Last Tucson Pictures

I love color.

Bisbee- Second day of our trip

Our hotel in Bisbee- cute old inn.

Castle Rock-view from our hotel.

Our inn!

Downtown Bisbee.

Tombstone- First day of our trip

Margarita at the saloon.

People in costumes in the street.

The bedroom of a man who did odd jobs at an inn in the 1800's- apparently he mined in his quarters.

Sunset in Tucson.

View from our hotel.

Finally my summer can begin!

I'm in Arizona, enjoying my first day of vacation. It feels wonderful to have no responsibilities (except a research proposal I will probably put off until the last minute). This summer was brutal, and one I hope never to repeat, but a lot of good came from it. It really emphasized what great friends and parents I have, with all the help they sent my way. I was able to take a few memorable trips camping with friends and family, though they were short. My dad pointed out that I probably did a lot more than someone who had twice the free time I did.

So not all bad, but like I said, no plans of repeating it any time soon. Instead, I'm focusing forward. Nine more months and I will have finished this degree, then there is a huge question mark for what I do next. The plan is to move where Leo is, wherever that is, but we won't know the location until next spring. Makes it harder to plan ahead, but I don't mind living in the moment for a little bit.

The current moment includes sipping a strong bloody mary in a cantina in downtown Tucson. Leo has a tricky math problem to deal with, so we started the day in Cafe Passe, an adorable coffee shop with a quaint veranda for covered outdoor eating. He studied while I tried to figure out what sort of trip we would want to take next weekend. When my hip protested so much sitting we walked along for a while before coming to an art market (Old Town Artisans) where I browsed while Leo found a spot to do his homework.

Tonight the plan is to check out the Glow Festival, an art show depicting luminescent artwork at a farm a bit out of Tucson. I'll post pics when I have some. We're trying to figure out the rest of our itinerary. In the way of things, Leo was given a bunch of work to do as soon as I got here, but I'm just happy to be with him and relax. There is a yoga studio just blocks away from his apartment that has all classes $4, so I'll go there while he is in class. I have also found that all public pools in Tucson are $2 admission, so I think I'll keep myself pretty entertained while he is doing school or tutoring. There is also that pesky research proposal, but we'll see when that happens.

Tucson Photos

The Acropolis at Sabino Canyon.

My personal swimming hole at Sabino Canyon.

Some picturesque cactus.

Sunset at the state park.

Pretty cactus blooms at Sabino Canyon.

Summer time, and the living is easy...

I did try to walk to the pool, but unfortunately it was closed. It was definitely a tease- beautiful facities, and a full pool behind big locked gates. Luckily, the friend I'll be moving in with for a short while in Seattle called, so at least I got to have a fun conversation on my way back.

Yesterday we went down town and hung out at the coffee shop "Epic". I really liked it best of all the shops we've been to in Tucson. I got a scrumptious sarsaparilla float, and read while my boyfriend worked on math homework for his PhD program. I grabbed a few used books, and I made it almost entirely through My Sister's Keeper yesterday. I finished it this morning.

Really good book. Completely different ending than the movie (how are they allowed to make a movie after a book and change the ending?). A quick read too. It's 400 or so pages, but it flows really well, and is easy to follow. Now I definitely want to see the full movie as well. As a scientist, I think the more we do as people to question bioethics, the better. Just because we can do something does not necessarily mean we should. I feel like this is going to be the big issue in about ten years, when I feel the technology for more "designer" babies will be available.

After the coffee shop we went to an Indian restaurant called "Ghandi," which I thought was a bad sign, but I really enjoyed my food, and I got a ton for $7.

After a very lazy morning we are now getting ready to go to Sabino Canyon. It's considered a must do for Tucson, and I am pretty excited to go. I will try to grab a bunch of photos and make my next blog a bunch of photos from around Tucson.