tucson estates 2: Real Estate is hot in June; Saguaro Sunset
- 06/07/16 10:03 AM
June is the hottest month in beautiful Tucson, and it started off with a bang this year. The first week of the month is matching and setting new daily records. The middle of the month will bring in the Monsoon Season, and the summer rains will be welcome across our beautiful, parched desert. Cicadas are singing in the trees between our home and Golden Gate Mountains, and a Momma Gambels Quail just started a family in a large philodendron outside our living room window. Tucson is a destination town. Saguaro National Park (east and west, 30 miles apart) is like nothing else in … (6 comments)
tucson estates 2: Another World: After Dark in the Tucson Mountains
- 01/26/11 04:16 PM
~ Another World In The Tucson Mountains ~ There's no other description that fits so well... The Tucson Mountains after dark are another world. The sense of quiet peacefulness is created by the ridge of ancient volcanic rock separating me from the City of Tucson. Here there is the yip of a coyote enjoying that same moon that tugged me away from the comfort of my home in Tucson Estates II. The yips crescendo into a chorus of answering coyotes, howling at that big yellow moon. Tonight, the TV is off. I didn't bring my I-Pod. Give me, tonight, what … (28 comments)
Living with wildlife I've posted about these two twice since they made their first appearance in my backyard in the spring. I don't see them often, but I'm sure they're never far away. The mother somehow broke her right rear leg just above the hoof last fall, and we weren't hopeful that she would survive the winter. She did, though, and these good looking 10 month olds are hers. Tucson Estates II Our little community, Tucson Estates 2, is surrounded on three sides by Tucson Mountain Park, which in turn abuts Saguaro National Park … (54 comments)
tucson estates 2: Living with Wildlife in Tucson Estates II: Twins In My Backyard!
- 11/19/10 01:34 PM
~ Twins in the backyard ~ Living on the edge of Tucson Mountain Park is an adventure! These two are this year's fawns, and they still have a little of their camo coloring. You can't see it in the photo above, but check out the fading light spots on this little guy on the right. He's not ten feet from our back ramada! If you're looking for a Tucson home, I don't believe you could find a more beautiful setting than you'll find in Tucson Estates II. We're surrounded on three sides by Tucson Mountain Park, which in turn abuts … (15 comments)
tucson estates 2: Wordless Wednesday: Nightfall in the Arizona-Sonoran Desert
- 08/18/10 03:09 AM
~ Nightfall in the Arizona-Sonoran Desert ~ Kinney Road, Tucson Estates II ___________________ (I don't copyright my photos anymore. I use them mostly for blogging and creating greeting cards for friends.) Right click on an image, copy and use it! Click the Send Out Cards logo below. Send a real card to someone you love. (Card and postage are free ~ on me. Thanks for reading my blog.)
I'm Mike in Tucson, your preferred Tucson Mortgage Lender. NMLS #223495SUNSTREET MORTGAGE llc ~ Correspondent Mortgage BankOffices (AZ) Mesa, Tucson, Nogales, and Albuquerque, NM. … (27 comments)
tucson estates 2: Wildlife Up Close and Personal in Tucson
- 06/06/10 05:32 PM
My Darlin' looked at the photo above and commented that it looks like a Kangaroo! Nope. I'm taking photos with my old camera, and it's slooow... The temperature this afternoon topped 105 degrees down in the Tucson basin, and was close to 100 here on the slope of Golden Gate Mountain. The doe knew where she could get a long, cool drink.
I opened the slider in the kitchen four inches, and the doe ignored me. She just kept drinking that cool, clear water! Emboldened, I opened the door a little wider and stepped out on the ramada. She … (13 comments)
tucson estates 2: Mama Dove & Her Fledgling on Our Back Ramada in Tucson
- 05/30/10 05:19 PM
When saguaros die, the "bones" of the cactus remain. I think they are beautiful, and put this one up on our back porch in Tucson Estates 2. ("Porch" is for the 90% of my readers who think "ramada" is some kind of hotel chain...) Mama Dove decided that the top "arm" of the saguaro ribs would make just the right place to raise a family. She didn't budge when we walked beneath her the entire time she was sitting on her single egg. The little fledgling above is the result of her diligence, and I took that photo about a … (27 comments)
tucson estates 2: Cougar. Mountain Lion. Tigre'. Whatever You Call Her, You're Going To Like This Zoo.
- 10/23/09 04:21 PM
Cougar. Mountain Lion. Tigre'. The Indians I grew up with in Suriname, South America never saw one of these North American cats. The one they feared was the Jaguar. They called it "Kai Kwi." Don't come to Tucson without visiting the Arizona - Sonora Desert Museum. It's one of the world's ten best zoos. This magnificent cat isn't cooped up in a 20 x 20 cage with a concrete floor. She's the beneficiary of some of the most forward thinking zookeepers on the planet. My Darlin' and I live six miles from the "Desert Museum." Most of that six miles … (35 comments)
tucson estates 2: Friday's Photo: A Living Statue In My Backyard!
- 10/09/09 03:32 PM
My folks lived in Clavarack, New York for three decades. When I'd go visit them, I got used to seeing concrete statues of deer people had placed in their front yards. I never understood the desire to do that. I'd much rather have my back yard graced by the presence of living, breathing statues from time to time. This lady of the desert graced us with her presence this morning at 6:45 a.m. ___________________ I'm Mike in Tucson, your preferred Tucson, AZ Mortgage lender. SUNSTREET MORTGAGECall me if I can help you or someone you know with a purchase or … (34 comments)
tucson estates 2: Jimmy Stewart's Prediction: Chance Of Rain, 10%
- 09/18/09 09:51 PM
Chance of rain, 10%. Overnight low in the 60's. That's what Jimmy Stewart, our Channel 4 Weatherman, predicted on last night's news for the Tucson area. Look at the downpour in the center right of the photo. This is a true desert thunderstorm. When it rains here in our desert southwest, we rarely have the sort of storms I experienced back on Long Beach Island, NJ, where the entire sky would scud over with low gray clouds, and the rain or drizzle seemed to be universal. Here in our quiet little community of Tucson Estates 2, (east of the Avra … (30 comments)
tucson estates 2: Photo of the Week: Desert Storm Over Tucson's Avra Valley
- 09/07/09 11:01 PM
Desert Storm on Labor Day, 2009: Hiking in the Tucson Mountains, I followed the progression of a desert thunderstorm from its early stage (right) to its maturity (above.) The remains of Hurricane Jimena have left significant moisture in the air here in Tucson over the past four days. Combine that moisture with our summer heat in the desert, and we have the makings of some of the world's most spectacular thunderstorms. Wide open spaces allow us a front-seat view. The first photo on the right was taken approximately one hour before sunset, and the one above was set afire by … (44 comments)
tucson estates 2: Silly Saturday Night Post: Eyes In The Back of Her Head
- 07/04/09 04:40 PM
"Grandma," I asked, "How did you know I did that?" "I've got eyes in the back of my head." My Grandma said that to me more than half a century ago in her kitchen on the eastern shore of Virginia. I was trying to snag a cookie. I'll bet yours said the same to you when you were knee high to a grasshopper. So when this Western Screech Owl twisted her head around to keep an eye on me, I burst out laughing. "Hey, Grandma!" I said, as I clicked the shutter. "You really do have eyes in the back … (18 comments)
tucson estates 2: Life in Arizona's Green Desert: Tucson Mountain Sanctuary & Tucson Estates II
- 06/18/09 05:47 PM
The mountains that seems to be floating in the backround are the Santa Rita Mountains, part of the Coronado National Forest. The Santa Ritas form the Tucson valley's southern boundary. You're looking southeast with me from my vantage point along the David Yetman trail in the Tucson mountains. In the photo above, the cities of Tucson and South Tucson lie to your left. You wouldn't be able to see either city, however, or hear the sound of cars and trucks on Interstate 10, because the Tucson Mountains intervene (photo on right.) Nestled in the foothills of the Tucson Mountains are … (10 comments)
tucson estates 2: The Right Perspective: A Short Term Vacation Rental in the Tucson Mountains
- 04/03/09 02:35 AM
Street Art is not uncommon in our little community of Tucson Estates II, in Arizona's Tucson Mountains. Someone created and framed this piece of glass etched with likenesses of more ancient "street art" from the earliest inhabitants of this corner of the world. What I saw, though, was the mountain behind the frame. If you're a subscriber for any length of time now, you'll know the mountain's name: Golden Gate Mountain. If you're a John Wayne buff, you've seen that particular mountain in every movie of his that also contains a saguaro cactus or two. We sort of take it … (18 comments)
tucson estates 2: Entrance Gates Make Me Wonder... (1 of 2)
- 03/31/09 12:43 AM
...what's on the other side? When I noticed the FOR SALE sign go up on a remarkable home in our little community of Tucson Estates II, my interest was piqued. (Finally, I'm going to get to see what's behind that gate!) I'll tell you what's behind the gate... next time. Tucson Mountain Park Sunday evening, I climbed to a perch 800 feet above the home to get a sense of perspective on its location. See that little red arrow? It's hovering over this particular home. Come right about 200' and the road you see is the park boundry. The entrance … (28 comments)
tucson estates 2: Walk This Way...
- 03/27/09 12:38 AM
The funniest comment I ever heard in response to "Walk this way..." was made by my Grandpa, who lived on the eastern shore of Virginia. He was taking us out to a favorite seafood restaurant for soft-shelled crabs. The hostess invited us to follow her, saying "Please walk this way." "Honey, if I could walk that way," quipped Grandpa, "I wouldn't need the talcum powder." But I digress... Our community, Tucson Estates II, is surrounded on three sides by Tucson Mountain Park. It's 44,000 acres of pristine Arizona Sonoran desert, with miles and miles of trails for hiking. Slim Jim … (43 comments)
tucson estates 2: Attraction Is The Main Thing
- 03/24/09 02:32 AM
I know we're a real-estate-related community, and at first blush, this wouldn't look like a real-estate-related post. At first blush, I said... The essence of buying a home is attraction. One neighbor told me that she made the decision to buy a particular house in our neighborhood because of a piece of rock art by Otto Krein, who made this hummingbird and lizard from scraps of leftover tile gathered at a builder's construction site. Otto and his family lived here for more than a decade before moving back to Pennsylvania recently. While he was here, Otto worked for our HOA … (25 comments)
tucson estates 2: A Sense of Place With Open Space
- 03/23/09 11:31 PM
The white structures on the mountain are the telescopes of the Kitt Peak National Observatory. That mountain ridge is 75 miles from where we're standing. It doesn't look it, does it? Wikipedia describes Kitt Peak: "With 23 telescopes, it is the largest, most diverse gathering of astronomical instruments in the world." The first rays of the morning sun light up those white telescopes long before they warm the valley floor below. This is the first thing I see on my morning walks. The homes you see in our community of Tucson Estates II are regulated with respect to allowable night … (55 comments)
tucson estates 2: Sitting On the Fence: You Know The Neighborhood is Friendly When...
- 03/20/09 04:18 PM
REALTORS make good neighbors! Janice Kaufmann and her husband Mark built a lovely home in our community, Tucson Estates II. It sits on a corner where the westerly view looks into Tucson Mountain Park. The wall isn't like any other I've seen. People in our community love to walk in the morning. So Janice and Mark built in two seats to give passers-by a place to sit a spell and enjoy the view. The seats are on the street side, not inside the enclosed yard. Don't you wish you had neighbors this nice?! So come and sit a spell, courtesy … (22 comments)
March is one of my favorite months in the Arizona Sonoran Desert. I took an off-trail hike yesterday. My destination was Cat Mountain, the dominant feature of the Ajo Pass which leads up and out of the Tucson basin heading west. The trailhead is at the end of Sarasota Road off of Ajo. It's only five minutes from our home, and the trail leads up and over the Tucson Mountains into Tucson proper. Mountain bikers appreciate this relatively easy trail. It winds along an arroyo in a break between Cat Mountain … (14 comments)
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