Tucson - Oracle - Hiking

Thursday was a work day. We put new tires on the Jeep and resealed the roof of the RV. Took the whole day.

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Friday we received mail for the first time since we hit the road. Mostly junk, then bills, but a couple of nice letters. We're planning on leaving tomorrow so Clint can get to see his mom by the first of March. We wanted to see the Tucson mountains before we left. Didn't see the portion that has greenery, but I did enjoy hiking some along the Arizona Trail southeast of Oracle. We saw what we believe is a golden eagle perched on a scrawny cactus tree. Beautiful!

We passed by Catalina State Park. The Biosephere2 is close by. I'll be adding that to my things to see next year.
I enjoyed seeing a little snow at a distance on the mountains. There's skiing up in them thar hills. I really enjoyed the beautiful sunset.

The highlight of the day was listening to the news about the jaguar that was captured and tagged just southwest of Tucson - down a little south from the park we visited earlier this week. He's the same one they've seen crossing the border the last few years. Tidbit of info: he's the largest cat in the US and the only one that roars. This guy came in at 118 pounds.

Tucson - Largest Geode & Native American Show

We work up to snow on the mountains again today along with a biting cold wind. We stayed inside, did some work and then broke to see two more shows. I wanted to ensure I saw the largest geode in the world before it left. In my defense, I did see only the back of the rock when I visited the J.O.G.S. last week and it does look just like some large ugly rock from that view.

Today, we entered from a different lot with a view of the front side. The inside is beautiful! The cavity is large enough that a person could sleep comfortably (except the points) inside. The show was closing down. We picked up a few last-minute deals.


The Native American Show was much more enjoyable. Clint caught sight of a Mother Drum and this mask on a skull head while I was touring the crafts. We're curious if they'll be using it tomorrow for the ceremonial Welcome dance.

The quality of the items were magnificent and I loved visiting with the artists that created the items. I watched one gentleman as he was working on a beaded baby jaguar's head the size of a man's fist. Each tiny bead was precisely placed on what looked like a cardboard frame with no markings of any kind. The artist decided where to place the beads as he worked. We'll be returning tomorrow to see the finished product and to watch the Apache Dance.

This picture is an internet sample of the type of work being done. The artist's work is much more beautifully designed than this one.

I visited a while with a woman who makes beautiful pillows. She lives within a mile of where the RV's parked. Rosenta shared a couple of funny stories, a little of her history, and her shopping trip to the Garment Shows in LA.

We finished our evening listening to a recording of a workshop our friends left with us. Very informative and helped me feel like I was still part of home.

Personal: Many messages on sharing my wisdom with others.