Scenes from Arizona

New daffodils are opening up, and every day a new tulip surprises me. The redbuds and flowering crabs are sure to put on a show any day now.



But before my garden bursts into bloom completely, I wanted to share some sights from our Arizona vacation two weeks ago. I've finally sorted through the 400-plus photos to pick out just a few . . . and I promise not to be my usual chatty self, so you can just enjoy the photos:)



The main reason we waited until March to visit my daughter rather than leave in the colder months of February or January was to be able to take in a couple baseball games. The Chicago Cubs, along with many other MLB teams, hold their spring training games in sunny Arizona. We managed to arrive just in time for the last two games, including one at the Cubs' home stadium for the Cactus League at Hohokam Park in Mesa. Spring training is so much more laid back than during the regular season. Tickets are inexpensive, and the parks are much smaller so that you can sit close to the action. At our first game we sat just a few rows behind the Cubs' dugout (this photo was taken from the mezzanine, not our seats), and at the home game we sat on the grass behind the outfield. Ah, this is the way a baseball game should be--with no offense to the tradition of Wrigley Field. A lazy afternoon, soaking up the sunshine on a blanket, seeing the players close-up, no pressure or yelling at the umpires, no thoughts of another World Series disappointment . . .





But baseball was just a small part of our trip. Our main purpose, of course, was to visit Daughter and her family. Luckily, she had several days off, so one day we drove down to Tucson. Just outside of the city, located on the Tolono O'odham Indian Reservation, is Mission San Xavier Del Bac. Founded by the Jesuits before 1700, the mission building was constructed in 1783-97 by the Fransciscans.

Called the "White Dove of the Desert," the AAA travel guide describes the structure as "an impressive example of Spanish mission architecture" complete with "domes, carvings, arches, and flying buttresses." You can see the Spanish influence in the nearby courtyard with the typical fountain of this style.

The grounds were landscaped with native plants, including cacti in bloom and this unusual plant, which I don't know the name of.

After visiting the mission we drove a few miles to the Sonoran Desert Museum. Signs at the entrance and along the trails warned visitors not to go near any wildlife that might be seen, including javelinas and coyotes. Unfortunately, by the time we arrived, we were hot, tired, and very hungry, so we didn't walk any of the trails. Instead we spent most of our time in cooler areas, including the reptile exhibit, a cave, and an aviary with hummingbirds (more on that on Wednesday). There is also a raptor display that I really wanted to see, but we didn't--check out Shady Gardener's latest post for some photos of this.

Although we didn't walk too far on the trails, we still saw some interesting sights, including this strange cactus called a senita.

I believe this senita was one I saw later at the Botanical Gardens in Phoenix. I'm sure I had seen them before, but I don't remember their hairy-like appearance. Perhaps these are their March "blooms"?

Another strange sight was this tree also spotted at the DBG in Phoenix. I could not find a tag, so I have no idea what it was.

Here's a closer look at its unusual branches.

Of course, I was interested throughout our stay in seeing the different plant life. Springtime comes to Arizona, too, as all kinds of plants begin to bloom, even the cacti. The green-trunked palo verde tree was beginning to bloom everywhere. I didn't realize that these yellow blossoms later open up into lovely flowers--you can see just how they look today by checking out Nature Girl's most recent post.

But I didn't have to go far to see plants in bloom. A walk around Daughter's nicely landscaped apartment complex revealed these blooming trees and . . .

. . . the ubiquitous, but beautiful nevertheless, bougainvillea, here surrounding a palm tree.

The grounds include several fountains; this one was bordered by a door (leading where, I have no idea) covered in a yellow-flowering vine.

Veg Plotting has been writing a series of posts for the past month about public plantings. I couldn't help but notice this office building just down the street from Daughter's apartment.

It was such an eye-catching landscaping that I purposely walked down the street one morning to take some photos. Unfortunately, the sun was already so bright that I was disappointed in the resulting pictures. Lots of bougainvillea and oleander, of course, but with additional plants that made it stand out from the ordinary.

Here's one example of a small part of the curbside planting.

Again, I don't know what this is, but I liked it!

Back at the apartment complex, here's proof that you don't need an acre of ground to be a gardener.

Naturally, I couldn't leave Phoenix without a visit to one of my favorite places, the Desert Botanical Gardens.

The works of Chihuly looked somewhat different surrounded by blossoming flowers.

I first saw the Chihuly Exhibit in December, shortly after it opened, so I didn't spend as much time looking at all the artwork or photographing it as I did then. If you'd like to see more of this exhibit, you can check out this earlier post. However, to my surprise I did see a piece I missed the first time around, this "Orange Hornet and Eelgrass Chandelier." From the first time I saw this exhibit, I wondered how all of these pieces were transported and put in place without breaking any of it. What I hadn't thought about was how it was kept clean . . .

. . . Now I know: a little window cleaner and a duster are all that's needed:)

There is so much to see at the DBG! This time I wanted to focus on parts I had missed on two previous trips--the butterfly exhibit and the blooming plants, both of which can only be seen for a few short months of the spring. The bee garden is open year-round, but this time I was thinking of Cheryl as I hunted for our friendly pollinators.

I didn't have to wait long--notice the bee coming in for a landing at the top of the photo.

I bet you never thought of planting a cactus to attract bees!

Apparently, though, these guys like cactus blossoms as well as my coneflowers and salvias.

Blooms were abundant throughout the gardens from annuals to cacti to native perennials. Unfortunately, some of photos of the more spectacular displays didn't turn out so well--the sun was very bright, and the camerawoman kept fiddling with the settings without the benefit of her reading glasses.

But photographs or not, seeing a prickly pear actually blooming was a sight I won't soon forget. I enjoyed the sights of Arizona, but you know, a daffodil or tulip blooming in Illinois looks just as good to me right now!

Garden Muse Day: October

Early morning sun rises over the soybean fields.

"Crispy air and azure skies,
High above, a white cloud flies,
Bright as newly fallen snow.
Oh the joy to those who know October!

Colors bright on bush and tree.
Over the weedy swamp, we see
A veil of purple and brown and gold.
Thy beauty words have never told. October!

Scolding sparrows on the lawn,
Rabbits frisking home at dawn,
Pheasants midst the sheaves of grain,
All in harmony acclaim, October!

Brown earth freshly turned by plow,
Apples shine on bended bough,
Bins o'erflowed with oats and wheat,
And satisfaction reigns complete. October!

Radiant joy is everywhere.
Spirits in tune to the spicy air,
Thrill in the glory of each day.
Life's worth living when we say, October!"

- Joseph Pullman Porter

The calendar may have said that fall arrived last week, but October marks the true beginning of fall for me. The temperatures have dropped twenty degrees with nights cool enough for jackets and crisp, sunny days. A few leaves at the very top of the maple trees are beginning to turn, and sadly, I think the hummingbirds have left for warmer climes. The surest sign of fall in this area, though, is the gold and brown in the corn and bean fields, signalling the onset of harvest time. The harvest is late this year because of the spring rains that delayed planting until June. But, barring an early frost, farmers should have a better yield than expected. (At least they won't be asking Washington for a $700 billion bailout!)

Mums brighten up corners where daisies and coneflowers once bloomed.



But the best part of October for me this year is that my beloved Cubbies are still playing! They begin the National League playoffs early this evening in a game with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Chicagoland must be buzzing right now as their South Side counterparts, the White Sox are also in the playoffs. Better stock up on firewood and make sure you have a warm winter coat--as Mr. McGregor's Daughter has said, if both Chicago teams make it to the World Series, hell may freeze over! Let's hope both teams--but especially the Cubs--are still playing at the end of October!

Garden Muse Day is sponsored the first day of each month by Carolyn Gail at Sweet Home and Garden Chicago. Visit her for more poetry on the wonderful fall month of October.

ABC Wednesday: C is for...

...the Chicago Cubs, of course!

Before my daughter came home from Arizona for a short visit this past weekend, she requested that we go to a Cubs game one day while she was here. Being the wonderful mother that I am, I found three tickets, paying triple their face value, and planned our outing. We drove three hours to Chicago (plus another hour stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the Dan Ryan Expressway) just for the game on a very hot and muggy Friday. But as any Cubs fan will tell you, it was all worth it for the chance to make the pilgrimage to this shrine of Major League Baseball.

For anyone who is not a baseball fan, a little background is in order. The Chicago Cubs are known throughout baseball fandom as "The Lovable Losers." They have not been in the World Series since 1945 and have not won a World Series in 100 years. No other Major League baseball team can make this dubious claim to fame. Because of this dismal lack of success, many legends have arisen that have grown to mythic proportions. The most famous superstition involves the curse of the billy goat. According to this story, a diehard Cubs fan brought his pet goat to the ballpark in 1945. Near the end of the game, the fan was asked to leave because his goat "stank." As he left, he was heard to mutter, "The Cubs ain't gonna win no more. The Cubs will never win a World Series so long as the goat is not allowed in Wrigley Field." Sure enough, the Cubs lost the Series, and many Cubs fans believe the curse still exists.

That isn't the only story of superstition about the Cubs. Any fan my age or a little younger remembers all too well the collapse of the Cubs in 1969. The Cubs had a 9-game lead in the National League late in the season and looked to be a shoo-in for the World Series. But on September 9 of that year a black cat ran onto the field during an important game with the New York Mets. He circled around third baseman Ron Santo and ran off the field. The Cubs immediately went into a tailspin and eventually lost the pennant to the Mets.

Nearly every baseball fan, though, remembers the most recent evidence of the curse against Chicago. In 2003 the Cubs had one of the best pitching staffs in all of Major League baseball and were two wins away from reaching the World Series--finally. But in a playoff game against the Florida Marlins, a fan reached out to catch a foul ball that should have been caught by Cubs outfielder Moises Alou. The Marlins went on to score several runs and beat the Cubs, not only in that game, but the next, and went on to win the World Series, while the Cubs could only "wait until next year" once again. The hapless fan, Steve Bartman, became the most hated person in all of Chicago, and it is said he had to change his name and move away. In all honesty, I never thought his action caused the Cubs to lose the playoffs. But for many Cubs fans, his name has gone down in baseball folklore as further evidence of the curse.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Cubs' last World Series title, and since the pre-season the Cubs have been favored to win the pennant and possibly the World Series. So far, they have lived up to expectations, staying in first place in their division since the beginning of the season. My family watches nearly every Cub game on television, but there's nothing like a trip to see a live game, especially if this should be the year the Cubs actually win it all.

There are few places that symbolize the rich tradition of baseball like Wrigley Field. Built in 1914, it is the second oldest baseball stadium in the country. Did you know that Wrigley Field was the site for the famous "called shot" by Babe Ruth, when he supposedly pointed to an area in the outfield and hit a home run for a dying boy? The stadium has undergone a few changes over the years, the most notable one being the addition of lights in 1988. Before that time, the Cubs were the only team in baseball to play all their home games during the day. But other than the addition of lights, nothing has disturbed the historic appearance of the stadium. There are no food courts or swimming pools or trains in the outfield. There are few "bells and whistles"--while there are some small electronic scoreboards, the main scoreboard is still manned by someone who places the numbers by hand at the end of every half inning. Unlike other cities that build new billion-dollar stadiums every 20 years or so, Chicago's Wrigley Field has stood the test of time and represents baseball in its purest, original form.

Our seats on Friday were in the upper deck, but even then we had a good view of the playing field. The roof overhang provided us shelter from the sun, and the cool breeze blowing off Lake Michigan kept us comfortable.

One new addition outside the ballpark this year is this statue of Ernie Banks, known fondly to all Cub fans as "Mr. Cub." Ernie, now 77, played for the Cubs during the 50's and 60's, including the great '69 team. He epitomizes all that is good about baseball. The inscription on the statue reads "Let's play two!" This was one of Ernie's favorite sayings and represents his enthusiasm and love of the game. He was always ready to play another game. Unlike some of today's athletes, you wouldn't have found Ernie holding out during spring training for a higher salary, even though he undoubtedly made less in one year than most major leaguers make in one game today. I have vague memories of the first Cub game I ever attended as a young girl, but I do remember Ernie hitting at least two home runs on that day. He was an MVP twice and won many other awards, is on many records' lists, and was named to the Hall of Fame. His career 512 home runs all came without the benefit of steroids! Ernie came to the majors from the Negro Leagues and no doubt endured incidents of racial discrimination, yet no one remembers him complaining. His cheerful optimism and genuine love of baseball have endeared him to all baseball fans, not just Cubs fans.

My father, who will soon turn 83, has been a Cub fan all his life and often says, "It's not easy being a Cub fan." How true! It takes a special person to be a Cub fan. A true Cub fan is loyal, as evidenced by one of the best attendance records in the Major Leagues, no matter whether the team is winning or losing. Cub fans cheer for great plays and give standing ovations to players who have given their all in a game. They have even been known to give standing ovations to opposing players who have performed well. Of course, they're not perfect--occasionally they will boo a bad performance by a player, but I prefer to think these fans are the exception, rather than the rule. A true Cub fan realizes that life has a way of taking unexpected turns and that disappointments are bound to happen. Rather than agonizing over the what-ifs, a true Cub fan remains eternally optimistic; his favorite saying at the end of each losing season is "Wait till next year!" I think there are some life lessons to be learned here.

As a true Cub fan, I'm not counting on the Cubs to make it to the World Series this year, let alone win it. I will wait until October before I get too hopeful. But if you do see the Cubs successful in late September, you might want to get your affairs in order . . .the end of the world might just be near!

ABC Wednesdays are hosted by Mrs. Nesbitt and can be found altogether in a new blog.