Februarys in Tucson: A Bunch Of This And That

As I've probably mentioned before on this blog, February is a surprisingly busy month in the Tucson area. The weather is usually great this time of year, so everyone likes to do their special events at this time. On top of Valentine's Day/President's Day, there's also the Tucson Rodeo (there's even a school holiday associated with it!), the internationally known Tucson Gem & Mineral Show, and all sorts of other activities. Our family doesn't do all of these activities every year, but we managed to get a fair amount done this year. Besides visiting the new LDS temple, here are some other ways we spent our February:

We checked out the Gem Show

Of course, when someone says he or she is "going to" the Gem Show, they usually mean they are "going" to only a tiny portion of the whole "show." The Gem Show is a massive, sprawling event that takes place all over Tucson, in dozens of locations and with hundreds and hundreds of vendors involved. Even though it's not very centralized, there's usually something for everyone at most venues. The reason we decided to go this year was because of some rare fossils that were on display at one of the venues.

This is one of just a few fully excavated T. Rex skeletons in the world; seeing it fully assembled was a big treat for the girls! There were also several other dinosaur skulls, and one other complete skeleton (it was a small egg-eating dinosaur of some kind) was actually for sale! Too bad I didn't have $300,000 with me at the time.

Another room in the same building had a bunch of other fossils, including these awesome sea dinosaurs:

Besides the fossils, there were many other vendors in many different galleries, selling all sorts of fascinating rocks, minerals, stones, gems, carvings, furniture, and more. We had fun admiring all the pretty stuff, and we managed to get a handful of stuff to take home for a very low price (a few vendors even let us take small uncut samples for free!). We all had fun picking out shiny trinkets to take home; maybe as we revisit the Gem Show in future years, we will start building up a little pile of pretty rocks in our home. We probably get our love of rocks and minerals from my mother, who is a big fan of precious gems & stones. Hopefully some year, Grandma Nash can join us in our Gem Show visit.

We saw the Budweiser Clydesdales

True, we are not a family who drinks any alcoholic beverage, let alone beer. But that doesn't mean we don't appreciate seeing some big, beautiful, iconic horses when they decide to visit our hometown! I'm not sure just why Budweiser decided to send their Clydesdale wagon to our little town in southern Arizona (possibly a promotion with a local bar/grill), but we were glad they did! (even if the traffic in and out of our supermarket parking lot was horrible that day)

I knew these horses were large, but you don't really get how big they are until you are standing a few feet away from them. They loomed over the crowd, and they were incredibly clean and shiny and disciplined; there was a crowd swarming around them the whole time, but they stood very calmly and still all the same.

The girls, being the horse-lovers they are, were thrilled to see such fine equine specimens up close. And being dog-lovers as well, they appreciated the Dalmatian perched on top of the wagon too!

I ran a 5K

This was technically not my first 5K (I did a super-fun zombie-themed mud run last spring), but in some ways this was a more satisfying experience. It was the first time I'd ever entered a "normal" run, with no obstacles to interrupt the running. It was a good challenge for me: just a few years ago, I had never done any running to speak of. I'd always assumed that a 5K was something I'd never want to do...or even be able to do. I'm doubtful I'll ever be very fast (I finished well back in the pack), but I was able to see ways in which I could improve myself for the next run. Because I know there will be a next run. I am finally starting to learn about the "runner's high," and what a sense of accomplishment it can be to push my body beyond what it's comfortable doing. It was a great way to spend my Valentine's Day weekend. Plus, the entry fee went toward my daughters' charter school, so it was a win-win!

My girls ran through the sprinklers...

Not really a major accomplishment, but just a demonstration of what a bizarro world we live in sometimes in Arizona. The National Weather Service just announced that this was the warmest winter on record for Tucson, and I can believe it...having to turn on your air conditioner more than once in February is usually a sign that something is a little unusual.

 

Nowadays, when I hear about severe winter storm warnings elsewhere in the United States (and there were many of them this winter), I feel like I am living on another planet from everyone else. Unlike everyone else, I actually miss the cold weather sometimes! However, it also makes me happy to see my girls out playing in the grass, getting soaked and having fun. We'll be paying for it in a few months, unfortunately...when the insane heat rolls in *groan*

 ...And they petted a bunch of animals for Rodeo Days

As I said above, children in Tucson get a four-day weekend on the last full weekend of February. It's called Rodeo Days, and it's named for the Fiesta de los Vaqueros, the historic week-long rodeo that takes place in Tucson. A big part of the festivities is the Rodeo Parade; it's the largest non-motorized parade in the country (that is, none of the floats are run by motors; everything is pulled by animals). One of these years, I want to take my kids to both the rodeo and the parade; I think they will enjoy both of those activities quite a bit.

But that wasn't going to happen this year. We are on the verge of heading to Disneyland, and so we're pinching our pennies a bit. Maybe next year! I decided to take the girls to the free-admission Rodeo Festival, sponsored by the Rancho Sahuarita Clubhouse. Not as exciting as the Rodeo, or the Rodeo Parade, but just fine if you're looking for a cheap way to entertain your kids for a couple of hours.

We waited in line for the usual pony rides. The girls whined and complained the whole time; this does not fill me with confidence that they will love Disneyland.

Besides the pony rides, we also took time to ride the miniature train, and to chase around animals in the petting zoo.

My personal favorite was this creepy buck-toothed shaggy llama.

We had recently shown our kids the movie The Emperor's New Groove, the goofy Disney movie in which the main character is magically turned into a llama. When he first sees his new reflection, he cries out in despair: "LLAMA FAAAACE!!" It's a phrase I like to use as often as possible in everyday life, often when I find myself looking less than great, or when I've discovered something awful that requires a special kind of exclamation.

LLAMA FACE

Imagine my delight, then, when I got to say it to a real live llama...and one who isn't much of a looker, either (what an underbite that guy had!!).

We all hiked around A Mountain

A Mountain is the local's name for Sentinel Peak, a hill on the west side of Tucson. Atop the hill is a 160-foot tall letter "A," made of whitewashed rocks. It was put there (and is still maintained) by the University of Arizona, who occasionally paint it the school colors of red, white, and blue. The "A" is very visible from the freeway, and I can't count the number of times our kids have asked to go up to the "A" when they see it out the car window. Finally, a couple of weeks ago, we decided to give them what they asked for!

It wasn't much of a hike, really; there is a road that goes up almost to the top of the peak. But there are a few small trails that wind their way around the peak, and we wandered those trails for a while, then climbed over the "A." The kids were all impressed at how much bigger the "A" was in person!

 

The view from the top was pretty good...we could even see far-off Picacho Peak, which is in a different county from us! Unfortunately, the top of Sentinel Hill is pretty filthy; there is broken glass everywhere from countless beer bottles, and lots of graffiti on all the rocks. I guess it's a location that attracts all types, including those who like to booze it up on mountaintops and then throw their trash all over nature. It was disappointing.

 

 

The view made the trip worthwhile, though...as did the family trip to Eegee's afterwards for some ice-cold refreshment.

Well, that's about it for our February. In March we travel to Anaheim, and have a fun family Disneyland vacation. We are very excited, and hope to share some more fun stories with everybody soon!