Recently Jiles book News of the World has gained popularity again, due to the movie starring Tom Hanks. I am actually reading News of the World now. But before I started it, I read Jiles more recent book, Simon the Fiddler. Here is my book review Simon the Fiddler.
If you have read News of the World, then you have already met Simon. He appears in that book as well. Jiles has said that in writing News of the World she became captivated with the idea of Simon and so pursued a novel just about him. I’m glad she did.
We meet Simon in 1865 as the long Civil War is coming to a close and the “United” States is in turmoil. Simon has managed to stay out of the war through out most of it, but as the Confederates are surrendering, Simon is conscripted into a regimental band.
Simon meets three other musicians and they are commissioned to play for officers of both sides of the war at an elegant party. Here is when Simon will first lay his eyes on his future – the beautiful young, indentured governess Doris Dillon from Ireland.
Jiles “spare and lilting” style takes the reader right into the Texas heat, the musicians pain, the indentured servants turmoil and the post-civil war chaos. It’s a exquisitely written page turner as we root for Simon and Doris and fear for them as well. I hope you enjoyed my book review Simon the Fiddler by Paulette Jiles
We spent two fabulous weeks exploring and getting to know the high desert area of Tucson Arizona. It was unexpected. I loved pretty much everything about it and I will definitely come back next winter. In fact, I really think I could spend several months a year in this lovely town, surrounded by nature. Here are the things I loved the most, the nine things to do in Tucson Arizona.
Organ Pipe Cactus
Saguaro National Park
Saguaro National Park
Saguaro National Park
You must spend time in this remarkable place. It is not the biggest national park, or the most diverse, but it is indeed a gem. Saguaro National Park offers hikes for people of all capacities from nature walks (wheelchair accessible) to multi-day excursions. We enjoyed all of the hikes we did, short and long, and especially the unique desert plants. Saguaro National Park.
Sabino Canyon National Forest
Sabino Canyon
Sabino Canyon
This is where we enjoyed my favorite hike during our visit, called Phone Line Trail. We hiked more than nine miles on this trail, that cuts across the side of a mountain with spectacular views. But you don’t need to be able to hike that distance to enjoy Sabino Canyon. A National Forest Service tram provides transportation into the canyon. You can walk a portion of the canyon, and then catch the tram at your leisure. Sabino Canyon.
Arizona Sonora Desert Museum
Arizona Sonora Desert Museum
Arizona Sonora Desert Museum
I always love learning about the local flora and fauna and the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum is one of the finest of this kind of museum I have ever seen. Acres of desert flora are marked with interpretive and interactive signage. Indoor exhibits of reptiles, birds, and a replica of an underground cave give visitors a up close look at desert life. The museum also is home to a mountain lion, bear, wolves and javelina. Don’t miss this wonderful place. Arizona Sonora Desert Museum
Tucson Botanical Garden
Tucson Botanical Gardens
Tucson Botanical Gardens
This historic site was once home to the Porter Family, a leading Tucson family in the landscaping business. The property has been home to the Tucson Botanical Garden since 1974. Beautiful gardens offer a wonderful look at desert plants from aloe to cactus including an herb garden, butterfly garden and pollinator garden. Definitely worth a visit. Tucson Botanical Garden
The Barrio Viejo
Barrio Viejo
Barrio Viejo
This historic neighborhood was once home to to Tucson’s working class, immigrants from Mexico, Central America, Africa, Asia and Europe. The adobe homes were built in the 1800’s as Tucson grew in agriculture and as a crossroads in the Southwest.
Unfortunately many of the old buildings were bulldozed during Tucson’s “revitalization” period when the new convention center was built. Today, the remaining homes are becoming popular to purchase and restore and a walk through these neighborhoods offers a peek into Tucson’s history as well as a colorful opportunity for photographers. Barrio Viejo.
The Tucson Museum of Art
Tucson Museum of Art
Tucson Museum of Art
As we were walking around Tucson we noticed the Tucson Museum of Art was offering a special exhibit of the works of the Wyeth Family. My husband and I both love the work of Andrew Wyeth so we thought we should check it out. The beautiful museum is right in the center of Tucson in a newish building that is attached to one of the most historic homes of Tucson.
The $12 entrance fees seemed very reasonable and we not only enjoyed the Wyeth Family exhibit, but wandered through all the permanent exhibits of the museum. Well worth a couple of hours when visiting Tucson. Tucson Museum of Art
San Xavier del Bac Mission
San Xavier del Bac Mission
San Xavier del Bac Mission
A truly unexpected beauty of a mission rises up out of the desert like a white beacon about ten miles outside of Tucson. This National Historic Landmark, San Xavier Mission was founded as a Catholic mission by Father Eusebio Kino in 1692. Construction of the current church began in 1783 and was completed in 1797. Entrance is free and it is definitely worth checking it out. Very beautiful. San Xavier del Bac Mission.
Walking Tour Historic Tucson – Presido Trail
From the original Presidio in historic Tucson you can easily walk in any direction to multiple buildings and sites of historic significance. Throughout this walk you will also find numerous historic markers interpreting the unique and interesting history of Tucson. Tucson is home to several sites on the National Historic Register. It’s an easy walk (flat) for just about anyone and worth an hour or more depending on your interest. Presidio Walking Trail
Historic Congress Hotel
Historic Tain Depot
Mount Lemmon
Mount Lemmon
Mount Lemmon
On one of the colder days during our visit we drove up Mount Lemmon all the way to where the road ends. This drive offers spectacular views as well as some hiking options. Worth a half a day to see how the landscape changes from saguaro to pines. Beautiful. Mount Lemmon
Thanks Tucson
There you go, nine things to do in Tucson Arizona. Throughout the area there are several places designed to show visitors what the old west was like, but they aren’t authentic and I usually shy away from such things. But if you are interested to learn more about the wider variety of things to see and do in this remarkable region of Arizona at Visit Tucson. There are certainly more than nine things to do in Tucson Arizona…but this will give you a start.
We will definitely be back. Thanks Tucson. We loved you.
One of my favorite books I read over the past few years was a little known book called Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier. I really enjoyed that book, as well as her most well-known book The Girl With the Pearl Earring. So when The Lady and the Unicorn popped up on my Kindle recommendations I thought I would give it a try. Here is my book review The Lady and the Unicorn by Tracy Chevalier.
Chevalier consistently writes books about strong female characters who challenge the constraints women endured in the past. In The Lady and the Unicorn, Chevalier’s brilliant research about one of today’s greatest masterpieces, combines with her imagination to create The Lady and the Unicorn.
We are transported to Paris and Belgium in 1490, where a French nobleman commissions tapestries to elevate himself in the eyes of the French Court. We meet artist Nicholas des Innocents who creates the paintings the tapestries will be based on. We meet Georges de la Chappelle whose family will risk everything to weave the tapestries. And throughout this story we meet women and young girls who, behind the scenes play a remarkable role in the story that unfolds in the tapestry…the story of the Lady and the Unicorn.
I love well written novels about this time period and Chevalier never disappoints. I learned amazing information about what it took in that period to create such tapestries. And as in all Chevalier’s novels, the underlying story of the women captivated me.
By the way, the medieval tapestries, now restored, can be seen in the Cluny Museum in Paris. My next visit to the City of Lights will include a visit to the The Lady and the Unicorn. I hope you enjoyed my book review The Lady and the Unicorn by Tracy Chevalier.
There is a wide variety of activities to enjoy while visiting Tucson Arizona, without ever leaving town. But if you have the time, make your way south for some colorful history and fun. Enjoy Tubac, Bisbee, Tombstone Day Trip from Tucson.
Tubac
Any of these three destinations could also be an overnight destination, but we left Tucson around 8 am and headed first to Tubac. About an hour and half drive to the tiny historic town, known for its historic presidio (fort in Spanish). The seven dollar entrance fee is well worth it to explore the presidio and learn about its history, which began in 1691 as a small Spanish Mission. The presidio served the Spanish, the Mexicans and even the Apache over the generations. Today it is an Arizona State Park.
Southwest style pottery in Tubac
Tubac is also a great destination for acquiring lovely Southwest pottery, glass and metal art. We spent about two hours total in Tubac (if shopping, you could easily spend more), including breakfast at the Stables Ranch and Grill, on the grounds of the Tubac Golf Resort. The resort is located on a 400 year old Spanish farm and ranch.
Our Tubac, Bisbee, Tombstone Day Trip from Tucson continued as we drove almost two hours to Bisbee. The two lane road, and eventually a highway wind south nearly to the Mexican border before heading east through endless grass lands with mountain ranges distant. A beautiful drive.
There are three main areas to explore in Bisbee. First are the open pit mines, a giant scar on the earth from the copper and silver mining that ruled this region for decades. Today there is no mining but you can take a tour of the mines. If you don’t want to take a tour you can just stand on the edge of the pit and be amazed at the devastation.
Pit mine, Bisbee
Near by is the former town of Lowell, which has been incorporated into Bisbee. Most of the town of Lowell was swallowed up when the Lavender Pit Mine was expanded, leaving only Erie Street intact. Businesses on Erie Street struggled to survive with few residents left. Today, preservationists keep Erie colorful for tourists, even though only one business remains open. It lives up to it’s name as an eerie mining ghost town.
Erie Street, Lowell Arizona
Old Bisbee, also hit by hard times, still offers a colorful and historic story of small town mining life with several museums and a historic hotel in the middle of town. Built on the side of a mountain, surveying the town requires climbing stairs, but the views are worth it. Quaint and quirky Bisbee is worth two hours, and more if you take the mine tour. Stop for a beer at the Bisbee Brewing Company.
The most famous of these three towns was actually my least favorite, although I am glad we stopped. The historic old town of Tombstone, site of the infamous shootout at the OK Coral, is now a very touristy destination. But much of the old town remains, and local lore draws thousands of visitors to witness the “shootout” re-enactment several times a day at multiple locations.
Tombstone
The OK Corral is a Historical Landmark and the Tombstone Courthouse is a State Historical Park. Stagecoach rides through town are popular, and costumed characters wander about. Souvenir shops and restaurants occupy the remaining old west buildings. We recommend a meal at Big Nose Kate’s with excellent live music and the movie Tombstone on continuously on the big screen.
An hour is enough in Tombstone, unless you plan to do the 45 minute “shootout” show (there is a shorter option too) or plan to do a lot of shopping.
Your Tubac, Bisbee, Tombstone day trip from Tucson ends with a one hour drive back to Tucson; we were back a little after 5:00 PM. A very enjoyable day trip if you have the time when visiting Tucson – a city filled with history, scenery, recreation and more.
This is a book about mental illness. But don’t let that scare you away. Because honestly we all should make an effort to better understand what mental illness is. And thanks to the brilliant, and often comical writing of Binny Kirshenbaum, Rabbits for Food helps us learn. Here is my book review Rabbits for Food by Binny Kirshenbaum.
Rabbits for Food follows the life of a clinicallly depressed, admittedly outcast, outspoken and witty New York writer Bunny. Bunny has known she was “different” and unloved throughout most of her life, raised in a family who didn’t understand and didn’t care about the demons she harbored.
On New Years Eve at a dinner party with “friends”, Bunny becomes unhinged and lands in a prestigious New York mental institution. She refuses to take any treatment, and instead befriends a handful of other “loonies” who help her see she is not alone. As her own personal therapy she begins to write – pages and pages- about the facility and the variety of people living and dyeing there.
It’s not a happy book in any way, despite some comic relief. But is it is a brutally honest look at one woman’s lifelong struggle, the institutionalized, and the revolving door of mental health services in America. I hope you enjoyed my book review of Rabbits for Food by Binny Kirshenbaum.
****Four stars for Rabbits for Food by Binny Kirshenbaum
Why have I not been here before? Of all the traveling we have done, somehow this place has eluded me. And here is the silver lining of the PanDamit…my travels are now focused on my home country of the United States. And I have discovered Sensational Sedona.
Cathedral Rock
We had six days to explore Sensational Sedona. We kept very busy, and could easily have stayed longer. So of course we will come back. March is a good time to visit, although it was busy with families due to Arizona spring break. But if I return I’ll come during the quieter off season times, such as October and November or January and February.
Bell Rock
Bell Rock
Church of the Holy Cross
Mother Nature’s Masterpiece
At 4000 foot elevation you can see a wide variety of weather in March. And we did. During our six day visit we saw temperatures as low as 28 degrees Fahrenheit and as high as 72. And one morning we woke up to three inches of snow…which melted by midday.
Baldwin Trail
We’ve seen a lot of Arizona on previous road trips. I’ve visited the Phoenix and Scottsdale area several times, including all the surrounding communities. I imagined Sedona would be similar with the brown desert colors. Wow was I wrong. Sedona is Mother Nature’s masterpiece. She has created an artists pallet of red, green, orange, buff, gold, gray and blue. She was showing off a bit when she made this place. Sensational Sedona.
Devils Bridge Trail
Airport Mesa Loop Trail
Cathedral Rock Trail
We came to hike. And we did. Nearly every day. Yet we hardly touched the surface of the immense number of hikes available in the area. We climbed rocks, traversed valleys, forded streams and stood in awe of the magnificent views all around. There is no place like it that I have ever been…and here it is right in my own back yard. I can’t find enough adjectives to express all that this place makes me feel. Energized, astonished, inspired. It is breathtaking, magnificent, sumptuous. Sensational Sedona.
Hot Air Balloon at dawn from Chuckwagon Trail
Baldwin Trail
Golfing at Sedona Golf Resort
Devils Bridge view
Sacred Sedona
People come here not just to hike, although that is the most popular activity. But many people come here because they believe Sedona is sacred. And more than sacred, they believe this place has a gravitational pull that creates energy and strength. I may not believe all of this but it’s easy to see how this place can affect people this way…create a spirit, a vision, a passion for the earth. I can’t deny it is magical. Sensational Sedona.
And so we have been baptized to the wonders of Sedona. And we will never be the same. I can’t wait to come back and experience it all again. Sensational Sedona.
This book. This character. Holy Cow. There has never been a character like Olive Kitteridge in literature history. I enjoyed this book just as much as the first book Olive Kitteridge, and didn’t want it to end. Here is my book review Olive Again by Elizabeth Stout.
It’s hard to describe the plot of this book…but there are so many adjectives to describe Olive herself. Cranky, cantankerous, outspoken, rude. But she is also empathetic, insightful, kind and sad. All of these things make up this astonishing character who you can’t help falling in love with.
In Olive Again, we find Olive dealing with her aging body, and end of life issues with the same honest and sometimes bewildering approach she had in the first book. Alone and nearly friendless Olive searches for peace of mind while trying to understand all that has happened in her 80 plus year life.
She is a character for the ages and this book will pull at your heartstrings and make you think of your own parents and your own life. Stout is a brilliant writer and Olive is my favorite of all time.
The kind of book you won’t be able to stop thinking about when you close it for the last time.
*****Five stars for Olive Again by Elizabeth Stout
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