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November 2021

The Ol’ Dixie Mine

The Ol’ Dixie Mine

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If you put your hand on a hot stove, then do it again, most folks would think you’re a slow learner. On the other hand, they say if you get tossed off of a horse, you should jump right back on.

Where does that leave hiking?

We decided to

Biosphere 2

Biosphere 2

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”Where is Biosphere 1?”, people ask. Unless you’re an astronaut or a billionaire, you’re probably standing on it. Yes, the Earth is the first and original biosphere known to humankind.

So, what’s Biosphere 2? It was an experiment conceived in the 1980s and executed in the early

Only One Mistake

Only One Mistake

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Let me begin by denying that we would ever plan to lunch at a bar frequented by real bikers. Our bar, in Cave Creek, AZ is favored by the more genteel kind of biker, the one who buys a new Harley, adds $15,000 of extra chrome, and never, ever
A Favorite Place

A Favorite Place

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The Musical Instrument Museum in Scottsdale is one of my favorite places. It’s immense. The upper floor is organized by continent. As you approach an exhibit, your headphones will automatically play a recording of the instrument or genre. No pushing of buttons, no scanning of codes. What to see
A Return to the Garden

A Return to the Garden

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I think “Return to the Garden” has a certain biblical tone, don’t you? Rest assured this is the last whiff of religion you’ll find in this post. Unless your theology involves cactus worship.

I believe I’ve posted photos from the Desert Botanical Garden once or twice before,

The Heard Museum – Paintings

The Heard Museum – Paintings

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I don’t have a lot to say about this exhibit other than I found it interesting. I think you can see how native culture is reflected in many of these works.

From a distance, this painting reminded me of the pointillist style seen in Australian Aboriginal art. On closer

The Heard Museum – Dolls

The Heard Museum – Dolls

These aren’t really “dolls” because they aren’t toys nor are they used in a religious or cultural way. I was going to call this post “Native Costumes” but that didn’t sound right either. I’ve always resisted calling what anyone wears a costume because it kind of
The Heard Museum – Navajo Textiles

The Heard Museum – Navajo Textiles

Good for you, Jean-Paul and Rebecca Valette, for preserving this excellent collection of Navajo works. I would have called them “rugs”, but some clearly are not. Pay attention to the two that were made by students, longing for home, while forced to attend “boarding school”.

Don’t get me started

The Heard Museum – Sculpture

The Heard Museum – Sculpture

After spending considerable time in Home, we had a look at the sculpture garden. This gave us a chance to remove our masks, a nice break.

For the record, not everyone in Arizona is a mask-refusing “freedom fighter”. As a whole, the folks in the Phoenix area are pretty good

Intermission

Intermission

We drove into Old Scottsdale this evening for Marguritas and Mole and ran into the Canal Convergence. Scottsdale abounds with festivals like this. Unlike a lot of places, event planners don’t much worry about backup plans in case the weather is less than perfect.

If you want to know

The Heard Museum – Home

The Heard Museum – Home

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I suck.

”Home” is an important part of the Heard – a window into the past of several important tribes. You can examine the clothing, customs, arts and crafts of each tribe. It’s interesting to see what they share and what makes each tribe unique.

Sadly for you and the

The Heard Museum – An Introduction

The Heard Museum – An Introduction

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If we lived forever, would we value life less? Would we value it at all?

Is scarcity an essential attribute of value?

Was it better when cameras relied on film and we didn’t take so damned many photos?

I was pondering the last question whilst sorting through the mass

A Broken Promise

A Broken Promise

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Leaving Roosevelt Lake, we headed southeast to Globe, Arizona for breakfast at a typical small town cafe. That is to say, everyone in the place knew everyone else. Except us. Didn’t matter. Everyone was either friendly or uninterested and no one got shot.

After downing our tasty scrambled eggs

Tonto National Monument

Tonto National Monument

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Back in the day, and by “back” I mean about 900 years ago, a group of people now known as the Salado found a couple of great caves to live in. Two hundred years later, they left.

The higher, better preserved one can only be visited on guided tours that