A sheet metal worker quiety assembled specimens of minerals during his lifetime as an avocation, and donated the extensive mineral collection to the University of Arizona.  Hubert C. Monmonier was instrumental in putting the Arizona Mineral Museum on the international platform, donating a collection conservatively valued at eight million dollars, according to Mark Candee, curatorial museum specialist.

One of the top five mineral museums in the world is located on the campus of the University of Arizona in Tucson at the Flandrau Science Center on the lower level.  The Mineral Museum is 115 years young and originally was housed in the Geo-Science and engineering buildings.  It was originally established to showcase the minerals from Arizona, also known as the copper state.  More than 2500 pieces of minerals are currently on display.

The Museum is a research museum and has an extensive database with the DNA of thousands of minerals.  Technology today is such that an ruby from Burma  can be distinguished from an ruby  from India or South Carolina, Candee said.  The University of Arizona has one of the best labs in the world for identification and ten to fifteen new minerals are identified each year.  The Museum works in conjunction with the space program in an effort to determine the DNA of “space materials”. 

The best minerals from Bisbee and part of the private collection from the Graham Family will be on exhibit for six months beginning February 6. Additional minerals from the Smithsonian will also be displayed.  American Indian jewelery, made with local minerals, are also on exhibit.

 Minerals in today’s economy are definitely not loosing their value, Candee said.  All one has to do is look at the price of gold, silver, and platinum.  Those may be the most popular investment minerals for the general public, but people who know minerals invest in them for capital appreciation as well as their beauty. 

Rare and amazing minerals are on display at the Museum and for those lay people, wandering around the Gem and Mineral show, with eyes open, will provide a brief on the multitudes of minerals, their colors, facets, and pricing. 

A trip to the Mineral Museum on the UofA campus may be in order after touring the show, as well as spending time at the Main Show February 11 - 14 at the Tucson Convention Center. The theme is “Gems and Minerals”., verry appropriate!

of A Mineral Museum:     http://www.uamineralmuseum.org/gallery/

Tucson Gem and Mineral Society:            http://www.tgms.org/tgms.htm

More than 100,000 people who sell or trade gems and minerals have begun descending upon Tucson for the world’s largest Gem and Mineral show. 

With more than 6,000 dealers spread throughout the city, Tucson will become a mecca for the international world to examine specimens, gemstones, and jewelry.  It has been called “the swap meet to millionaires and billionaires, those connoisseurs of minerals” by Mark Candee, curatorial specialist at the  University of Arizona Mineral Museum.

There will be 44 shows ongoing in Tucson motels and hotels, and tents are now going up to house the huge shows such as the shows off of I-10 on the Frontage Road, the Tucson Electric Park show, and the show off of Palo Verde called the Holodome. 

This show began 56 years ago in a Quonset hut at the Rodeo Fairgrounds and has grown to become vast contributor to Tucson’s economy,  bringing  more than 150 million into local  business coffers.  “It is our Christmas” said Candee. 

The original show with 10 to 12 dealers was put on by a volunteer organization to showcase mining and minerals from the Bisbee-Tombstone area.  Since then, internationally renown museums and private collectors vie for the privilege of being represented at the “Main Show” , held at the Tucson Convention Center downtown, February 11 through 14.

 Many shows are “wholesale only” and appropriate documentation must be shown including tax exempt status information.  Gemologists and jewelers from throughout six continents converge on these shows to purchase millions of dollars in gems and minerals for their respective companies, such as Tiffany’s.

But the general public can attend many shows - and if a person began the first day and tried to see every show within the three week period, looking ten hours a day, that person would not see everything!  Tailgate shows spring up throughout the city, and locals feel that electrical excitement when gem show comes to town, 

Shuttle services are avaialbe throughout town transporting people from one show to another which helps with traffic movement.  The Tucson Convention and Visitor’s Bureau can answer many questions about the Gem Show.  Googling “Tucson Gem and Mineral Show” brings up a myriad of websites.

Perhaps the highest compliement paid is that Munich Show in Germany, which is Europe’s largest show, strives to be known as “The Tucson Show of Europe”.

Resources:

The Official Guide to the Main Show :   http://www.tgms.org/

The Tucson Show Guide:    http://www.tucsonshowguide.com/tsg/

The Pueblo Show:  http://pueblogemshow.com/

JOGS Show:     http://www.jogsshow.com/

Gem and Mineral Show You Tube Videos:  http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Tucson+Gem+and+Mineral+Show&FORM=VDRE#

The Ritz Carlton Dove Mountain has opened its doors and vies as another world class establishment.  Situated against the Tortolita Mountains in Dove Mountain, the hotel picks its colors from the Sonora Desert and the Southwest.

The Ritz Carlton is located north of  the Gallery, for which Accenture Match Play is famous.  The Accenture Golf Classic pits the best golfers in the world against each other and is an international draw for golfing afficianados.  Now golfers will have a world class place in which to hob nob about the tournament and the course designed by Jack Nicklaus, and the course played by Ritz Carlton guests.

Only a little more than seven miles east of I-10 off of Tangerine and north on Dove Mountain Boulevard, the ride to the Ritz Carlton meanders up Dove Mountain, past new master planned communities, and rises into a land of saguaros, a signature of the Sonora Desert.  Nearly to the end of Dove Mountain Boulevard is the turnoff to the Ritz Carlton, and one climbs further into the moutain, past the guard gate.  The land is pristine, craggy with rock formations and typical Sonora Desert vegetation providing green contrasts of sage, cacti, deset marigold,  brittle bush, and creosote.

The hotel has several patios which face the mountains, and the main lobby glass window fronts to the mountains, providing  a spectacular view of mountainous desert scenery.  It is not a contradiction that the mountains are in the desert.   The Sonora Desert is not like the Gobi or Sahara; a living green desert is often its moniker.

Situated so one can go out at night and overlook the city lights of Tucson, or stand at the entrance to the hotel and watch a spectacular sunset, the Ritz Carlton has left as much of the desert natural as possible; therefore the resort can offer adventures in hiking and bking many resorts, not attuned to the environment, cannot.   The normal resort ammenties are also available; pools, exercise rooms,  golfing, and of course a full service spa for ultimate pampering.

Unlike a city property, there are acres and acres to explore.  Not only are there rooms and suites, but there are also casitas available for those guests who would like to stay for longer periods of time.  Locals can enjoy breakfast and the scenery, or a leisurely lunch with friends on the patio, or for those who want a night on the town, dinner is scrumptious.

We welcome another world class establishment!   Salude to the Dove Mountain Ritz Carlton!  May you live long and prosper!

My friend Jennie and I went to an early dinner last night at Texas Roadhouse to celebrate the end of 2009. By all signs, 2009 was not the best year.  We both bogged down in all the economic jargon, the poor real estate market, the March dive of the stock market, the rhetoric of another “Great Depresssion,” and the profound sadness of people losing homes while we worked harder to try and accomplish loan modifications and/or short sales. 

What better way to drown these sorrows than in a huge baked potato swimming in sour cream and butter?  And a little steak as a side dish.  It signified the year…soft, mushy, without much substance, but full of caloric content with which to burden us further (with fat).

After that metaphor, I looked to 2010…the new year, the new decade, the new moon, the blue moon.  What could be more prophetic of a fabulous new year?  And so I count my blessings, of which there is an abundance, and write in my gratitude journal every morning, so grateful I live here.

How fortunate I am to live in beautiful Tucson, Arizona.  For anyone with resolutions, this is the place to be!  The temperature today is in the low 70’s, sunny, warm, perfect weather for a great hike into the Tucson Mountains or any surrounding trail.  Perhaps a trip to Sabino Canyon is in order, or a ride up the Catalina Highway to 8,000 feet above sea level into the pines and perhaps a bit of snow to Mount Lemmon.  Or take the children for a beautiful day at Sonora Desert Museum and marvel at all the life which abounds in the here in the desert.

Of course many people resolve during the new year to get fit, to loose weight, to become less sedentary… and if that is on your agenda, Tucson is your place!  The city has lots of walkways which are flat and many have rest benches along the pathway.  I have heard people say they were never so healthy as when they lived in Tucson! 

The vitamin D is abundant…necessary for strong bones…and Tucson is a bike friendly city.  In fact, Lance Armstrong was just here with his team practicing…and we are home to the internationally famous El Tour de Tucson.  There are lots of three wheelers out there which provide better exercise than a golf cart and recumbent bikes are becoming more popular.

So making the calculation of 3500 calories equals one pound, I figure I could loose 50 pounds this year if I use Tucson’s natural resources and walk one hour a day…up and down the Greasewood path or wherever, all while enjoying the changing scenery from winter, spring, summer, and fall. 

 I could start a new diet called “Move to Tucson and Loose 50 pounds in a year!”  Just follow these easy directions … “and wait…there’s more!  Sunshine included at no cost to you!  Beautiful mountain views and if you act now, we’ll even give you better health and flexibility!”  Now who could go wrong with that?

So long 2009!  So long baked potato swimming with sour cream and butter…Hello 2010!  I welcome you with open arms and gratitude!  And now, I bid adieu to see what’s new along the Greaswood path, soak up some Vitamin D, and get rid of at least 300 calories of that decadent baked potato!

   Johnny Depp as John Dillinger and “Public Enemies” is a hot box office success.   At the beginning of the year,  the pols warned us of the vicissitudes of The Great Depression, revisited, the very event which made John Dillinger a darling amongst the populace   So although times are not similar, the mindset is right for a great gansta’ flick.

   “The Jackrabbit” took the rap for many bankers who allegedly embezzled funds from their institutions and who almost welcomed the shoot ‘em up, hold ‘em up robberies since  the  stickups covered the tracks of the crooked bankers.   Dillinger and his gang criss crossed the Illinois,  Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio areas eluding law enforcement  while “borrowing” fast cars, stealing ammunition, and stockpiling their dwindling supplies of cash with another job for loot.

     Needing to cool off and lay low, the men headed south.   Alan May and Marilyn Bardsley weave a great tale…   http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/gangsters_outlaws/outlaws/dillinger/6.html   and clicking on the link is well worth the effort!   Let them tell the story.

    But Dallas Scott, the Front Desk Clerk at the Hotel Congress and a Certified Tucson Tourism Ambassador, explains there was a fire in the basement of the Hotel Congress in January 1934, which licked up the elevator shaft and to the third floor.    Dillinger had not arrived back in Tucson with Billie Frenchette, his all time love, but was due that afternoon.  

      Charles Makley and “Booby” Clark were guests at the Hotel Congress and had rooms on the third floor.  The men bribed the firemen to go into the room to get two bags, according to Scott.  One bag contained a number of weapons, and the other bag held $24,000.   Dillinger and Billie Frenchette arrived that afternoon.

     However, one of the firemen recognized either Makley or Clark and notified the Tucson’s finest the following day.   Tucson Police apprehended “The Jackrabbit” and his colleagues without a single shot being fired, something even J. Edgar Hoover’s g men could not accomplish!  According to Scott, Dillinger et al  were apprehended on 2nd Avenue.  The third floor of the hotel was never rebuilt because the German couple who owned the hotel did not have the money.

 Each year on January 21, the Hotel Congress holds Dillinger Days where there is an embellished re-enactment of the capture of the American idol gangster, complete with vintage cars, food and music of the 1930’s and where people dress as if they lived during that period.

     The Hotel Congress has not changed much since that time, said Scott.  It tries to keep the ambience of that era.  Located at 311 East Congress in downtown Tucson, the hotel is home to The Cup Restaurant and a hopping lounge which is attractive to University of Arizona college students.   

     One thing the Hotel Congress is not, and that is the red brick building showing in the movie, “Public
Enemies” which brought a contemptuous giggle from the Tucson theater crowd.  

Resources:

http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/gangsters_outlaws/outlaws/dillinger/6.html 

John Dillinger and Tucson Arizona 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Dillinger

Author of “John Dillinger”    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dary_Matera

From the Federal Bureau of Investigation:  http://www.fbi.gov/libref/historic/famcases/dillinger/dillinger.htm

   Tucson summer is here…temps are plus 100 and the humidity has brought monsoon weather.  The dew point has reached 54 for three successive days.    Tucsonians who want a respite from the warm weather often trek to Summerhaven, a small village in the Catalina Mountains at an elevation of about 8,000 feet.   But now that the pie lady is no longer,  going south for wine tastings is another option. 

   Sonoita, Elgin, and Patagonia are cool places, both in the euphemistic term and in the literal term.  At an elevation of about 5,000 feet and within 45 minutes from Tucson,  Sonoita is located off of I-10 traveling west on Naugle Avenue, otherwise known as State Highway 83.  Elgin is to the east of Sonoita about nine miles, and Patagonia is about 12 miles south on Route 82. 

   The three communities are surrounded by mountains and national forests; the Santa Rita Mountains, the Patagonia Mountains, and the Coronado National Forest.  Parker Canyon Lake, a popular recreational areas is to the south of Elgin on Route 83.  Patagonia hosts a word class birding area.

    Gently slopping grassy hills contrast with Tucson’s craggy mountainous rocky terrain.   The topography is dramatically different and one understands immediately how Sonoita became a big horse country area.  The temperatures are cooler because of the elevation and in the winter, dustings of snow are not unknown occurances.

    The amount of rainfall is conducive to wine growing, combined with cool summer nights. Traveling the back roads, grape arbors are a common sight.  Several family owned wineries produce award winning Arizona wines.   A jaunt to Arizona wine country, less than an hour from Tucson, is an interesting, educational and fun Saturday or Sunday excursion.

    Known as the Mountain Empire, these areas also have small cafes and bistros which serve up vittles ranging from Mexican to gourmet, to cowboy.  There are art galleries, gift shops, bookstores, as well as an abundance of bed and breakfasts, including a bed and breakfast where you can also board your horse.

    The Mountain Empire Rotary, the Patagonia Area Business Association and the Sonoita/Elgin Chamber of Commerce offers a Mountain Empire Passport which provides discounts for many of the businesses in the area.  For additional information, contact Charlie Kentnor of Realty Executives at 520-455-5560 or Tom Anderson at 520-250-7205, both of whom can assist in obtaining a passport.

    Take a ride this weekend south…rather than to the Catalinas and enjoy what the Mountain Empire has to offer!

Resources:

http://www.patagoniaaz.com/

   Tucson lies within the Sonoran Desert which extends south to Mexico and westerly to southern California and the Baja Penisula.  Often called a “green desert”, people are surprised that the Sonoran  does not look like miles and miles of sand…the Gobi Desert or the Sahara.   A gem within Tucson is the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.

    The Museum is a delightful place to visit, but plan on at least a morning or afternoon…if you are a trooper, plan for most of the day.  And wear comfy shoes.  I backpack water bottles and quartered oranges and sometimes plan for a late lunch at the restaurant. 

    The Desert Museum is off of Kinney Road on the west side of town.  Crossing Gates Pass, stands of stately beautiful saguaro cactus salute you and when you cross the crest, the sky appears to be more brilliantly blue.  Old time movie goers  will recognize the scenery, the backdrop to many a John Wayne western movie.

    Wandering the paths of the desert museum is a different world.  Climbing through the caves with the replicas of bats is an adventure for young and old;  the huge room with all of the exquisite rock formations…precious and semi-precious gems found in the Sonoran desert, some irridescent and deep gorgeous colors, reminds me I’m in a mining area…famous for copper, silver, and gold.

    Craning necks, people cluster to see the various types of rattlesnakes which inhabit the area as well as a multitude of tiny and not so tiny lizards, and of course the infamous gila monster with which you don’t want to tangle!  Insects and critters occupy one entire building, including the scorpions which have attracted an undeservedly nasty reputation.

    Meandering down the paths are the larger animals, delights to children;  bears, cougars, mountain liions, and the prarie dogs whose antics one can watch and can’t help but smile.  The Sonoran Desert is a birders’ paradise, and hundreds wing their way in the aviaries.  Photographers have a field day focusing  close up shots …including the hummingbird aviary which has more than 17 species.  The javalina and the coyotes are a big draw, just like the roadrunner, local wanderers within Tucson city limits.

       You can walk from the desert floor with the spiny types of cactus, to the top of the Catalinas at an elevation of 8,000 feet plus, to what looks like the pines of Maine, in the exhibit of the flora of the Sonoran Desert.  Some animals migrate up and down the mountains rather than flying south.

     A don’t miss treat, the Arizona- Sonoran Desert Museum is an outstanding collection of all that this Desert presents.  Stopping at the Tucson Convention and Visitors Bureau downtown to purchase a Tucson Passport for $15. will get you into the Desert Museum on a two for one basis as well as many other attractions. 

    Put the Desert Museum on your list of things to do and see and give yourself a treat!

Resources:

Sonoran Desert Museum:

http:  www.desertmuseum.org/

Tucson Convention and Visitor’s Bureau:

http://www.visittucson.org

The Sonoran Desert:

http://www.desertusa.com/du_sonoran.html

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonoran_Desert

     At one point in time, Tucson used to be an ocean and if one digs around enough in the dirt, fossils of marine life can be found.  All one has to do to visualize this great body of water, is hike one of the four mountain ranges and then look down…to this flat valley of sorts, and the body of water suddenly comes to life in one’s imagination.

    Tucson is surrounded by four mountain ranges, all of which provide spectacular hiking experiences!  And the time is now to hike!  The 80 degree days are in hibernation as are the snakes which appear when the thermometer hits the octo numbers.

    To the west is Saguaro National Monument West, home to the Tucson Mountains.  These mountains are not as high as the Catalinas or Rincons, and are more pointed, therefore younger.  But the trails here are numerous and include Wasson Peak, the highest peak in the Tucson Mountains.   We hiked that when the wildflowers were in bloom. 

    We hiked the Sweetwater Trail a year ago and got off the beaten path to find our own enchantments.  Admidst an abundance of saguaros, the rock formations provided a great area to spread out and let the sun kiss our bodies.  We could look out and all of Tucson lay before us.  It was fun to spot the familiar U of A red brick buildings, and the tall buildings of downtown from this perch.   Dressing for hiking requires layering since as the morning wears on, the temperature goes up and off comes one layer.

     The David Yetman Trail is a fun hike and provides a real surprise with the stone house in the middle of nowhere.  It winds up and down and is so beautifully quiet.  One would never know the city is within a few miles.  The blue skies provide a placid background for the birds which wing overhead.  This hike, to me, is more leisurely.

    I haven’t hiked much of the Santa Catalinas except for Sabino Canyon trails which seemed to have a lot of switchbacks.  Of course, I’ve wandered on trails up to Mount Lemmon, but actual hiking, no.  But the Catalinas have lots of good trails and I’ve provided a resource below.  There are mountain lions in the Catalinas as well as bear, so be prepared!

      To the east are the Rincon Mountains, a part of which belong to the Coronado National Forest and the Saguaro National Monument East.  I’ve been to the Loma Alta trailhead and intended to hike that, but never have.  I think I’m just a west side girl!  But the Rincons offer great hiking too! 

   My vast experience with the Santa Ritas is hiking Madera Canyon and after becoming leg weary, nearly slipped into a ravine.  But Mount Wrightstown is there and well deserving of mention since many hikers make that climb.

    For good information about all the wonderful hiking opportunities in the Tucson Area, see Betty Leavengood’s book,  “Tucson Hiking Guide” published by Pruett Publishing Company.   

       Resources:

West Side Map:         http://www.nps.gov/sagu/planyourvisit/upload/Trails%20in%20the%20Tucson%20Mountain%20District.pdf

Wasson Peak:            http://www.localhikes.com/Hikes/Wasson_King_Canyon_8520.asp

http://www.protrails.com/trail.php?trailID=200

Sweetwater Trail:   http://www.localhikes.com/Hikes/SweetwaterTrail_8520.asp

David Yetman Trail:  http://www.localhikes.com/Hikes/YetmanTrail_8520.asp

Santa Catalina Mountains: http://www.cherba.com/atmb/santa_catalina_mtns.htm

Rincon Mountains and Saguaro National Monument West:  http://www.nps.gov/sagu/

Santa Rita Mountains:  http://hikearizona.com/decoder.php?ZTN=1380

Madera Canyon:  http://www.friendsofmaderacanyon.org/TheSkyIslandsandMaderaCanyon.htm

    We all want to save money, and especially when traveling, saving money is an added bonus!   The Tucson Convention and Visitors Bureau has just issued the new PASSPORT,  a mock Passport with two for one savings to various venues within Tucson.

    For anyone coming to Tucson, a stop at the Convention and Visitor’s Bureau on Church Street in the downtown area,  is a must.   The volunteers are extremely knowledgable and the racks are filled with all types of brochures for jeep tours, restaurants, places to stay, dude ranches, theaters, you name it!  Some have coupons attached.

   But by far, the best deal is the Tucson PASSPORT.  There is not a better deal for $15.00.  The Passport contains two for one coupons for the Arts including the Tucson Museum of Art, the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, the Fox Theater, the Arizona Opera, the Arizona Theater Company and more. 

    Old Tucson Studios, where John Wayne made many a movie has a “twofer” in the Family Fun and Shopping Sections.  Tucson Children’s Museum is a delightful and educational place to take children.  Many of the shopping centers have coupons which encourage shoppers to receive a bonus book of coupons for that particular mall, or other types of incentives.

    The rich history of Tucson is also “on sale” with “twofers” to Arizona State Museum, the History Museum, the Mining Museums, and historical places in Tombstone and Bisbee.  And for nature lovers, the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum cannot be missed, nor the Sabino Canyon Recreational area.  T’ohono Chul Park and the Tucson Botanical Gardens are interesting and educational because Tucson gardening is so different than other areas of the country.   People who enjoy gardening should star these stops.

    The Sciences are also represented with tickets to Kitt Peak National Observatory (see Weekend Wanderings September 15), Flandrau Science Center and Planatarium, the Pima Air and Space Museum, a favorite especially for people who like flying, and the Titan Missle Museum.

    Team up the Tucson Passport with the Tucson Entertainment Book which contains coupons for restaurants, rental cars, dry cleaning, and even airline tickets, and you’ll have a winning combination to save money on your fabulous trip to Tucson!   Making your money go twice as far allows you to do twice as many things!

    Information about the Tucson Passport is listed below as is information on how to obtain an Entertainment Book.

Tucson Passport:

http://www.visittucson.org/visitor/attractions/passport/

Tucson Entertainment Book:

http://emol.org/entertainmentbook/tucson.html

http://www.entertainment-savings-offers.com/tucson/book/