Sabino Creek

This week has been about celebrating Sabino Canyon and its' natural beauty in Southern Tucson.  Here is a video I put together to finish this blog series.  I always enjoy filming these on location.  Currently, I'm thinking about buying a new video editing program so that I can do more than what I'm able to now.  Little by little.  I got my new camera this past year so the other stuff will have to wait for the moment.  If you come to Tucson, you need to visit Sabino Canyon.  It's a beautiful hike and a great place to take a dip if you get hot.

Here's a weird green shot I got.....strange yet cool.....

More gardening adventures on the way........

Biosphere 2

The Sunset reveals a Secret Rain Forest hidden beyond the Glass Windows

 "This was not a failed experiment!!  If I hear one more person say that...." During an argument in the car before we arrived to the Biosphere, we discussed whether or not the Biosphere was a failed experiment.  I didn't think so but my other half Pat did. It was a rather lengthy chat, but it came to a halt when we were shown a movie and one of the scientists told us, the audience, that it was not a failed experiment.  Both of us laughed outloud enjoying our previous conversation even more.



The Visitor Center



First impressions.  I cannot help but feel saddened by this place.  It was a live thriving experiment that was threatened only several years ago.  It was the talk around town and it was pristine and beautiful.  Today, it is still magnificent, but the rust on the pipes is beginning to show. The place was shut down not so long ago as Columbia University which managed it didn't want the Biosphere anymore.  There was a debate for several months on who or if the place would remain.  Condos were proposed for the area and people felt strongly about leaving it as a research station.  In a bold move forward, the U of A took control of the managment in 2007. The CDO Ranching are partners in the ownership.  Today it has classrooms, conference rooms, and many other things for the public and researchers to use for educational purposes.

The ticket price is 20 dollars for an adult.  Since movies this past year have been so terrible, we felt why not help out the research and learn something new! But seriously...movies have been terrible this year.  Anyhow, the tour lasted for about an hour and a half plus another hour for all the extra stuff around the Biosphere(i.e. the ocean viewing room).  The place is located 1 hour north of downtown Tucson near the small city of Catalina.

Idiot me!  We've all done it.....forgotten the memory card and arrived at the place over an hour away with no store in site. You only hope that the shop has a disposable camera for sale or that they actually sell a memory card!!  Which they didn't.  So I reluctantly purchased the disposable camera and snapped shots I only hoped would turn out.....no macroshots, microshots, inverted shots....just general shots from a distance.  How did we ever live without digital cameras?  I could give up anything in this world but my camera.  It's an extension of who I am and what I am able to do.....I've always loved photography and snapping images of an adventure or lesson randomly taught in the middle nowhere.  The camera equals life. :) Lesson learned.  I'll have extra memory cards in my camera bag. I'll need a lot for Panama with all the video shots and pics!

Now for the fun.  I love the desert.  Please don't misunderstand me.  It's just that when I entered this magical world of plants; I didn't want to leave.....especially the rain forest area.  I was transported to another time and place.  We didn't spend all that much time in this particular biome, but while I was there, I didn't want to leave.  In typical rain forest fashion, the leaves blocked out the sun and covered the windows.  We were not in the high desert anymore.....we were in the Amazon.  Tropical plants are awesome and if the desert didn't have our frosty nights in winter, they would be very hardy here.  Once established, a lot of these plants don't require huge amounts of water.

The skinny.  Wear comfortable shoes.  You will see 5 biomes...the ocean, desert, rainforest, a coastal desert, marsh, and savanna.  The main research happening right now is focused on climate change.  The Biosphere is located on 3.14 acres. The campus is 34.5 acres.  It's 91 feet at its' highest point. It's open from 9 AM until 4 PM everyday except Thanksgiving and Christmas. The phone is 520-838-6200 or check out the website at B2science.org    Email is info@B2science.org  

This place is researching "green rooftops" in an effort to reduce urban islands of heat in our large cities.  These concrete islands are pushing the much needed monsoon rains away from the city.  This creates a stress on water use. Water harvesting, solar panels, as well as other projects revolving around a sustainable world are explored.

Because I am stupid and left my memory card in the computer, I was not able to get excellent pics inside the place.  I was so angry...and even now, while typing, I am having an issue with the terrible disposable  camera!!!  The Venezuelan Rain Forest did not come out because of all the humidity.....these pics below are terrible because they are dark and misty. It was really a cool biome to enter. Well at least you get the idea that a rain forest in all her glory is dark.....

The Biosphere is almost completely blocked out here in this huge area filled with over 90 different species modeled after a Venezuelan Rain Forest.

Notice how the plants will grab any sunlight they can get.  Here we see pothos dropping down from an opening in the rain forest canopy.

Why the name Biosphere 2? Because Biosphere 1 is our planet Earth.  Until next time, Happy Adventures!!!  And don't forget your memory cards!!:)

The South American Exhibit

I imagine that throughout the course of my blogging and travels in Panama, I probably will be mentioning several of the critters off my video below.  Last night I put this video together to show off several of the birds and mammals that live in Central and South America. However, not all are found in Panama, but they are still cool to see:) You'll find these guys in the oddest places....if you are lucky to see them at all!!  Most are noctural or high above the tree tops....and it takes a trained eye to see these amazing animals.  I am getting better spotting animals......but there's always room for improvement.

An anteater

Here are some images that I hope relax the mind.  The rain forest is a very loud place....especially at night. And if you need to turn on a flashlight or candle, just be ready to see things....sometimes you won't even get the warning of glowing eyes first....you'll just get the full on monkey or snake on your cabin floor. Is that cool?  Yes.  Do I like it at the time? No.  Do I like monkeys digging in my backpack? No. Do I like the lodge seeing my underwear on the ground and around their property?  No.  Do I like feeling bat wings flutter in my face as I reach to light my candle? No.  Is all this completely amazing?  Yes...and that's why I keep going back for the torture:)

Filmed at Reid Park Zoo in the South American Exhibit during my bamboo excursion.  Is Tucson cool? Yes...best place in the world:)  I love living here.

Llama of the Andes

The Largest Rodent in the world...the Capybara

Peacocks...not necessarily South American but still pretty birds:)

The Bamboo Effect

About 9 months ago, I mentioned stopping at the Reid Park Zoo.  I was still learning how to blog at that time and didn't really understand the whole "take your pictures" thing as you post because it's way more fun and personal!  As I've gotten more into this project that I've started here at El Presidio and in my life, I've discovered that you need a good camera for photos and film.......and that you ALWAYS need to bring your camera everywhere you go.  I think around April or May I figured it out....and at that point, I hadn't a clue on how to find blogs to read as I was a virtual unknown....after all, this blog was initially for me and my documentation of what I do around the property in case anything ever happens to me down the road.....but it turned into something better.  I love reading people's work in their own lives and it has replaced my magazine reading almost completely for this online free garden subscription.....and it's not just located in Arizona....it's all over!!  So with a cup of coffee, comfy pj's, and my AM glasses I sit down to share and read my fellow blogger's adventures.....

The reason I started to write what I did was because back in March or April, I had gone to the Reid Park Zoo to examine several groves of bamboo, but I didn't take any pics nor was it a central topic because back then I didn't know how to break up postings into central themes like I do today or write run on sentences like I'm doing now:).  So I am going back today and to show you all through my camera lens what it is/was that I was talking about those many months ago.  This is the second part to the bamboo series.  The first part was posted back in October and titled the Bamboo Ranch.  This post will show others that bamboo can indeed be grown in the desert to a very successful height. It can also provide that privacy or tropical effect that  you are looking for in your own gardens.

When I first moved here, I thought it was all cacti and scrubby bushes with some citrus trees sprinkled in for fun.  Through my education and personal experiences, I see that a space or spaces can be transformed into anything you like provided you give the plants ample room to grow and also the proper growing conditions.  Bamboo is no exception.  It shouldn't be overdone as some people do.....but as a uniform screen or as an "island" amongst your other plants. It can be a show stopper.  Personally I love it mixed in with palm trees around a pool setting. 

Bamboo is a grass.  What does grass love?  SUN! and water and nitrogen.......those three ingredients together will create an incredible growth that will eventually become a giant amonst your garden plants.  Put the bamboo in shade and you'll see it grow much slower than its' friends in the sun.  I put mine around several areas of the property.....mostly being around the southern side. 

Around this time of year, the bamboo will not look as green as it normally does because it doesn't get as much sun.  Remember that bamboo will also shed its' leaves at some point.  Also remember that once you cut a bamboo stalk, it won't grow anymore....so don't cut stalks unless they are for some reason needing to be controlled.

What's fascinating about the Reid Park Zoo is that it is a self contained island amongst the not so attractive 22nd street.  So in the South American exhibit, pay attention to what the bamboo is doing.  One gets lost in the "jungle" as they look at the animals, but also pay attention at how the gardens are laid out.  The bamboo is effectively screening out the background noises from 22nd street.....even more interesting, the wind blows through the canes and creates a very serene feel.....yet meters away, nasty cars and loud obnoxious people are doing their thing on the sidewalk.  Now imagine a suburb property, like most people's properties in a larger city and what they could do to "privatize" their own gardens.....

From the Presidio Gardens, I can see our ugly neighborhood, but with strategic planning, our courtyard will block this unsightly stain from our memories and contain a whole other worldly feel inside our gates. Some of this is inspiration from my Amazon excursions and some of this inspiration comes from Reid Park Zoo in regards to "the bamboo effect."

I know, for most people, a zoo is where you see animals, but look at the gardens of the zoo that surround the cages and I think you'll be surprised at what you find....a lot of research and planning went into the grounds the zoo is on.  PS.  2 mystery roles of photos have shown up from my Peru trip in 2008.....I don't know what's on them, but I hope they contain some fantastic images.  Just a hint of what's on them...if I remember correctly....I was doing an experimental shot from on top of a cliff overlooking Lake Titicaca during breakfast one morning from the island of Taquille.....I hope the film hasn't deterioted.....again, before I had my own digital camera:(  Until next time, happy gardening!!

Agua Caliente Park

An oasis in the desert.  Agua Caliente park literally refers to the springs that exist below the Catalina mountains.  It's one of the best kept secrets around....unless you're reading this post:)  If you are in town, take a drive down Tanque Verde towards Reddington Pass, another Tucson gem, and look for the sign to Agua Caliente Park.  You will have to turn left and head towards the Catalina Mountains to get there.  It's a great place to have lunch, feed the ducks, read a book or ponder life.

In a previous post, I wrote about microclimates in the desert.  Here is a place that is a great example of how it changes from just a couple steps. Below you see water with the reeds but a walk around the springs will change completely into a dry desert.  It is shocking see a major landscape change.

All these animals have free range of the park and they are out there for your viewing pleasure. There's a nice trail behind the brick cabin that goes behind the springs. I love this park for the groupings of palm trees all over the place....you actually feel like you are some place else.  Happy adventures wherever you may be!

San Xavier Del Bac

Playing with the camera at sunset.

Here is another Tucson gem.  Tonight we took a road trip and snapped some pictures of our beautiful Spanish mission.

http://www.sanxaviermission.org/Index.html

A 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.

The oldest intact European structure in Arizona, the church's interior is filled with marvelous original statuary and mural paintings. It is a place where visitors can truly step back in time and enter an authentic 18th Century space.

The church retains its original purpose of ministering to the religious needs of its parishioners.
 
 

So if you're in town, it's free and takes you to another time period. Oh...and a lot of cacti to see here:) Happy Adventures!