SW USA 2024: The Canadian Coddiwomplers*

 *Coddiwomple: “to travel in a purposeful manner towards a vague destination."

Tucson – Part Four

 

Visiting Friends and the Botanical Gardens

 

The next day, Cheryl and Frank visited us from Phoenix.  I went to high school with Cheryl and ever since our 40 year High School Reunion we have kept in touch along with other good friends from Richmond Hill High School.  Some of you may recall that we celebrated our 50+1-year reunion last September.  Cheryl and Frank have a place in Phoenix and come to Arizona each year.  We visited them in 2019 when we were in Phoenix.

Under the Meyer Lemon Tree with lemons.

We had a nice lunch on our patio and then decided to visit the Tucson Botanical Gardens.  What a lovely place.  The various gardens are very well designed and cared for and there is a butterfly pavilion.

When this guy opens his wings ...

... he's blue!

Besides the wonderful display of plants, there were also some lovely sculptures.

It was a delightful afternoon.  We finally found the Washed Ashore Exhibit.  These sculptures have been created by a group of artists and volunteers to teach about the growing problem of plastic pollution.  The figures are made from plastic bags and debris collected from Oregon beaches.  Washed Ashore is based in Oregon and I gather this exhibit is touring.

Priscilla the Rainbow Parrot Fish

Sebastian James the Puffin

This Water Bottle Jelly was in the entrance to the gardens.

There were Washed Ashore sculptures of a whale tail, a penguin, a jumping fish and others.

Cheryl’s grandson Hugo loves rocks and gems.  After the gardens we stopped by Raining Rocks.  A very interesting gem store.  Cheryl found some lovely gems for Hugo and I found a lovely pendant for me – an early birthday gift to myself!  As it happens, the proprietor, Odie, was also the creator of the pendant.  He even mined the stone.  

Odie the artist and miner.

It is a chrysocolla stone from an Azurite Mine.

We had a super day with Frank and Cheryl.  They then headed off to the Three Palms Hotel located not too far from Biosphere 2, which they planned to tour in the morning.  Another place on our To Do list, most likely with Amy, Ash and Mitch when they get here.  

 

We heard from Cheryl that they enjoyed a great hike in the Catalina Mountains and that the Biosphere was well worth the visit.

 

An aside:  I have been sitting in the shade of our Lemon Tree while writing this blog.  Our neighbours have a huge class A unit and presently they are sitting out-side watching the Oscars on a TV mounted on the outside of their bus.  Talk about annoying!  We spoke with them earlier today and thought they were really nice.

 

The Mini Time Machine Museum of Miniatures

I have been looking forward to visiting the Miniature Museum in Tucson since 2020 when I first learned about the place.  Of course, we didn’t make it to Tucson in 2020.  I have also been watching the CBC show called “Best in Miniature.”  It is “Such Fun!”

 

The Mini Time Machine Museum of Miniatures has over 500 antique and contemporary dollhouses and room-boxes and presently there is an exhibit called “The Pencil is Mightier: Art on the Tip of a Pencil” by Salavat Fidai.

 

I loved it there.  The museum is laid out around a central atrium with themed rooms branching off the centre exhibit about the history of miniatures.  Jerry wandered into the Fantasy Room first and then we heard there would be a tour with one of the docents.  The tour focussed mainly on the historical exhibit of houses and room boxes.

 

I was delighted to see the various miniature buildings created at different times in history with such wonderful details.

A Colonial Home ... the miniature is quite old.

 

I am amazed at the detail.  Note however, there are no staircases.  I asked our guide about this because many of the miniatures didn't.  She thought it is a convention of dollhouses.

Lots of scary stuff in the fantasy room ...

... and Fairy Tales too.

Note the human head mounted in the attic of the Three Bears House!

Scheherazade and her stories.

There is a special display for Queen Elizabeth II.  I have a lead piece like this one. Mine doesn't have all the soldiers and it's broken in a few places.  I wonder if it can be mended?

This is an actual house in Tucson.  The model is in 1/2" scale, that's the scale I was taught to use for set design models. Almost all of the miniatures are in 1" scale and that is the scale used on the CBC show, Best in Miniatures.

Our Tour Guide

After the tour we spent time in the pencil exhibit.  A video showed the artist working on the various pieces – it even caught one breaking.  They are so small I am surprised he isn’t cross-eyed!

He has created a series of sigils from "The Game of Thrones."

The creation of this "Wave" was on the video - fascinating.

I definitely want to return to this museum.  We didn't have the time or the energy to see everything.  I am going to design and build a miniature house one day ... when there's time ... and we are at home ... maybe.

Take good care all

Love from,

Jerry, Elizabeth, Misty, FJ (Flat Jesus), the Guys, Miss Adventure Too and Clifford the Big Red Truck