October 25, 2023; Sonoran Desert, Sabino Canyon

Sandy and I were up pretty early Sonoran Time, 6:00 AM; 9:00 Ohio time.  I think our bodies are somewhere in between today.  We drove down to Mona’s Danish Pastry Shop.  It was very Danish and very good.  I had a danish, of course, and Sandy a very artistic tart.  One of the things I love about cooking and eating is that it is the only creative outlet that I can think of that appeals to all of the human senses; sight, taste, smell, touch (mouth feel) and sound (the sizzle).  This little pastry shop, run by a family, still speaking with a strong Danish accent, was the perfect example of food as an art. 

We drove back to our digs and walked over to Bev and Jim’s new condominium.  Bev works as a volunteer naturist at the Sabino Canyon Recreation Area where she teaches the children of Tucson about the plants, animals and geology of the desert.  She is also developing an educational guided hike of the Sabino Canyon in which the hikers will learn more extensively about the king of Sonoran Cacti, the majestic saguaro. She was a volunteer today, so Jim drove us over to the recreation area, then the three of us hiked out to where Bev was teaching.  Along the way Jim demonstrated that he, too, knew a great deal about the desert. It was truly a learning experience for us to have him as our personal guide telling us about so much that we were seeing.  I my opinion, there are certainly prettier areas of the world.  There is no getting around the predominant brown colors that make up the scenery and the dry, barren ground seems harsh and unforgiving.  But, this said, there is something about the struggle of the plants and animals to find a way to survive in this environment that I found appealing.  And when looking at the big picture,  the dry soil with the cacti and scrub plants against a back drop of the Catalina Mountains, it is, indeed, a remarkable sight.

After Bev finished teaching her little urchins, we hiked back to the Sabino Canyon visitor center. Along the way, Bev and Jim pointed out many more secrets of the desert and made sure we had a chance to view a remarkable looking "Cristate Saguaro".

Following the hike, we headed off to a local watering hole where we enjoyed some adult beverages and a filling meal.  Late in the evening we found ourselves over at Bev and Jim’s getting caught up on one another’s lives and sharing remembrances of college days.