Chatty Goes South...again
Chatty is taking another brief trip to southern Arizona, and she is very excited!
Last time, she visited Tombstone and Bisbee.
This time, she is concentrating on Tucson, and some of the fun things to do around there.
Her good friend Book Girl has agreed to come along for the ride.
Because time is limited (2½ days, 2 nights), Chatty has had to curb her enthusiasm and keep it to what can realistically be enjoyed in that amount of time with real appreciation - instead of just flying from one place to another.
It’s tough, because there are so many things to choose from.
A major possibility is DeGrazia's Gallery of the Sun.
Chatty has always loved DeGrazia’s work. She supposes that some might find his art cutesy, but Chatty doesn’t feel that way - because it was his life-long love of the Indians of the Southwestern United States that inspired his work - simple though it may seem to some. His little compound is lovely – he even built a chapel there, and painted angels all over the walls inside. Chatty visited it once, long ago - when her aunt and uncle were kind enough to take her there - and she has always wanted to go back.
She also wants to visit the famous Tucson Mineral and Gem World, because she is on a mission to find lovely cabochons - at a fair price - for her beaded cabochon necklaces.
On the way home, she hopes to visit Biosphere 2, located in Oracle, AZ. Chatty has long been fascinated by the whole “Biosphere” experiment, and although it ended quite some time ago, the Biosphere is still a research facility, and now – they give TOURS! Originally, one could only go to a “look-out platform” outside and peer into the facility, where scientists were trying to live and do research in a completely isolated environment – growing their own food, reclaiming water for drinking, etc. But now, they have guided tours of most of the facility (all parts that are not actively involved in the research that is being done there) - including a man-made rain forest.
Chatty is also very excited about going to two great vegetarian restaurants she has heard about. One is called "Golinda’s" and the other is "Lovin’ Spoonfuls". Book Girl is a COMPLETE vegetarian. Chatty is not quite as adamant - because she still eats fish sometimes – but suffice it to say that we are both completely jazzed about finding two such highly-recommended vegetarian restaurants within a few miles of the place we are staying.
Speaking of which - we are staying at a beautiful golf resort in a 2-bedroom suite - with a kitchen, living room, and two baths. Chatty has not played golf in years - and won’t be doing so on her trip - but the place has all sorts of other amenities, including a giant pool and a spa – both of which are calling to Chatty!
If you're happy and you know it - clap your hands!! This visit may be short, but it will definitely be sweet!
The Wiz is staying home with “the girls” (Fluffy, Cleo and Toot), and is looking forward to time alone to work on his new (well, new to him) baby – a 1986 Honda CT110 Trail Bike.
The Wiz swears that once the new carburetor arrives and he has the bike up and running, it is so simple to maneuver that even Chatty will be able to ride it.
Permit Chatty to doubt…because Chatty can barely stay on a “regular” bike if it has more than three speeds. And let us remember that changing gears on a regular bike is done from the handlebars - whereas this trail bike has gears that must be changed with one’s foot or one’s TOES. Yeah, sounds easy peasy…did Chatty mention that she also has two left feet?
Chatty will be gone from Wednesday until Friday evening, so no new posts until the weekend, when presumably Chatty will have something to report - and will also play her first "Wordzzle" - a writing game she found out about by reading Jay's blog. This game is a little writing exercise brought to us by Raven, of Views from Raven's Nest - and it looks to be both stimulating to a writer's soul, and lots of fun!
Until we meet again…Happy Trails.
UPDATE:
Ummmm...up above in this post, Chatty was saying that the spa was calling to her, and it was! But, she was talking about the (presumed) jacuzzi by the pool - not the "spa" mentioned at the Starr Pass website - because out of curiousity, Chatty just checked out what THEY mean by "spa" - as opposed to what SHE thinks of as a spa (Chatty was thinking a hot tub near the swimming pool) - and at those prices, Chatty would have to be insane to use their services! Happily, Chatty is not insane (at least, not when it comes to throwing money away), so rest assured she will not darken the doors of the place where they give "treatments". HOLY COW - $150 for a massage?
Of course, Chatty is WAY out of the loop when it comes to pricing massages - having never had one. Maybe that price is downright reasonable to most - just not to Chatty! If Chatty feels the need to be massaged, she will let Fluffy, Cleo and Toot walk around on her back when she gets home. Heck - they do that all the time anyway - and they never charge for it. Well, OK - Toot demands a dog biscuit, but still - it's a fair price...considering that Chatty gets Cleo's and Fluffy's attentions for free...at least until Toot decides to unionize...Chatty saw her little paws reaching for "Norma Rae" just the other day - but is counting on the fact that Toot probably won't be able to fire up her cohorts any time soon - because thankfully she lacks the opposable thumbs necessary to manipulate a videotape machine...
In a while, crocodiles!
Last time, she visited Tombstone and Bisbee.
This time, she is concentrating on Tucson, and some of the fun things to do around there.
Her good friend Book Girl has agreed to come along for the ride.
Because time is limited (2½ days, 2 nights), Chatty has had to curb her enthusiasm and keep it to what can realistically be enjoyed in that amount of time with real appreciation - instead of just flying from one place to another.
It’s tough, because there are so many things to choose from.
A major possibility is DeGrazia's Gallery of the Sun.
Chatty has always loved DeGrazia’s work. She supposes that some might find his art cutesy, but Chatty doesn’t feel that way - because it was his life-long love of the Indians of the Southwestern United States that inspired his work - simple though it may seem to some. His little compound is lovely – he even built a chapel there, and painted angels all over the walls inside. Chatty visited it once, long ago - when her aunt and uncle were kind enough to take her there - and she has always wanted to go back.
She also wants to visit the famous Tucson Mineral and Gem World, because she is on a mission to find lovely cabochons - at a fair price - for her beaded cabochon necklaces.
On the way home, she hopes to visit Biosphere 2, located in Oracle, AZ. Chatty has long been fascinated by the whole “Biosphere” experiment, and although it ended quite some time ago, the Biosphere is still a research facility, and now – they give TOURS! Originally, one could only go to a “look-out platform” outside and peer into the facility, where scientists were trying to live and do research in a completely isolated environment – growing their own food, reclaiming water for drinking, etc. But now, they have guided tours of most of the facility (all parts that are not actively involved in the research that is being done there) - including a man-made rain forest.
Chatty is also very excited about going to two great vegetarian restaurants she has heard about. One is called "Golinda’s" and the other is "Lovin’ Spoonfuls". Book Girl is a COMPLETE vegetarian. Chatty is not quite as adamant - because she still eats fish sometimes – but suffice it to say that we are both completely jazzed about finding two such highly-recommended vegetarian restaurants within a few miles of the place we are staying.
Speaking of which - we are staying at a beautiful golf resort in a 2-bedroom suite - with a kitchen, living room, and two baths. Chatty has not played golf in years - and won’t be doing so on her trip - but the place has all sorts of other amenities, including a giant pool and a spa – both of which are calling to Chatty!
If you're happy and you know it - clap your hands!! This visit may be short, but it will definitely be sweet!
The Wiz is staying home with “the girls” (Fluffy, Cleo and Toot), and is looking forward to time alone to work on his new (well, new to him) baby – a 1986 Honda CT110 Trail Bike.
The Wiz swears that once the new carburetor arrives and he has the bike up and running, it is so simple to maneuver that even Chatty will be able to ride it.
Permit Chatty to doubt…because Chatty can barely stay on a “regular” bike if it has more than three speeds. And let us remember that changing gears on a regular bike is done from the handlebars - whereas this trail bike has gears that must be changed with one’s foot or one’s TOES. Yeah, sounds easy peasy…did Chatty mention that she also has two left feet?
Chatty will be gone from Wednesday until Friday evening, so no new posts until the weekend, when presumably Chatty will have something to report - and will also play her first "Wordzzle" - a writing game she found out about by reading Jay's blog. This game is a little writing exercise brought to us by Raven, of Views from Raven's Nest - and it looks to be both stimulating to a writer's soul, and lots of fun!
Until we meet again…Happy Trails.
UPDATE:
Ummmm...up above in this post, Chatty was saying that the spa was calling to her, and it was! But, she was talking about the (presumed) jacuzzi by the pool - not the "spa" mentioned at the Starr Pass website - because out of curiousity, Chatty just checked out what THEY mean by "spa" - as opposed to what SHE thinks of as a spa (Chatty was thinking a hot tub near the swimming pool) - and at those prices, Chatty would have to be insane to use their services! Happily, Chatty is not insane (at least, not when it comes to throwing money away), so rest assured she will not darken the doors of the place where they give "treatments". HOLY COW - $150 for a massage?
Of course, Chatty is WAY out of the loop when it comes to pricing massages - having never had one. Maybe that price is downright reasonable to most - just not to Chatty! If Chatty feels the need to be massaged, she will let Fluffy, Cleo and Toot walk around on her back when she gets home. Heck - they do that all the time anyway - and they never charge for it. Well, OK - Toot demands a dog biscuit, but still - it's a fair price...considering that Chatty gets Cleo's and Fluffy's attentions for free...at least until Toot decides to unionize...Chatty saw her little paws reaching for "Norma Rae" just the other day - but is counting on the fact that Toot probably won't be able to fire up her cohorts any time soon - because thankfully she lacks the opposable thumbs necessary to manipulate a videotape machine...
In a while, crocodiles!
Not cutesy at all!
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My dad lives in Tucson (out toward Oracle), and we visited there a few years back. I took the kids out to Biosphere 2 and we all enjoyed it, even though it was SNOWING in the middle of March!! (So much for Spring break in Arizona...) However, I did not know that DeGrazia's Gallery was there; I love his work!
On the annual "Girls Gone Mild" weekend this spring, we drove over to the local resort to patronize the spa. I recall a choice of massages (facial, hot stone, etc.) all seriously under $100. It was a big splurge, but when your weekend mascot is a rubber chicken, it's best to get a massage and go wine tasting!
I hope you have a WONDERFUL weekend! I can hardly wait to see the new cabochons and your plans for them!
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Kcinnova - any group with a rubber chicken for a mascot has my vote.
And, thanks to all for agreeing with me that DeGrazia is NOT cutesy. I get SO tired of hearing that! I think it's sour grapes because he is one of the most "reproduced" artists in the world. Apparently, once you've had your own calendars and cookbook, you aren't a "real" artist anymore. People are such snobs. *sigh* I think art available to one and all is a GOOD thing!
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Gallery of the Sun?! Boisphere!? I wanna go on vaca with Chatty! Hope you have fun, and take LOTS OF photos~
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Hope you're having a great time. The hotel looks fab-o, and I love staying in a place with a kitchen, living room, etc. It's like playing house.
Oh, and about 10 blocks from here, I know one can have a lot more things done to them for $150.
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Have fun, take lots of pictures!
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