I practically ran out of town on Thursday the 4th. The trip to Tucson was a little bumpy, but not bad and we arrived in Mesa where Annette's father met us. While not a whole lot warmer, it was dry and smelled dry and that was nice. Heading out from Mesa, Annette drove her father's van, which we borrowed for the weekend. She took the back road from Phoenix to Tucson so we could go across the desert. I could just barely see the outline of the Superstition Mountains as we headed into the night. Out the windows on either side the ghostly shapes of the saguaro loomed in the darkness. We stopped once to get out and look up into the night sky littered with stars. I love that communities in Arizona limit the use of streetlights because of the sky views. I have a limited knowledge of the night sky but I found Orion straight off and from there located the Seven Sisters. I was unsure about the Big Dipper. Can you see it from down there? As the weekend wore on it was obvious that a sense of direction is not one of my strong points.
We arrived in Tucson at Christy's little house and I was tired so I went almost straight to bed. A long day. Christy was up early to get ready for work. She made us each a latte on her espresso machine and after she headed off, Annette and I mapped our course for the Gem and Mineral Show. We had 2 shows in mind for Friday, the To Bead True Blue/Tucson Bead Show at the Doubletree Inn, and the larger J.O.G.S. at the Tucson Expo Center. We got to both though the second show was a little illusive. Our return from the J.O.G.S show required quite a bit of driving by the incredibly patient Annette. Luckily she has a better sense of direction than I do and after a few calls to Christy, we found our way home and saw some exciting sites too! I recall that I used to be able to read a map quite well, but the inability to tell north from south from east or west makes it really really hard. The map ended up on the floor of the back seat. Christy greeted us with margaritas and we walked to dinner.
If we had tried to pack any more into Saturday I think my head would have exploded. But of course, it isn't necessary to detail every hour. I think a quick list of highlights...
The Nacimiento at the Museum, installed in the oldest mud adobe house in Tucson. It goes up well before Christmas and stays into March or so. It is not to be missed. Done by an old woman, now assisted by family and friends, it is a nativity on steroids. Oblivious to scale, it meanders up and up with scenes from domestic Mexican life peppered with traditional nativity figures, donkeys, elephants, hidden devils, goats, pigs, chickens, wise men, angels, temples, tents and humble adobes. Mud adobes with thick walls, squat with smooth rounded corners, pots of cactus out front, hidden glimpses of courtyards hung with plants all painted in Easter egg colors, ochre, lime, turquoise, fuschia, red, gold. Arroyos, dry depressions running through neighborhoods and across highways with signs warning not to go through them when there is water. They duck under the flat desert with precarious overpasses perched on crossing highways. Barrel cactus, agave, yucca, the amazing saguaro and prickly pear which comes in many colors. I didn't know that! Strange trees and shrubs with mean spiny stems that rip and tear your flesh. Different birds, grapefruit trees, orange trees, lime trees, pomegranates and front yards that are nothing but rocks that people rake and plant with all the amazing desert flora. Really wide flat streets, the Santa Catalina's one one side and two other mountain ranges on two other sides. Sweet green corn tamales. Huevos rancheros at the Cup Cafe in the Hotel Congress. The Hotel Congress with newspaper clippings along the wall to the bathrooms that extol the legend of John Dillinger, the Congress's claim to fame. The old Rialto Theater across the street with its western sort of New Orleans architecture. The barrio, where mud adobes are not an anomaly and probably don't cost $500,000.
And the gem show. Well, since its the largest one in the WORLD, it is quite impossible to see all the venues. We touched on a small part of it but it was quite, hmmm, stimulating? I walked my butt off! Since I am a retailer, I didn't find any real deals, but I did see a lot of things in one place that I don't usually get to see. Silver sold by the gram and it was all over the map. I did find some fine old pieces, but I couldn't afford them. Parts of the venues reminded me of being in Asia, except the prices weren't as good. Some of the dealers were fussy and snotty, lots were friendly and fun. My big discovery was Sally Bass...if you don't know her work, you should. Its big, colorful, clever, fun and exciting. If I could I would carry it in my store. I also saw lots of ammonites, trilobites, crystals, geodes and an assortment of "troglodytes." In short, it was a great getaway. I'm glad I went, grateful to both Annette and Christy for helping me enjoy a short respite in the grind. Hope I get to go again. I am inspired and excited and ready to move into yet another phase of my life.
