The coldest night of the season hit us this week when temps dipped below freezing. Snows hit the upper elevations and the mountains, but here in the valley it was just cold. When I awoke and drove for breakfast into the city, fog was so thick that visibility was down to about 30 yards. As the morning sun melted away the fog, the skies cleared and I was startled to see the snow-capped mountains surround Tucson.

I took this picture from the parking lot of the shopping center where I work. What a beautiful scene.
The snow melted within a day or so and the mountains were back to normal. Temps are beginning to warm back up and we'll see a normal sunny day with little or no rain.

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The Philadelphia Eagles slammed the Cowboys today, giving the Pokes their second defeat of the season. If they continue to play this bad, forget any success in the playoffs.

I was driving down Broadway after work yesterday and saw this car in front of me. I had to take the photo...Cowboy fans are everywhere. They'll need to update their window, however, now that Dallas is 12-2.

Nothing much happening today, just work. The rain continues. The sun is usually out with Tucsonians involved in their outdoor hobbies and work, but for the last few days the rain has forced everyone inside. I'll be glad when the storms move out of here so at least I'll be able to find a seat at my local Sbux.

A retail UPS Store at Christmas is a madhouse. Gas may be $3 a gallon, but that and a slow economy hasn't slowed the pace of people shipping Christmas gifts around the world. I began this morning at 11 a.m. and didn't have a chance to catch my breath until mid-afternoon. It was a steady barrage of nonstop shipping, faxing, wrapping, processing, and general mayhem. We finally slowed to a snail's pace around 6 p.m. It will more of the same until Christmas week.

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I'm listening to the new album Raising Sand, a collaboration between Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. Do yourself a favor and listen to the entire album, for free, online at http://www.robertplantalisonkrauss.com/site.php .

I've not written much here, because I've taken some time off from the felt. It's been good for me. I've been playing a lot the last few months and I needed a break. I'm not sure how the professional poker player does it. The game is fun and I enjoy nothing more than sitting in a poker room with a stack of chips in front of me with a nice group of players.

But 50 hours of poker play, week after week, can be draining. While many players claim to be professionals, earning the majority of their income from poker, I believe most of them have other interest away from the table. Some have local businesses they own in Las Vegas. Others may write books or travel or attend poker training camps as instructors. The point is, they have a life outside the poker room.

I'll be getting back to the poker room, soon. And I plan on writing more about my experiences, especially about the characters I meet along the way. For me, poker is a great game because of the people you meet. But I'll always have a life and other interests to keep me sane.

It rained again today, making me wonder about the so-called desert around here. I guess it does rain in the desert, especially as the seasons change. But it's been raining for almost week now. Temperatures remain moderate, however, so I'm not complaining. The sun will be out soon.
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Tucson is definitely growing on me. I met a nice couple from Texas who have been living here for a few years (he works for the railroad and was transferred from El Paso and has kids living in Austin) and I told them, "I can see why you like living here. I'm beginning to think I want to spend winter here and summer in Santa Fe." They agreed. For them, their summer retreat is in Ruidoso, New Mexico where they own a cabin.

When I set out from Texas (seems like years ago, but its only been a few months) my first idea was to take my time while traveling to Las Vegas, thinking I might settle down in Henderson or some other town on the outskirts of Sin City. And to be honest, I may still do that. But I'm becoming more intrigued by the idea of living in two places, with some traveling about to keep things interesting.

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I'm trying to decide on what to do with my blogs. I have three blogs, but also want to begin a blog for my interest in art. Do I create another blog devoted to art? Or, do I combine all of my interests into one major site? I have five main areas of interest right now: writing, art, photography, poker, and traveling (or at least a blog of my journey on the road as it currently exists).

My photography blog, Photographium, is at http://photographium.blogspot.com. My writing blog, WriteFinger, is at http://writefinger.blogspot.com. And of course I have this blog, 1100 Miles to Vegas, which I began when I hit the road. My poker site, The Seven Seat (or The 7 Seat, if you prefer), is at http://www.7Seat.com. I'm also a former REALTOR and broker of real estate, but I'm switching my interest from sales to investing. I would also like a blog-slash-website on real estate investing. My question: what's the best way to organize all of these interests, where I can write about and promote my various hobbies?

I'm of the belief that the more blogs/websites you have, the more likely you are to catch an audience. But I may be wrong. Maybe I need just one site that plays host to all of my hobbies. I'm getting a headache just contemplating the ideas bouncing around in my head.

The Cowboys and The Lady of Guadalupe

I was scheduled to work today, but business was a little slow so I found myself with the day off. I spent the first part of my day watching the Dallas Cowboys come from behind and beat the Detroit Lions. I viewed the game at the Fox and Hound Sports Bar and Grill near the Foothills Mall. The game was a squeaker, with Dallas lucky to pull it out at the end with a touchdown from Tony Romo to Jason Witten with 18 seconds remaining. Dallas clinched the Eastern Division Championship and a first-round playoff bye.

After the game I had time to make it for the last two hours of the La Fiesta de Guadalupe on the grounds of the adobe gallery and chapel built by foremost Southwestern painter, the late Ted De Grazia. DeGrazia's Gallery in the Sun was host to spirited outdoor performances by mariachi groups, folklorico dancers, traditional Yaqui deer dances, ethnic foods, La Posada procession, and arts and crafts. The Fiesta celebrates the Lady of Guadalupe, Mexico's patron saint.

I stayed until the last remaining event, which was a "las posadas procession" to the Mission of the Sun (the chapel built by DeGrazia) by students of the Carrillo Elementary Magnet School. "La Posadas," the remarkable buildup to Christmas Eve, is perhaps the most delightful and unique Mexican tradition.

The procession commemorates the events in the journey of Mary and Joseph from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Children carry a small pine-decorated platform bearing replicas of Joseph and Mary riding a burro. Other members of the company, all with lighted long slender candles, sing the "Litany of the Virgin" as they approach the door of the house assigned to the first "Posada." Together they chant an old traditional song and awaken the mast of the house to ask lodging for Mary. Those within the house threaten the company with beatings unless they move on. Again, the company pleads for admittance. When the owner of the house finally learns who his guests are, he jubilantly throws open the doors and bids them welcome. All kneel around the manger scene or "Nacimiento" and offer songs of welcome, Ave Marias and a prayer.

I took these photos of the children leading the "la posada procession" to the Mission of the Sun.


These children were among the dancing groups who performed throughout the day.

A Sunday at Play

After three days of rain, it was nice to see the sun rise above the mountains of the Tucson valley. November was the warmest on record for Tucson, and maybe the most arid. This was the first rain I'd seen since being here.

However, today the sun was out and it was a beautiful day to play. Slightly cool, but not cold by any stretch, I had my day planned out precisely. First, I had my morning coffee at a Starbucks on Skyline Road in the Foothills of northern Tucson. The views are breathtaking there, and I wonder if I will ever get used to them. With coffee mug in hand, I went across the street to the La Encantada shopping center. The La Encantada is the premier upscale outdoor shopping center in Tucson, and I wanted to drink my coffee there on the patio among the beautiful plants and Christmas decorations. I took my art-pack with me and spent a couple of hours drawing the shadows and hues reflecting on the adobe walls adorning the courtyard. (I took these photos while there.)

My second stop of the day was the DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun located a couple of miles from the La Encantada. I spent two hours at the grave of Ted DeGrazia, who is buried near his beloved "Mission in the Sun." It's very peaceful and quiet there, and I spent the time drawing an altar built of stones located near his grave. My drawing tablet is becoming a "journal" of the places I visit, and I'm teaching myself the fundamentals of drawing by reading used books I purchased at the bookstore. At the first of the year, I'll be taking art classes at night offered by a local artist.

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An art and crafts show sponsored by the Tucson Arts and Crafts Association was my third stop for the day. I drove east from the DeGrazia Gallery along Skyline Drive until I reached Kolb Ave. The Ventana Plaza shopping center is located just south of the intersection, and the parking lot was full of booths from local artists and crafts persons. I spent an hour walking around and taking photos, as usual. (See photos below.) I met as many of the local artists as I could. Some were from the Phoenix area, and other parts of Arizona.

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I had an lengthy discussion with a fine arts photographer from Phoenix. His photographs were of flowers and other plant life, enlarged to enormous scale, then presented on canvas using the Giclee printing process. I asked him what format he used (35 mm), and if any fine arts photographers had made the switch to digital photography (not yet...digitals limit the size of enlargements you are able to produce).

The fine arts photographer pictured above displayed photos from around the world, including scenes from Paris, Venice, and London.

After the art show I dropped by a Laundromat and washed clothes. Local Laundromats have their own kind of art on display: dirty tile floors, broken down washing machines, and cash machines that are supposed to provide you with quarters but almost never work.

I finished my day back at Starbucks, as usual, to do some reading and writing. Today was a great way to begin the month of December in a very beautiful city in the desert.

Cowboys vs. Packers, Round 1

The Cowboys outlasted the Packers last night and continue on their history-making season with a 11-1 record. What a great game. Unfortunately, the game was not available for 70% of the viewing audience and commited fans had to find a sports bar offering the game via the NFL Network.

I watched the game at the Touchdown Sports Bar on Broadway Blvd. on the east side of Tucson near the Parks Place Mall. Touchdowns is a typical sports bar-slash-restaurant with big screen TVs and pool tables.

I arrived two minutes before kick-off and the place was already standing room only. Every seat, stool, and bench was taken. Some fans were even sitting on the floor. I found the edge of a cushioned bench and watched the game "sitting" on my knees, turned backward on the bench, viewing the TV screen on the opposite side of the room. A ledge above the bench served as my table.

I met two men working for Raytheon in Dallas who were in town for a meeting (Raytheon is the largest employer in Tucson). We were not the only Cowboy fans. The place was split almost evenly between Cowboys and Packers fans. The atmosphere was much like a Super Bowl game's, each play bringing boos and cheers. It was no doubt one of the most entertaining games so far this year.

I'm beginning to settle in for the Winter. I can't think of a better place than Tucson. Now that I've been here for a couple of weeks, it's starting to feel like home. Unless something changes, I'll be here until Spring.

I've taken a job at another UPS store. I applied at seven different stores before one hired me on the spot. Most of the stores have managers who are taking a lot of applications, wanting to take a week or two before hiring someone. The store that eventually hired me has a manager who acts quickly, decisively, and doesn't look back.

"Hi. I'm Mitch. I worked at a UPS store in Albuquerque and was wondering if you needed some help," I said.

"So you've worked at a UPS store?" she asked. "When can you start?" She glanced at the application for maybe five seconds before offering me a job. The whole meeting took less than ten minutes. At the end of our brief conversation I said, "Well, I'm glad to finally find a manager at a UPS store that can make a quick decision."

What's the difference between this manager and the other six? Business sense and a willingness to frame a decision by the circumstances. I can't think of one legitimate reason that it should take the manager of a retail store to take two weeks to make a decision on hiring someone. After all, they aren't hiring brain surgeons. Managing a retail store isn't that complicated, unless you make it that way.

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I've been playing cards at the Casino del Sol, run by the Pascua Yaqui Indians. Their reservation is located southwest of downtown Tucson. One night I went to the other card room in town at the Desert Diamond Casino, but was turned off by the lack of adequate parking and the construction taking place. The Desert Diamond is building a hotel next to the casino, and until it's finished, it's just not worth the trouble to go there.
I was leaving the Casino del Sol one day last week and saw this beautiful moon rising above the horizon. I tried to quickly take a photo. Of course, this photo doesn't do any justice to the view I had.

The last time I was at the card room the "Bad Beat" jackpot was over $52,000. At that amount, the jackpot will be shared by all the players in the room at the time it hits. The split is 50/30/20, meaning the winner of the jackpot gets 50% of the prize money, 30% is shared by the other players at the winning table, and the remaining 20% is shared by all the other players in the room. My poker blog is at http://www.7seat.com/.

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I met an interesting guy today at work. He was returning a box of CD's to Canada, so I asked him if he was a musician. "Well, I'm actually what you might call a performing artist."

It turns out his name is Vincent Redhouse, and he's a grammy nominated Navajo recording artist who plays a flute. Check his out his web site. A very cool guy. He told me he played at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. last week. According to his web site, he was there to perform in the "Native Classics Recital on Traditional Native flute with Classical guitarist Gabriel Ayala."

Ted DeGrazia's Gallery in the Sun

I've been wanting to visit Ettore "Ted" DeGrazia's "Gallery in the Sun" ever since I first read about him when coming to Tucson. The internationally known artist of Southwestern culture, especially Indian children and family life, chose a 10-acre site to build his home, studio, and gallery in the foothills of the Catalina Mountains.

An American impressionist painter, sculptor, and lithographer. Self-described as "the world's most reproduced artist", DeGrazia is known for his pastel images of Native American children of the American Southwest and other Western scenes. In 1951, with the help of local Indian friends, he built the Mission in the Sun using water and construction materials he hauled to the site with his old car. Other buildings which came later included his home, a studio, and gallery to showcase his artwork. The gallery was built in 1965.

In 2006, the ten-acre property, now a museum of DeGrazia's work, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. He died in 1982, and is buried by the Mission.

DeGrazia's work first appeared in "Arizona Highways" magazine in 1941. In 1960, DeGrazia received a commission to produce cover art for UNICEF greeting cards. His designs have appeared on lithographs, collector plates, greeting cards, and in a series of Hummel figurines.

Photos from my visit to the Gallery in the Sun

The ten-acre site has walking trails and a wonderful collection of local plant life. The property is open each day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Local artists can usually be found sitting on benches along the trail, as well as locals and tourists just wanting a peaceful moment in the beautiful setting.

The Gallery contains many photographs of DeGrazia at work on the Mission and construction of the other buildings. I took a couple of snapshots showing the artist at work (below).

In the picture above, he is working on the murals which he painted throughout the complex, especially on the interior walls of the Mission in the Sun

This picture is of DeGrazia and his wife Marion at their original studio location on Campbell Road in 1946. The Gallery in the Sun was begun in 1951 on a different site, on Swan Drive just north its intersection with Skyline Drive.

The following photos were taken inside the Gallery. Describing the inspiration for building the structure, DeGrazia says:

"The gallery was designed by me and I wanted to get the feeling of the Southwest. I wanted to build it so that my paintings would feel good inside of it. As you come to it, the Entrance, there's the Yuma Prison gate. And it's built like a tunnel. I like tunnels. Then I tried to have the feeling around the gallery, no windows, because my business is pictures, and if you have windows you can't have pictures, so all the lighting in the Gallery's from the roof. And then I try to control that by achieving, through color, different effects."

The photos below were taken from a display of DeGrazia's personal belongings, representing his work as an artist. You'll notice his boots, a cigar, his easel, paint and brushes, a bottle of whiskey, and Redman tobacco.

Inside the Gallery, one room has seating for groups where they can watch a video documentary of DeGrazia's life and work. The walls of the room are covered with huge photographs of the artist (see below).

A couple of scenic shots from my walk along the trails winding their way throughout the property:

Photographs of the "Mission in the Sun" (Below)

The Mission or "Chapel" was the first structure DeGrazia built on the ten-acre site in 1951. The interior walls have murals painted by the artist. The Mission was built to honor Father Kino and dedicated to our Lady of Guadalupe, patron saint of Mexico.

Annual Tucson Museum of Art's "Arts and Crafts Fair"

This morning I spent two hours walking through over 100 booths of local artists and craftspersons at the annual Arts and Crafts Fair at the Tucson Museum of Art.