arizona: Arizona's Gift: The Capitol Christmas Tree For 2009
- 11/18/09 02:47 PM
Arizona's gift to the nation, the 2009 Capitol Christmas Tree, stopped this weekend in Oro Valley, Arizona.
Oro Valley is one of Arizona's newest success stories, with wide streets, beautiful subdivisions and shopping centers that eclipse most of what quiet old Tucson has to offer.
The tree, 65 feet tall, will be trucked to the White House, where it will be put on display shortly after Thanksgiving.
People came from all over to put their signatures on the side of the vehicle. This little guy, seven years old, didn't have a pen, but my Darlin' took care of that.
I had … (20 comments)
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arizona: Tucson, Arizona: The Old Pueblo
- 07/21/09 05:03 PM
Tucson, Arizona. The Old Pueblo. The volcanic basin that contains the city itself is 30 miles square. That's a lot of territory. There aren't too many cities in North America that take up 900 square miles.
I took this monsoon photo this evening at 6:30 p.m., on my way home from work at Sunstreet Mortgage. Thousands of homes lie between the foreground of the photo above, and the mountains in the background.
Thousands of homes. You'd never know it. The rolling desert with its meandering arroyos seems to swallow them up, leaving the beauty of the landscape to capture your … (13 comments)
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arizona: So You Thought You Knew Something About Tucson, Arizona? (1 of 10: Origins)
- 01/25/09 02:30 PM
It's the county seat of Pima County in Southern Arizona. Second largest city in Arizona. Great golf. An hour from Mexico.
That's what most people know about Tucson, AZ. There's a whole lot more, and I'd like to introduce you to the city that captivated my Darlin' and me [no, it's not "I"] more than a decade ago.
The Spaniards established a fort (presidio) at Tucson in 1775. Father Eusebio Kino had visited the Santa Cruz valley in 1692, with the purpose of establishing a mission. He accomplished that task in 1700 with the founding of Mission San Xavier del Bac … (26 comments)
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arizona: Saturday Night in the Desert: Setting Sun Paints Thimble Rock Purple
- 11/29/08 02:39 PM
We spent an enjoyable evening with friends on Tucson's northeast side, but we were half an hour early. What to do? The sun was setting, and Darlin' and I drove up Sabino Canyon road to get a photo of Thimble Rock. This photo above shows the formation at 4:30 in the afternoon.
45 minutes later, we were a mile away, perhaps 300 feet higher in elevation, and the sun was very low in the sky. As the sun set, I took this picture of Thimble Rock. It's there on the right. As the sun goes down, the mountains turn … (35 comments)
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arizona: Go Green: Do You Have A Favorite Nursery?
- 11/20/08 02:49 PM
Mine's on Pima Street just west of Craycroft in Tucson. It's called Terra Designs. Chefs come here to buy herbs.
There's something about a plant nursery that attracts optimists. I'm one of those. An optimist.
I don't remember ever meeting anyone in a nursery, browsing among the plants, and thinking to myself "Wow. What a negative person!" Not once in sixty years.
Negativity just can't exist in a place like Terra Designs, where everything around you speaks of new life, color, texture, and possibilities.
The southwest is a place of bright, vibrant colors, and our nurseries reflect that. I can't tell you … (20 comments)
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arizona: Distinctive Architecture: Tucson's Presidio
- 11/07/08 12:28 PM
If you're thinking Paris, it's the Eiffel Tower. Chicago? The Sears Tower. San Francisco? The Opera House. In the Old Pueblo, it's the distinctive tiled dome of the downtown Presidio.
When you think old west, you might not bring this distinctive dome to mind, but it overlooks El Presidio Plaza Park in Tucson, a site which was established in 1775 by a Spanish Army Captain, Hugo Conor.
I took this photo this afternoon while attending the Tucson Fire Fighter's Annual Chili Cookoff in the same plaza where Spanish soldiers once drilled and marched.
I'm Mike in Tucson, your preferred Tucson, AZ … (8 comments)
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arizona: Please Welcome My Friend Brad Duecker, Old Pueblo Appraisals, to Active Rain!
- 10/09/08 07:46 AM
Brad Duecker (pronounced DEE-KER) hates to make cold calls. Don't we all! But he contacted me by email yesterday through Active Rain, and I called him. (I don't mind cold calling.)
Brad and I set an appointment for this morning first thing at my office, and by the time we were done enjoying each other's company, Brad had become the newest member of Active Rain!
Appraisers have been slow to see the necessity of social networking on the internet, and I'll bet that before tomorrow morning, Brad will be the featured member (Appraisers) for Pima County. He immediately saw the value of … (17 comments)
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arizona: Silly Saturday Post with a Lesson: Let Yourself Be Three Again!
- 10/04/08 04:49 PM
Grandpa learned a lesson the other night at the boardwalk with 1/10th of the clan of grandkids. Little Darlin' just turned three, and she was sooo excited to visit the boardwalk with "Grandpa Oso."
Grandpa Oso was pretty excited himself. None of the little ones live in Arizona, and this was a treat.
Little Darlin' was certain that she measured up to that line. She backed up, stood on her tippy toes, and said firmly "Look!"
I didn't remember that the amusement park was this big, or that the Ferris Wheel was this high (140') off the ground. LD braved the Ferris … (19 comments)
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arizona: Credit Bailout Bill Contains Fingerprint Provision
- 09/26/08 11:18 PM
With all the hoopla, crisis intervention talk, and chest beating in the media about the proposed Federal bailout bill, few have noticed that there's a provision in the bill to fingerprint loan officers.
Maybe they already do this in your state. I'd like to know. Arizona at present doesn't even license loan officers! Real estate agents are fingerprinted here, though.
I'm not for the $700,000,000,000 bailout bill, but I like the idea of keeping loan officers like myself accountable. What say you?
I'm Mike in Tucson, your preferred Tucson, Arizona mortgage lender.Think of me as your local expert.
… (22 comments)
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arizona: Mike in Tucson just Turned 60!
- 09/25/08 12:16 PM
Welcome to my Online 60th Birthday Party, hosted by my friend Kevin Wood. In lieu of gifts or money (LOL), please click on the link below and subscribe to Kevin's blog. He takes AR seriously.
Mike in Tucson
Mikey is officially 60! It's no myth, he's really that friendly, he's always the guy looking for ways to help other people succeed, yes, his camera is always attached at the hip, he really is willing to try pretty much anything because he really is that passionate about Livin Life to the fullest every day in every way! Give this man some … (39 comments)
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arizona: Please Welcome My Friend and Marketing Genius, Tanya Tennyson
- 09/17/08 12:19 PM
Okay. Who says she's a marketing genius? That would be me--Mike in Tucson. Click the link to make Tanya welcome in this magnificent community of bloggers.
Originally from Hempstead, NY, Tanya has lived in many places across our nation, and most recently relocated from Los Angeles to sunny, smog-free Tucson. She's a sometimes poet, a writer, and a survivor of four years doing telemarketing. That last one is what amazes me. I could never do it.
I really appreciate the fact that so many of you, wrapped in the business of your days, stop to take the time to comment on a … (15 comments)
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arizona: Another New Member from a Title Company! Please Welcome Kimberly Keegan of Stewart Title
- 09/15/08 12:33 PM
Two Kimberly's in one day! I'm please to introduce you to my newest AR Inductee.
Kimberly Keegan represents Stewart Title here in Tucson. I told her about Brad Andersohn's fantastic success with Active Rain, and she signed up immediately. Brad, move over! LOL
Please click the link above, make Kimberly welcome, and don't forget to tell her who sent you!
I'm Mike in Tucson, your preferred Tucson, Arizona mortgage lender.Think of me as your local expert.
… (23 comments)
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arizona: Lehman Brothers? Merrill Lynch? Mom & Pop? Who Would You Bet On?
- 09/14/08 05:17 PM
Size and longevity are no guarantee of continued success.
Lehman Brothers has been in existence for nearly a century and a half. Merrill Lynch would have reached the century mark in six short years, had the bull survived.
That saguaro on the left likely lived for more than a century, since it takes 75 years for a desert saguaro to grow its first arm.
Lehman's company profile:
"Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. is an investment banking firm. The Company's activities include capital raising for clients through securities underwriting and direct placements, corporate finance, merchant banking, securities sales and trading, research services … (14 comments)
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arizona: I-10 Expansion Update in Tucson, AZ: Who Makes These Signs?
- 09/12/08 03:50 PM
We're more than halfway to the finish point. The I-10 expansion through Tucson is gathering steam, so to speak...
They've narrowed some of the lanes to 11 feet, and some fool thought that it would be good to put up this sign. Locals call this section the tunnel.
The lanes to the right of the sign are under construction, so they're not drivable. Four foot high concrete barriers constrain the two travel lanes, so where exactly should we move?
I'm Mike in Tucson, your preferred Tucson, Arizona mortgage lender.Think of me as your local expert.
… (7 comments)
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arizona: The Crestate Saguaro Cactus: One of Natures Magnificent Oddities
- 09/08/08 11:00 PM
It only happens in one of every 200,000 plants.
The saguaro cactus usually grows straight and tall, adding branching arms starting at age 75 or so. It will likely live to age 200.
The tip of the main stem and of each arm is a single point of growth, but somehow that point has mutated into a growth "line" in this spectacular plant.
The result is called a Crestate Saguaro.
This magnificent specimen grows on the western flank of Golden Gate Mountain in the Tucson Mountain Range. It's only a short hike from my home behind that ridge you see there.
… (10 comments)
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arizona: It's Time For Some Campaigning! LOL
- 08/28/08 07:12 AM
I don't know about you, but I'm dog tired of this political season. Seems like the season has dragged on for two years or so. So... Enjoy a little Jib Jab!
Make your own at www.jibjab.com
I'm Mike in Tucson, your preferred Tucson, Arizona mortgage lender.Think of me as your politico. Or not. LOL
… (14 comments)
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arizona: Tucson Artist Tom Murray Captures the Essence of the Southwestern Sky
- 08/19/08 10:19 PM
Arizona skies are awesome. So is painter Tom Murray. I've never seen clouds captured on canvas with such realism and painterly beauty.
I first met Tom at Jane Hamilton Fine Art in Tucson on River Road near Campbell.
That's where you'll find original paintings like the one you see featured here.
I'm Mike in Tucson, your preferred Tucson, Arizona mortgage lender.Think of me as your local expert.
… (22 comments)
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arizona: Unique Little Property in Tucson Begs for Unique Buyer!
- 08/09/08 03:50 PM
This must be 70 years old; it hasn't been a service station for a long time.
I drive by it often. It sits on a corner in a residential part of the older town of Tucson, near downtown.
What could it become?
An ice cream shop? A flower shop? ____________________ You fill in the blank. If you were a neighbor, what use would make you smile?
I'm Mike in Tucson, your preferred Tucson, Arizona mortgage lender.Think of me as your local expert.
photo copyright Mike in Tucson
YOUR IDEAS SO FAR...
Ice Cream Shop Flower Shop Produce market Real estate / … (22 comments)
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arizona: Kiss A Frog, Just In Case...
- 08/05/08 08:45 AM
You just never know. People meet you, you exchange business cards, and if you're anything like me, you never throw them out.
I ought to get rid of the old cards, but I feel like I may be throwing away a frog that I ought to have kissed, (metaphorically speaking.)
I'm going through the stack today, calling to reconnect. It's sort of like kissing frogs; the prospect of the task seems worse than a waste of time. But now that I'm well into the day of 80 phone calls, there's a routine to it that's actually okay. The frogs are starting to … (25 comments)
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arizona: Lazy Sunday Night in the Monsoon Season, Tucson, Arizona
- 08/03/08 04:12 PM
The weatherman predicted a 60% chance of rain for the Tucson Mountains this evening, and he was right on the money.
Clouds gathered in the south and east late in the day. As night approached, the sun painted them in shades of pink and orange.
Thunder began to rumble in the distance. The "Local on the 8's" doppler radar showed activity in Green Valley moving up toward the Tucson Mountains, while storms in the Reddington Pass area were moving west toward the city of Tucson.
Desert dwellers love the rain! We anticipate it just as much as the folks in Seattle look forward to … (13 comments)
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Arizona's gift to the nation, the 2009 Capitol Christmas Tree, stopped this weekend in Oro Valley, Arizona.
;)
;)
;)
