Tucson

A Trip to the 50th State in Our 50th Year!
We left San Antonio on Dec 31 and spent time visiting friends in Fredricksburg, Texas.  Late in the afternoon, we headed another 60-70 miles west to Sonora, Texas. 

Holy Family in Sonora Texas

But daily mass was in a chapel in the parish office building

Back on the road to west Texas and New Mexico.  We overnighted in Las Cruces and then headed on to Tucson

More mountains and a little higher in eleveation

Our lodging here is at the Air Force Inn at Davis Monthan

Across the street from the AF Inn is the Catholic Chapel

The Creche had some unique elements . . .

. . . that reflected the military mission

Daily mass next day at noon

In addition to being an operating Air Force Base, Davis Monthan is also one of several aircraft storage facilities - the so called "airplane boneyard"

Airplanes are lined up in groups according to type

Hundreds, maybe thousands of C-130's

and P-3's

Some of teh airplanes are used to supply repair parts for aircraft still in service

B-52's

Big airplanes like this C-5

And small airplanes

A B-1 bomber

Helicopters

Our next stop was south of Tucson at Mission San Xavier

The facade was damaged in an earthquake but is still in quite good shape

The interior is in remarkable condition, reflecting that this is an active church

The main altar facade or "east wall" is ornate and has many details

The topmost part of the facade reflects the special relationship between God and the Blessed Virgin. Here the angels pull the cords to open the world to her beauty and grace

This representation of the Blessed Virgin is unique in that she wears earrings! 

The side altars are also beautiful

The right side altar is for Our Mother or Sorrows

The overhead is also decorated beautifully

This painting of the Last Supper has a couple of interesting items - Judas holding the money bag and a dark, evil looking head near the lower right corner representing the presence of Satan

in this type of architecture, symmetry is important. This painted door is opposite a real door 

This wood carving is of Mohawk St Katerei Tekakwitha

This wood carving of one of the saints is popular place to leave small items of affection

This unique creche reflects the Native American populace that this mission serves

In the museum is this woven grass mat monstrance

This diorama shows the original mission

Another tribute to Mohawk St Katerei Tekakwitha

This small chapel was used to serve the cemetery adjacent to the church

This hill next to the mission hosts a way of the cross. You can see the cross at the top

This mercado just off the plaza had a number of Native American craft stores

The next stop was Sauaro National Park

The visitor center was great with much info and a suggestion from one of the rangers that we visit Signal Hill

The road to Signal Hill was dirt and had a "washboard" texture

Bob just had to test the cactus spines

The trail to Signal Hill was uphill - both ways!

The trip was worthwhile just to see the petroglyphs - art on rocks

Bob couldn't resist!

Next, University of Arizona

The students were not back from Christmas break, but most of the campus was still not open to traffic. 

But much of the campus was accessible by car

Another place we wanted to check out was Mercado

This little building holds coffee shops, restaurants and

Shops such as this bike shop with some unique offerings

Nearby is a 4-5 block long stretch on 4th Avenue with all kinds of unusual shops, bars, and restaurants

Also close by is the Presidio - the original center of Tucson

At first, we couldn't find the entrance!

But inside, is a neat museum with a wealth of info

The stack here are adobe bricks held together with mud mortar

Typical quarters for the Spanish soldiers

The original plan spread over several city blocks

The charter for Presidio Tucson

Much of the story is in this mural

These were used to grind grains

Not sure if this VW beetle was here when the Presidio was active fort

La Cocina is nearby Presidio and contains restaurants, shops, and a pub 

The kitchen is in the red rimmed windowed area

We enjoyed a light snack there - PBR

and polenta fries

The Dusky Monk was not open when we visited

Noon mass at the Cathedral

Statues in front honor Jesus and . . .

. . . His Mother

This archway was moved across the street while construction is underway north of the Cathedral

The narthex was unique in that the walls are a mural

Even the "balcony"

St Maximilian Kolbe

The interior of the Cathedral

St Mother Teresa

Add caption

Side altars

The main altar

Under the crucifix is the cathedra - the chair of the bishop

We had never heard of Franklin automobiles

and decided to visit the Franklin museum on the north side

There are probably 20-25 Franklins here

This was an air cooled engine so there was no need for a big grill and radiator

We had our own personal guide who was quite well versed on the Franklin

Add caption

While there was no need for a grill (no radiator), people thought the Franklin looked "funny" without the grill, so they added one

The hood often contained air channels to route cooling air through the engine

This display shows the air cooled cylinder and the fan

Franklin also built aircraft engines - large ones and . . .

. . .  large ones

Some Franklins came with custom made luggage designed to fit the "trunk"

A transverse engine! in 1906!

The battery pack

They built a few trucks

This was one of the first

The headlamps were powered by acetylene

The cars came with tool kits

This Packard was in a garage up front

The Packard straight eight

The supercharged Franklin

This wheel was found after years in the desert - no rust but it would be tough to reuse!

Davis Monthan AFB has a great display of Viet Nam era airplanes

The U-2

The "Super Saber"

This moving sculpture highlights that not all made it home but spent a lifetime as POWs

The A-10 - the "Thud"

Finally, a trip up Mount Lemon

The experience is the drive and climb

There are numerous pull-offs and vistas

The capstone to our visit to Tucson was an evening with Bob's cousin E.J and his wife Barbara

The last day, we went to morning mass at Mother of Sorrows

The12th Station of the Cross is unique in that it is also a place to venerate the cross

Tomorrow, we head for Phoenix - actually Goodyear - to visit with Theresa's cousin Jim Fry and his wife Jean.

Then, we'll spend a couple of days with Terry and Judy Stanley in Surprise Arizona.

Then, San Diego and our cruise! Not sure when the next post will be - stay tuned.