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It was a short month and we were busy, so get ready ‘cause here we go. The month kicked off with a game, a very big game, one might even say a “super” game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Even though the Cardinals are the oldest professional football team (they began as the Morgan Athletic Club in Chicago in 1898) they aren’t exactly known for winning. Their last title win was in 1947, some twenty years before the first Super Bowl!

So believe me when I say that no one was really all that excited when the Cardinals moved to Arizona in 1988. Up until recently the majority of the fans in the stadium wore the visiting team’s colors. A few years ago Lance and I went to Cardinals game, not to see the red birds; we were there because the Green Bay Packers were in town. It was a great game—the stadium was packed with people wearing green and gold—and the Packers won handily.

Now there are more red shirts in the crowd (especially this year since everyone loves a winning team). We were so impressed that the Cardinals made it through the playoffs and to the big game that we actually watched it for the first time in years. We’re glad we did since it gave us a chance to hang out with family and it was a good game. Certainly not a boring one—we thought they played well in their loss to the Steelers—at least it was close and not a blow-out.

The following week contained an even bigger and far more important event: my grandmother’s 93rd birthday. My aunt had planned a party and I happily drove down to the Portal area to help them celebrate (unfortunately it was on a Monday and Lance couldn’t get away). Grandma is aging gracefully: she maintains an immaculate home, she can still whip up a pot of the world’s best potato soup, she subscribes to Oprah’s magazine (among others), and she stays on top of current events. She makes getting older look easy!

The next evening was spent with our good friend Brendan and his girlfriend Jennifer. Brendan, who works for the Gemological Institute of America, comes to Tucson every year to scout the Gem Show. It’s billed as the world’s largest: collectors, sellers, and buyers come from all over the globe to look at hundreds of tons of rocks, gems, minerals, fossils, and jewelry. Even though Brendan’s visit is packed with commitments he always makes time to hang out with his Tucson friends. We hit the trail for an early evening hike out at Sweetwater Preserve—the Sonoran Desert was a new environment for Jennifer and we had a great time showing it off. As a special treat a Western Screech-Owl poked its head out of its home inside a saguaro—too cute! The rest of the night was spent laughing and talking over plates of delicious Mexican food. Though it was late when we all said goodnight, it seemed much too soon…

We started the next weekend with a trip to DeGrazia’s Gallery in the Sun; Lance and his sister Cammy had never been there before. This spring the Gallery is honoring DeGrazia’s birthday with a special exhibition: “100 Years, 100 Works.” I enjoyed wandering the grounds again (my first visit was last spring) and I was impressed with the retrospective exhibit. It took DeGrazia a few years to develop his distinctive style and there are few art forms he didn’t dabble in—from painting to metal work to jewelry to textiles. Through all his art DeGrazia’s respect and compassion for the southwest and its inhabitants are visible.

With a few hours of daylight left the three of us dropped down the hill to Ft. Lowell Park, spurred on by reports of Hooded Mergansers and a male Wood Duck on the pond. The wind kicked up a bit which cooled us but we were generously rewarded with great views of the resplendent Wood Duck. Whenever we see animals in nature as brightly colored and creatively decorated as the male Wood Duck we are stunned. Blue, black, purple, green, yellow, orange, red, brown, and white, stripes and dots and we’re not done yet the bird also has a long head ornament.

Sunday dawned warm and sunny—perfect weather for a road trip. Hopping into the car we drove up to Superior to visit with our friends Rich and Karen. In a way it was like going back in time: the four of us first met in 2005 while we were living in Superior and I was working at Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park. Karen and Rich were volunteering at the Arboretum, helping out with the education programs. We hit it off and when Lance and I decided to move into an RV, Karen and Rich were extremely helpful and encouraging. Since then we’ve visited them at other places they’ve volunteered, including Galveston Island State Park in Texas, Oak Oasis Open Space Preserve in California.

Their duties during this stint are a bit different as the state recently purchased the 7,021-square-foot Picket Post House where the founder and namesake of the Arboretum lived. Built high on a rocky outcrop the mansion overlooks the Arboretum and it is fitting that the properties have been reunited after all these years. Time has not been overly kind to the mansion and it will be years before the house is restored to its former glory. In the meantime, staff and volunteers (like Karen and Rich) are sorting through the mess and preventing further decay. As one can imagine there have been all kinds of neat discoveries made. While Karen was finishing up her “shift” Rich took Lance and I on a bushwhacking adventure along an old trail that Thompson once used. For the most part the trail was surprisingly easy to follow, though Queen Creek had washed out large sections which forced us to get creative. Let’s just say we earned our dinner that night!

We returned from our trek about the same time that Karen got home from “work.” After regaling her with tales of our adventure and catching up we drove to town to Los Hermanos for dinner. The building doesn’t look like much from the outside but the food is tasty and the prices are fantastic. The only bummer is that I never save room for dessert and they have really yummy cherry pie—sigh. It was well after dark before we said our goodbyes and headed home. Though it had been a busy week and we were a bit tired, we savored the time spent with family and friends.

The following Saturday morning we met up with Geoff, Lauren, Aaron and his son Nate for a bike ride along the Rillito River. Normally Aaron’s wife Jenny would join us on these outings but she’s in the process of finishing her Masters Degree in Mathematics at the University of Arizona so her spare time is limited. Tucson is known as a bike-friendly city especially near the university (though there is still plenty of room for improvement). The gems of the bike path system in Pima County are the linear parks along the banks of the Tucson’s main waterways: the Santa Cruz, Rillito, Cañada del Oro, and Tanque Verde Rivers.

After the big flood of 1983 that destroyed multiple bridges and washed away several homes the county re-engineered the rivers by raising the height of and stabilizing their banks. The flat tops of these banks have been converted into multi-use recreational paths—paved on one bank and dirt on the other. When finished these linear parks will connect (since all the rivers eventually flow into the Santa Cruz) and it will be possible to make a big loop around Tucson without riding on a single road. For our leisurely paced ride we were content to cover about eight miles before calling it a day.

Sunday was again fantastic road trip weather so we headed down south. Our agenda for the day was three-fold: birdwatching at Patagonia Lake State Park, driving through the grass-covered rolling hills, and sipping wine at Callaghan Vineyards. First stop: the 265 acre, man-made Patagonia Lake created by the damming of Sonoita Creek in 1968. Originally intended as a reservoir and private lake it is now a fisherman’s dream open to the public. As with any body of water in the desert this one attracts a wide variety of wildlife, including some interesting birds. We spent a few hours traipsing along the water’s edge enjoying the scenery both on and off the water. After a quick picnic lunch we wound our way through the golden grassland to Elgin.

Elgin, Sonoita, and Patagonia form a trio of small communities in the hills near the U.S.—Mexico border. Driving to the region from Tucson one steadily climbs in elevation to roughly 4500 feet. As we meandered through the grassy hills we reminded ourselves that much of southern Arizona used to look this way before being overgrazed. Interestingly, the film Oklahoma! was filmed in this prairie-like area in 1955. Arizona is such a unique and diverse state!

Instead of standing in the field and singing “O, what a beautiful morning…” we sought out Callaghan Vineyards. The vintner and owner Kent Callaghan made a huge splash when he landed in Arizona wine country in the 1990s. Working first for Dos Cabezas winery Kent crafted a superb Syrah that won accolades from far and wide. Now bottling his own juice Kent has repeated that success with grapes from his own acreage. As we sipped our way through the wines the tasting room filled with our fellow (what we like to call) “winers.” Savoring Caitlin’s, a blend of Petit Verdot, Tempranillo and Cabernet Franc, we lamented that we could not ship a bottle to friends in France. For their enjoyment certainly but also to prove that Arizona can produce great wine. We will just have to toast them as we drain the bottle, Pierre and Danièle we dedicate these les amours (last drops, also known as love drops) to you.

Finally we ended the month with a bang by attending Ignite Tucson with our good friend Aaron. The premise: What would you say if you had the opportunity to give a public, five-minute Powerpoint (20 images, 15 seconds each). A markedly diverse group gathered downtown to listen to the brave souls who answered the call. The presenters ran the gamut from polished professionals to woo-woo New Agers with artists and community activists thrown in. Some were better than others, some were downright weird but all of them exposed us to something new and that’s what I think the organizers were aiming for. I know I left there fired up to try Letterboxing. All in all it was a quite a busy little month.

Photos: View our photographs from February 2009: Our February and Patagonia to Elgin.