque is strolling through the exterior art. Here's a link that explains a little bit about the shopping area built to mirror a traditional Mexican village.

One of many beautiful fountains.

Stately cross in front of the chapel.

What I wouldn't give for a door like this!

Interesting stone sculpture.

A rose by any name.

Pedestals and ivy.

I guess I did spell it right!

Whimsical balconies full of expensive wares.

Another gorgeous fountain!

French restaurant window.

Lovely lady.

Fantastic tile mural.

King Puerco

One of my favorite nooks and crannies.

To be continued . . .

Kitties and Bunnies!

I'm in the Land of Oz now and the weather's pretty crispy for late May. I say that, but I remember how disappointing Memorial Day could be when Opening Day at the pool was cancelled due to foul weather.

Craig and I took a day trip up to Miami, Arizona on Saturday. (Don't tell him I squealed, but he got pulled over by a state trooper and issued a warning. That'll teach us to leave town!) Miami, an old mining town undergoing a transformation to antique/artsy mecca, had the coolest planters and garden junk. Here's some photos from the trip.

By the way, I immediately thought of my aunt when I saw all this stuff. She loved kitties, bunnies, horses -- practically all flora and fauna with the exception of squirrels (and maybe possums).

Oops. Almost forgot the rooster and the pigs!



When pigs fly!

Standin' On The Corner

Substitute 'Standin' on the corner in Holbrook, Arizona' for Winslow, Arizona in the song. (It's a stretch, but Holbrook's close to Winslow!) Anyway, we stopped at the old Mojave County Courthouse so I could snap a few photos on the way home from our trip.

Old Mojave County Courthouse

Old courthouse jail window.

Old wagon at the courthouse. Kind of interesting that it's the same type of wagon my dad was perched on in this picture at the Oswego, Kansas depot in the early 1940's. He was leaving for the Navy in WWII.

Petrified wood. They're really into it in that part of Arizona (The Petrified Forest). I tried to talk Craig into investing in a chunk of it, but he told me to go out and dig up my own. LOL

And look closely. Here's Saby, the family picture hog, leaving for dog obedience academy on the stagecoach. (Sorry, but we have absolutely no control over her whims!)

Goin' Down in a Blaze of Glory!

The sun was setting as we pulled back into the Phoenix area on Monday evening from our long road trip. I managed to get some pretty decent photos from the speeding bullet train. (Actually, there's no place to pull off and take photos on that road without risking 'bug on windshield' syndrome, so please excuse the bugs on windshield!)

This one looks like a watercolor!

Red Mountain!

Lots of cars headed out on the Beeline!

And a couple of sunset snaps in New Mexico.

Keep on truckin'!

Southwest Garden Fun

We stepped back into this courtyard in Tubac and couldn't believe all the cool ideas. Now I need to get busy at home using some of the antique garden 'stuff' that's been hiding in the garage since we moved.

Cowboy just hangin' out on a bench.

This Indian's leg is a little twisted. Ouch!

Love this fountain and the bike planter!

A gigantic mosaic skull.

Cool garden art!

Cool chair!

Foolproof desert flowers!

Wish I had one of these old shopping carts!

Hee-haw!

Some more metal garden art.

Lots of inspiration! And that 'stuff' in the garage is just waiting to make its debut.

Arizona Road Show -- Bisbee

Last summer, we took a weekend trip down to Bisbee, Arizona to see the sights and try and escape the heat. I noticed this shop sign while we were there, but didn't know until recently that Bisbee is famous for a killer bee rampage that took place in 1998. I'm guessing maybe that's where this honey shop got its name?

The newspaper description of the incident sounds like something out of an old Hitchcock movie:

"The panic, the fear," marveled Sgt. Ben Reyna of the Bisbee, Ariz., police department, after something triggered a swarm of Africanized bees to sting everything moving on an otherwise ordinary Aug. 2 in 1998. Within 15 minutes, reports the Arizona Daily Star, killer bees had surrounded and stung a tied-up Labrador retriever, which died five hours later. The swarm stung eight pedestrians badly enough to send them to the hospital, and the bees even attacked pigeons and other birds in flight. But the most frightening experience was probably that of Debrah Strait, who was driving when bees filtered in through a partially opened window. When she opened the door to let them out - something normal bees would welcome - more bees swarmed in. Screaming for help, she stopped the car and ran to a neighbor, grabbed her hose and tried to wash the bees away. The neighbor reports: "Her hair was literally covered with bees. She had taken her shirt off, and her back and her chest were covered, too." Nurses at a local hospital said Strait had been stung up to 300 times on almost every part of the body, including her ear canals. Luckily, she did not have an allergic reaction to the bees' toxin.

Here are some of the photos I snapped around town that weekend. Bisbee's an old mining town (you can still take tours of the mine and museum) that's become a tourist destination. Lots of art galleries, B&B's, restaurants, bars, and quaint sights all around the town! And thank God we didn't see any bees! I noticed that the hotel where we stayed had a slideshow on YouTube, so I thought I'd post it in case anyone's actually interested in lodging in Bisbee. It was a cool older hotel that had been revamped and had great views of the town below.

View from our hotel room.

Door to our room.

Street view from the room!

Some cool artwork!

Architectural details.

Old advertising.

Barrel of prickly pears!

Cool dog!

Gorgeous flowers!

Cafe Cornucopia

Bisbee's kind of like Mayberry!

Old coaster wagon. Bisbee was having their Soapbox Derby trials that weekend. It's a yearly event around the 4th of July.

A truck owner with an artistic sense of humor!

This front porch looks like a Country Living photo shoot!

Another cool house!

Even the town graffiti is artistic!

Love this sign!

And I always have to snag photos of old VW Bugs!

Our favorite meal of the trip was eaten at this Mexican restaurant, Santiago's. We split the enchilada suizas and they were wonderful!