Tucson - Study in Contrasts

Tucson, Arizona is a rather medium-sized city in the middle of a desert. Why people ever thought in the first place to live in the desert is beyond me. And when I say, "in the first place," that is to say the children of Adam and Eve, or whoever was the first to say, "wow, here's a hot, dry, arid, death-trap of a place with no water, let's settle down," just amaze me. So, here in the middle of the desert you see the "old" and the "new" contrasted against each other as those who were somewhat more "original" and really laid the groundwork for those to come are squeezed out by the new, certainly less colorful and less pleasing.
Despite new arrivals, ancient survivors remain. I simply cannot see a roadrunner and not think of Saturday morning cartoons. Why was the roadrunner smarter than the coyote? All I could tell from meeting them is they are curios and they are fast. They are also a pretty bird. I don't know what they look like in flight because I never saw one fly.
Above is a picture of some of the beautiful fauna that must have attracted the original settlers. It seems EVERY plant in the dessert has spines or stickers or something that poses into you. I suppose they are so busy trying to get water they simply have no time or energy for anything else, like fending off natural predators. So, just grow some stickers in the first place and then don't worry about it. Somehow the birds find ways to nest and perch on these plants. Hmmm. Which bird was it that first thought, "boy the dessert would be a wonderful place ..."
Of course the Cindy Rowe golf team is under a great deal of pressure to keep winning. This was the third year in a row that we have won the tournament. We started it off right with a birdie on the first hole. Kirk Reed and Brian Clayton are workmates (left and right) while James O'Malley is a supplier/firend. James and I have played in the member-guest tournament at the country club for 3 years running now.

At the end of the day I hiked a large hill to get a view of the city and take some pictures. This is what I saw. It was a little scary to wait for the right moment because I knew better than to be up there in the dark but the light just kept getting better and better. I probably got even better than this, but I did the smart thing and booked it down the hill (20 minutes) before complete darkness set in.