| The music you are hearing on this page was composed by and played by the Native American Flutist - R. Carlos Nakai. The piece being played is called, "Departure". |
| This is Catt Mtn. which we were able to see out our back window when we lived in Tucson. This photo, taken in 1997, showed me that it hadn't changed in 30+ years. When I was a teenager I climbed that mountain with two other girls. Once at the top I sat and surveyed the miles upon miles of open space surrounding me. I have never been more at peace than at that moment ... it was sublime. Coming down from the mountain was NOT sublime however. In one spot it was easier to slide down than to climb down and so that's what I did ... much to my regret. You see, I slid directly into a "Teddy Bear Cholla' ... a cactus with spines that look very soft and cuddly, much like a teddy bear ... but quite definitely NOT like a teddy bear! It took several days to get all those nasty spines out of my butt!! |
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| SOUTHEWEST MEMORIES Page Two |
| Catt Mtn. Tucson, Arizona February 1997 |
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| THIS is a 'soft and cuddly' Teddy Bear Cholla like that mentioned above. NOT quite so nice when you sit on one I'm afraid!! By the way, cholla is pronounced choy-a. |
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| Teddy Bear Cholla |
| Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum |
| This was taken on that same trip to Tucson in Feb. 1997. The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is just a few miles down the road from where I lived as a teenager. This is one of the paths that connect the different animal areas. As you can see, THIS desert CAN be green!! It is located in the Sonoran Desert and is a wonderful and virtually complete microcosm of the flora and fauna found in the Sonoran Desert which is HUGE. |
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| San Xavier del Bac |
| San Xavier is located south of Tucson and is situated on an Indian reservation where it serves as both church AND school to the Native Americans that it has so faithfully served for many, many, years. The unfinshed bell tower has many legends ... one of which is that a worker fell to his death as it was being contructed and so was never completed. More likely they just ran out of money. San Xavier is also known as the White Dove of the Desert. |
| All of the photos on this page were either taken from the web or come from my own photos. These places were all ones that I first saw as a teenager and that I have revisted in recent years. |
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| Casa Grande National Monument |
| Case Grande sits between Phoenix and Tucson and when I first saw it there was no roof over it. That has been added in recent years to preserve what was left of this ancient structure. This was a several storied building and there are also the remains of many smaller buildings surrounding it. When I last visited here in Feb. 1997 it was virtually deserted. No hoards of tourists ... just my husband and I and the spirits of those long deceased. This is where I first heard the music of R. Carlos Nakai and fell in love with it. It was being piped from the visitor center to the grounds ... it was mystical and magical and I will never forget it. |
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