The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

It is so exciting for a retired Geography teacher to see the dsert landscapes and desert topography I had just seen on topographic maps, air photographs and films. The "Basin and Range" landscape comes alive so much more when you see it in person. Uplifted block mountains, down faulted rift valleys take on so much more meaning when you drive through them and see them with your own eyes.


Landscape terms become real. The uplifted mountain blocks are termed "horsts" in the geography texts from which I taught Grade 11 Physical Geography. The down-faulted valleys are termed "grabens." And the alluvial fans that spread at valley exits where the mountains and rift floors meet are just as imagined.

Add to this the seguero cacti, creosote bushes etc, and the west is alive.

So far all that is missing is the Road Runner (seen on our last trip, but not this) and tumbleweed.

Arizona Basket-Making

While visiting the Tucson Botanical Gardens on Saturday, we came across a display on native basket-making. To me its fascinating to learn about basket-making techniques in the different places we visit. Click on the photo to learn about these local techniques.






More details follow here. When we visited the Navaho lands in the north of Arizona a couple of years ago, we also saw some ancient baskets made from willow.






Raw materials for basket-making come in so many different forms.

Thoughts about travel

As talk about wet snow for tomorrow hits the air waves, my thoughts turn to winter travel. A brisk minus 2 degrees celcius put these thoughts even more into my mind. Arizona! The cactuses. The heat. We do have a two week trip planned back to Phoenix, the Tuscon in late February, early March, but the itch is here now.


Cocoa Beach in Florida in the winter was quiet. The beaches were practically deserted but great to walk on for miles. We enjoyed the quiet relaxation of that destination. We plan to return to a beach location in Florida at the next opportunity.

I enjoy taking photographs of the local flora and fauna. Even the Turkey Vultures catch my eye. Nothing is lost when death occurs.