Museums, Museums

Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Today Ron and I met with our RV friends to tour two different kinds of museums here in Tucson.

Our first stop was at the Museum of Miniatures which opened here in Tucson in 2009.  What a fabulous place and what amazing artistry goes into these small works of art.  The Museum contains over 275 miniature houses and roomboxes, both antique and contemporary.  The museum is named "The Mini Time Machine" because visitors are transported to many different times and places, both real and imagined. 

A close up of the sewing machine above

There are three main galleries, the Enchanted Realm, the History Gallery and the Exploring the World gallery.  The museum also hosts temporary exhibits which today is “The Art Science of Portrait Miniatures."

Miniature portraits

The Museum was just fantastic and there was so much to absorb and to study in each of the exhibits.  I was sorry that there was no local artist working on a project while we were there though we did see the space for that person.  I took so many pictures of the many different houses, boxes, displays and it has been hard to give you a sampling that would do this place justice but I hope my reader will find the ones I selected interesting.  All I can say is if you are ever in Tucson, make the time to visit this place.  It is probably more interesting to women than men, but the artist (male or female) would certainly enjoy it.  The miniature scale is 1 to 12.  The detail in these miniatures is incredible.

Detail of the shelf from the top floor on picture above

Close up of room on right on top floor of picture above

Christmas Houses

A craftsman house replica of one in Pasadena, CA

Children's Dress Shop

Close up of  one side of Children's Dress Shop

Close up of store above

Close up of bottom two floors of picture above

After finishing at this Museum we drove a short distance to a more male oriented place.  This was the Museum of the Horse Soldier that can be found in Trail Dust Town.  Trail Dust Town developed around a restaurant called Pinnacle Peak which has been in Tucson since 1962.  There is also one in Phoenix.  More about Trail Dust Town after our visit to the Horse Museum.

The objective of the Horse Soldier Museum is to preserve the history and heritage of our United States Military mounted services and to recognize the horses contributions to U.S. military history.  The Museum contained displays of military uniforms, saddles and other military horse paraphernalia.  A small museum but displays were well laid out with interesting verbiage to read.

Saddle

Flag lost from Battle of Wheatfield, Gettysburg, PA 1863

We walked around Trail Dust Town taking pictures of the various buildings which at the time we were there were all closed.  They do not open the restaurants and shops until 4:30 in the afternoon.  The Town features shops, events and other attractions like Wild West Shows, a train ride, ferris wheel and carousel.  Kids can also pan for gold and all ages can test their aim at the shooting gallery. 

I have very fond memories of Pinnacle Peak Restaurant which in the 1960’s was the only building located here and out in a very open and unpopulated area.  The restaurant at that time featured cowboy steaks (large T bones which filled the plate) and cowgirl steaks which was the T-bone minus the rib eye.  They served a tossed salad, cowboy beans, and a roll for the price of $5 a person, if memory serves.    What a deal it was.  You sat at wood picnic tables covered in red and white check oil cloth tablecloths and if men came in with a tie on, they rang a bell and came with a pair of scissors to cut off half of it and hang it on the ceiling along with your business card or other descriptive information you provided.  What fun it was.  They still cut off ties today and you can see evidence of this in the picture below. 

Ron and I said goodbye to our friends until sometime next year and returned to our RV.  Since we had had breakfast at a late hour this morning, we later went downtown to the old Congress Hotel where Public Enemy #1, John Dillinger, was captured in 1934.  

This is a small hotel with interesting southwest architecture inside and a cute little restaurant we learned about from the days when Rachel Ray was doing her $40 a day meals in different location.  The restaurant is called “The Cup Cafe.”  We had eaten here several years ago and wanted to experience it again.
 

Hotel Lobby

Remember these?

Interesting chandelier in The Cup Cafe

Ron ordered a club sandwich with ham, turkey, bacon and avocado and lettuce and tomato sourdough with fries and I ordered a pastrami with bacon and peppery slaw, Gruyere cheese and grilled on marble rye served with fresh fruit.  Delicious.  The sandwiches were huge so we brought half of them home to be eaten at another time.

This week has been a busy one with lots of sightseeing.  After having lived here and visited on so many occasions, I am surprised at the things we have found to visit that we never had before.  Tomorrow will be our last day for this visit.  Believe it or not, we have found a few more things we want to see but will keep those for a visit next winter when we are in Casa Grande and can come for a day or two visit.

A Fun Day in Tucson

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

What a fun day Ron and I had riding a free public transport run by volunteers who work for tips  only, walking around the University of Arizona, viewing the Arizona State Historic Society Museum, riding the local streetcar and walking in a historic old area close to downtown.  Whew! What a lot we took in.

While waiting for the Tucson electric streetcar that runs from just west of downtown all the way to the University of Arizona Medical School (several miles), we were approached by a free public transport which we elected to take to the University.  The transport was a step up from a golf cart so open air and a fun way to see the sites along the way. 

Arriving at the campus area our transport dropped us off in the Main Gate Square which is just outside the old main gate to the University which I attended back in the 1960’s.   It has been 51 years since I graduated.  Where did the years all go?  This Square used to have some shops and restaurants, but now is quite extensive and includes all sorts of shops, hotels and restaurants, some quite funky including one in an old house called Frog & Firkin which has 30 beers on draft and 175 import and domestic bottles as well as a menu of interesting entrees.  No beer places were included in this area when I was a student.  Guess we missed out.

Entering the Main Gate of the campus  (a large high lava rock wall with iron gate with a three foot high wall enclosing the rest of the old part of the campus), we walk along the sidewalk  with me pointing out various buildings to Ron which now house different entities than they did when I was a student.  Below are a couple of pictures of “Old Main” which is the original building on campus and located at the end of the main gate.  

When I was a student, you could drive around the building to reach the long green grass Mall on the other side. The building was used by ROTC then.   A beautiful memorial to our fallen soldiers is located in the front of the building.   

 Walking around passed the old Business Building where I spent my time,

are three old dormitories all built in 1937.  My dorm, Gila Hall, has been updated inside, but still looks the same from the outside.  When I was a student it was an all girls dorm but today is coed.  Some changes have been made in the lobby area and our old glass door with iron gate inside the elevator is gone.  What fun that elevator was when we would overload it and it would get stuck between floors driving our house mother crazy. 

 Walking across the street and off the campus, we toured the State Historic Museum where I was once a docent.  What a beautiful museum it is.  Lots of artifacts, displays and information about the growth of Arizona and Tucson.  We spent an hour or so taking in the displays before we headed back to University Blvd. to take the local streetcar back downtown. 

 

An old time Mercantile Shop

A couple of old quilts.

Getting on the streetcar, we rode along the street taking in some of the old and still current fraternity houses and then heading to Fourth Avenue where we hopped off to take in the area.  This street is one of Tucson’s “most eclectric shopping districts” with a bohemian feel and local artisans offering their wares as well as numerous cafés and restaurants.  We considered taking in the Fourth Avenue Street Fair this weekend, but based on the people and cars parked in the area, we decided we were not up to extensive walking to reach the area so enjoyed a leisurely walk along the streets today.   I was surprised to see this restaurant “Caruso’s” was still in business after all these years.  When I was a student, my old psychology professor was the owner and food was very good Italian. 

Lunch hour had long since passed but we had a late breakfast so decided to stop at one of the local restaurants.  It turned out we selected “Lindy’s” which is listed as having one of a kind burgers and “Best Burger on the Avenue.”  Since that is all they serve, that is what we ordered.   All the burgers were ½ lb. which is a bit much and served on a large soft lemony colored bun with lettuce, cheese, and tomato.  Excellent burger and a small fun place to enjoy it. 

Inside the restaurant

A picture on wall at Lindy's

Once again boarding the streetcar, we continue on downtown getting off once again to see t the Old Town area.  Our legs were aching before we got very far, so decided Old Town would have to wait for another day.  We did see this old home in the area and I will have to do some research to see whose home it was.  

Reboarding the streetcar, we continue through downtown to the start of the run where our car is parked. 

Arriving back at the RV, we spend the remainder of the day resting up and talking about all we had seen. 

Mountain Retreat and Scientific Facility

Sunday and Monday, March 26 -27, 2017

Yesterday Ron and I took a drive out to the foothills of the Catalina Mountains here in Tucson to see Sabino Canyon.  In the 1870’s Pony soldiers from Fort Lowell enjoyed horseback riding excursions to the watering hole that is still in use today.  In the 1930’s CCC workers built one way bridges and a dirt road along the 3.8 mile area.  Today the road is a two lane paved asphalt road that climbs up the mountain with trails and picnic areas along the way as well as a shuttle that will take you up and down the road from the Visitor Center. 

When I was a student here at the University of Arizona in the 1960’s, Sabino Canyon was a popular spot for students to spend warm weekend afternoons beside the creek and the one beach area where you can actually swim.  It was very rustic and private spots could be found all along the way.

It is Sunday and the Canyon is very busy with students and families who have brought their children for a walk up the road, a hike or a trip on the shuttle to the top or stops along the way.  We elect to just ride the shuttle up and down, take pictures and enjoy the ride.  Our shuttle driver is very informative about the area, flora and fauna.  It is surprising to learn there was a major flood here in 2006 which damaged trees and brought rock and debris down to the floor of the canyon.  We do not think of flooding (especially at the level it was here) since rain is quite limited in desert environments though it can flood roads when the spring or summer downpours happen.  The creek today was fuller than I remember it being when I was a student. 

Today we drove to the Biosphere 2 located about 30 miles north and behind the Santa Catalina Mountains.  The facility was built in the 1980’s by a private organization and funded by a multimillionaire from Phoenix in the hopes that much could be learned about how natural environments generate conditions appropriate for life.  Eight individuals lived and worked in the environment for two years. 

Several organizations have owned the property over the years since then using it for various scientific purposes.  In 2007 the University of Arizona was gifted the property and currently runs many scientific projects, conducts workshops and conferences under the College of Science at the University.   

The glass enclosed facilities are on 3.14 acres, have 6,500 windows, 91 feet at their tallest point, and thousands of miles of wiring, pipes, and duck work.  The 40 acre campus includes 300,000 square feet of admin. offices, classrooms, laboratories, conferences facilities and residential and student housing. 

After entering the Visitor Center and paying for a tour, we proceeded down a concrete path through the lodging area built for visiting students, scientists, etc. and finally down a stairway to meet our tour guide in what was originally the Upper Habitat area for the sealed human missions of the 1990’s.  Our hour and one half tour included watching a video in the Lower Habitat before walking though the Rain Forest with over 90 different plant species, some more than 60 feet tall;

lemon tree

Coffee Bean Plant

Rain forest

Desert Evironment

  the Water and Life Experiments section which focuses on the birth of soil and the interactions among water, rock, energy and life;

Looking through the windows

and the two domes structures with variable air-volume control devices.
 

There is also the Energy Center and the B2 Ocean facilities which we did not tour. 

An interesting tour.  Ron’s question to me before the tour was, where was Biosphere 1 since this is Biosphere2.  The answer provided in the tour was, we live in Biosphere 1 – the Earth. 

The past two days have been warm (high 70’s) with breezes and have made our outdoor adventures very pleasant.