Tubac villager January 2006 by tubac villager

January 2006

Arizona Native

by Roseann & Jonathan Hanson

Tubac History by Mary Bingham

Santa Cruz County Update

by Kathleen Vandervoet

TCA Home Tour

Swiggett Home by Maggie Milinovitch

Artist ProďŹ le

Painter Tom Hill by Joseph Birkett

Tubac MAP Celebrating the Art of Living in Southern Arizona!

Tubac

Villager

January 2006 Cover Art

is based in Tubac and published monthly to provide a communication resource for all who wish to participate.

The Tubac Villager is made possible through the support of our advertisers... please visit their unique businesses and let them know where you saw their ad.

Publishers/Editors:

January 13 – Southern Arizona Artist Show & Brunch at Cobalt Fine Arts Gallery. Gourmet brunch - Limited seating - 398-1200

M I D - D AY L I G H T Guanajuato, Mex

b y To m H i l l watercolor 22” x 16”

Find Tom Hill’s book, ”Travels With My Paintbrush” at the Tubac Center of the Arts.

Maggie Milinovitch Joseph Birkett

County Update Editor Kathleen Vandervoet Contributors:

January 6 - 5-7 pm – Opening reception of the Members’ Juried Exhibitiion 2006, Tubac Center of the Arts. Exhibit runs through February 12th. January 2, 9, 16, 23 - 9 am-1:00 pm. Studio Art Workshop – Pastels with Jean Ranstrom. All levels. Cost $150 (non-member $165) Call Tubac Center of the Arts 398-2371 for details.

Opinions expressed do not necessarily reﬂect those of the advertisers or the publishers. All articles are the property of the writer named and may not be reproduced without permission of the author. The Villager is distributed to over 190 Tucson locations and provided free of charge at locations in Tubac, Tumacacori, Carmen, Green Valley, Patagonia, Nogales, Rio Rico, Amado and Arivaca, AZ.

Tubac Event Calendar

Mary Bingham Jonathan & Roseann Hanson Meg Keoppen Ruth Papini Carol St. John

January 14 - 4TH ANNUAL TUBAC HOME TOUR 10a – 4p- six Tubac residences will open to the public for the 4th Annual Tubac Home Tour, 10 am – 4 pm. A plein-air artist with easel will be painting at each home. The First Annual Tubac Paint-Out and Auction will accompany the Home Tour event. For ticket information call 398-2371 January 19 - 9:30-3:00. 5-Ring Circus of Art Extravaganza - for art lovers and artists of all levels of interest and experience. Artists Hugh Beykirch, Ann Over, Jean Makela, Carol St. John, Jean Ranstrom, Beth Ray and Barbara Reeves - all-day event of fun and learning from working artists about composition, color and various media. Lunch will be catered. January 21st – 10am - 12th Annual Tubac Car Show - More than 500 collector cars, trucks & motorcycles. Awards presented at 3pm. Spectator parking $2 per car. Spectator entry fee $2/person. Kids under 12 free. Rain date is January 28. Sponsored by the Santa Cruz Valley Car Nuts.

Map drawing by Bruce Pheneger, architect.

We welcome your letters and input.

TO CONTACT THE VILLAGER: Write: P.O. Box 4018 Tubac, AZ 85646 Phone: 520-398-3980 or Email: TubacVillager@aol.com

January 25 - Live Theatre Performance - The explosively funny Dearly Departed produced by Live Theatre Workshop of Tucson will be presented on the Tubac Center’s stage. Tickets on sale now. Call Tubac Center of the Arts 398-2371 for details.

Mondays, Feb. 6, 13, 20 at 10amnoon. Interior Design Workshop Basics of interior design – the use of light, color and balance. Field trip to a nearby residence to see a personal style of decorating. Instructor Laurine Morrison Meyer, author of Sacred Home: Creating Shelter for Your Soul. Call Tubac Center of the Arts 398-2371 for details. February 8-12 - TUBAC FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS - 10 am to 5 pm Arizona’s longest running art festival, the 47th Annual Tubac Festival of the Arts showcases the work of hundreds of visiting artists, craft persons and musicians from around the country and as far away as Canada and Chile. Feb 10th - The Fabulous Chinese Acrobats, sponsored by Young Audiences of Santa Cruz County. James K. Clark Performing Arts Center at Nogales High School. Tickets $10 Adults & $5 Children & Students. For info, call 520-397-7914 or send email youngaudiences@yascc.com. Feb 20-23, 10 am – 2 pm Studio Art Workshop – Abstracts in Acrylics with Linda Ging. All levels. Cost $375 (non-member $400) Call Tubac Center of the Arts 398-2371 for details. March 25-26, 2006 – Artwalk – local artist show April 8, 2006 – Taste of Tubac – A tasting of savory cuisine and wine – entertainment, door prizes, silent auction. Sponsored by the Tubac Rotary. Ticket information – 3983998 Mar 6, 13, 20, 27. 10am-noon, 1-2 pm Studio Art Workshop Oil Painting with Ines Pastor Leonard All levels. 12-12:30pm: Questions/discussion; bring bag lunch. Cost $150 (nonmember $165) Call Tubac Center of the Arts 398-2371 for details.

Wednesdays at the Center Join us for a fascinating, informal, intimate series of talks as artists reflect upon art, their own work and artistic creation. The artists donate their time, energy and talent in support of our youth programs. Call Tubac Center of the Arts 398-2371 for details. Wed, Jan 11. Ines Pastor Leonard, Painter. 5:30-6:30 pm Wed, Feb 15. Nicholas Wilson, Painter. 5:30-6:30 pm Wed, March 29. Jim Fergus, Writer. 5:30-6:30 pm ON-GOING – Farmer’s Market – Thursdays 10a – 2p – Plaza de Anza in Barrio de Tubac – food, music, arts & crafts. ON-GOING - Tubac Presidio State Historic Park - 520.398.2252 Nature Walks every Tues. Call for details. Sundays Oct-Mar - Los Tubaquenos Living History Program - costumed volunteers engage park visitors in the daily lives of people who lived in or around the Spanish garrison. 1-4pm. ON-GOING – Jan 15, ‘05 - March 27, Tumacacori National Park – Santa Cruz River Walks – Sat & Sun mornings 10 am. 1 ½ hour walks start at the Visitor Center. 520-398-2341, ext 0 Tours of Calabazas & Guevavi Missions – Tumacacori National Park – Wednesdays 9am – Oct though March. Reservations required – 520398-2341 ext. 0, Cost $10pp

Î To post your Tubac Event, e-mail your concise information to Maggie at: TubacVillager@aol.com

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PURA VIDA

MASSAGE THERAPY KENYON RANCH, TUBAC, AZ

Integrated bodywork using desert botanical oils.

ANGELA MAXWELL, L.M.T 520.909.9691

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Lots from the $200s

Coming in January, 2003 French Bordeauxʼs. Great addition to any cellar from the novice to collector.

Arizona

by Jonathan & Roseann Hanson

Around our place, certain birds have really become more active than usual— the woodpeckers (or maybe in our area, more appropriately the cactuspeckers).

Their flight pattern is a vertiginous display typical of woodpeckers—a combination half flapping, half freefalling swoop that creates a wild multiarced trajectory, like a child’s drawing of a tempestuous ocean. A distinctive black and white ladder-backed pattern and the male’s red cap identifies the Gila woodpecker, a year-round resident of southern Arizona, as it hangs on the side of a saguaro or telephone pole.

Finding Gila woodpeckers is never a problem. Ignoring them—now that’s a problem. That piercing EEK!EEK!EEK! or churr!churr! is a constant reminder of their presence for a hiker in the desertscrub. And many a city dweller spends several weeks in early spring waking at dawn to the machine gun rattle of a woodpecker hammering away on a vent pipe on the roof, not, as some suppose, looking for nonexistent ferrous insects, but advertising his territory with the handiest amplifier he can find. That cleverness extends to the Gila woodpecker’s choice of housing as well. This species was acquainted with the concepts of insulation and thermal mass eons before humans began constructing energy-efficient homes. The Gila woodpecker usually excavates its nest hole in the fleshy trunk of the saguaro cactus. The bird bores into the moist tissue and then down, creating a safe hollow. The cactus exudes a hard coating that seals the lining of the nest—and creates the “saguaro boots”

that collectors love, which endure long after the rest of the cactus has died and disintegrated. The thick walls of the nest provide a thermal buﬀer which attenuates the temperature swings of the outside air. For example, at 3 p.m.on a 104-degree June day the temperature at the bottom of the hole might be 10 degrees lower, while at three the next morning, when the outside temperature is 80 degrees, the nest interior might be 88 or 89. Extremes of winter cold are dampened as well. You won’t see the woodpeckers drilling nest holes before the nesting season, but afterwards. Why? Because the saguaro takes several months to coat the freshly excavated hole with its callous lining. So the nest the woodpecker builds this year is actually an investment in next year’s housing.

Another kind of woodpecker—the northern flicker—also excavates nests in saguaros, but there is a vital difference between the two. The Gila woodpecker bores into the thick, lower part of the trunk and the resulting hole does not penetrate the woody skeleton of the cactus. The flicker, on the other hand, uses the top part of the trunk, where the flesh is thinner, and often chisels right through the ribs into the heart of the plant. This can severely weaken the structure—so much so, in fact, that the uppermost portion can topple. The resulting open wound leaves the saguaro vulnerable to bacterial necrosis, a fatal affliction. It is unclear how the flicker developed its potentially destructive habit, or what the long-term effects might be on a saguaro population that is beginning to face many other threats.

Border House Bistro

Come by & book your Holiday Party with us.

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�� Gift Baskets Gift Certiﬁcates ��

FOR SALE TUBAC 9/10th acre lot. Absolutely gorgeous X-large home w/ French doors to back porch w/completely unobstructed views of the Santa Rita Mountains, security alarm, plus more! $550,000, Owner ﬁnance 1-520-3226876

Plaza Iguala . 12 Plaza Rd #A . Tubac

FOR SALE RIO RICO Owner ﬁnance / no qualify, gorgeous, upgraded 3BR / 2BA home, X-Large lot. 1-520-322-6876

•Steak • Fresh Seafood • The Freshest Produce & Salads •Wine & Spirits • Catering Services • Culinary Classes

Serving daily Lunch 11-3 & Dinner 5-9 Wed - Italian Night • Thurs - Pizza & Pasta Night • Dinner Specials Every Night

Native

Nature & Culture i n t h e Tu b a c R e g i o n

and screech owls, kestrels, cactus wrens, doves and other birds, and sometimes mice and lizards.

If you have a question, feel free to email us: desertnature@direcway.com or see our website at www.DesertNewcomer.com

The female Gila woodpecker lays two to four eggs in February or March. The eggs hatch in about two weeks, after which both parents take turns in foraging for food, including insects, insect larvae and cactus fruit pulp. The young are fed for a time even after they are ﬂedged and able to ﬂy.

520-398-3165

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Come by & see our beautiful tin & copper wall sconces, mesquite furniture, home decor, fountains, Talavera tile & patio furnishings.

Arizona Native is a regular feature in the Tubac Villager, about the natural world that surrounds us, and about humans who live it and love it, from ranchers to hunters to conservationists. Send us ideas and suggestions!

The woodpeckers’ holes beneﬁt many other species. Since woodpeckers construct new holes each year, the old ones are adopted by a variety of freeloaders: elf

Jonathan & Roseann Hanson are native southern Arizonans and authors of a dozen nature books, including Southern Arizona Almanac. Jonathan is a contributor Nature Almanac to Outside Magazine, writes for hunting conservation magazines, and recently authored There’s a Bobcat In My Backyard! about living with and enjoying urban wildlife. Roseann is director of the African Conservation Fund, based in the U.S. and East Africa. She is also a silversmith and lapidary, and a member of the Tubac Center of the Arts. Open Seven Days 10-5p

La Cucaracha de Tubac is located in La Entrada Plaza 4A Plaza Road

Blue Green Heaven

Oil paintings by David DeVary

A blue-green 9.50 carat Australian Boulder Opal Pendant accented by two round brilliant diamonds totaling .25 carat weight. A masterpiece hand crafted by Damian Koorey in 18kt yellow gold. Designs $1,295 to $42,000 Left: alder dining table,chairs, and buffet with bloodwood,mahogany, copper inlay. Far right: mahogany hall table with bloodwood inlay.

Custom made furnishings exclusively styled for our gallery by Joseph. 520-398-2913

1 Calle Baca, Tubac, AZ

www.ttfurniture.com

� �� Designs De esigns •�� •��

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C o u nty Citizens Council voted to pay a consultant, Tanis Salant, to prepare a report on the topic. As of the end of December, she was still completing the project.. By Kathleen Vandervoet

Should Tubac incorporate?

Tubac is an unincorporated area. If residents want to incorporate, some government would occur at the local level, such as a town council, a police department and a planning commission.

It’s a controversial issue with strong opinions both pro and con. Members of the Santa Cruz Valley

Gary Brasher, president of the citizens council, pointed out at the group’s Dec. 19 meeting that the council does not have a position on the issue but rather that it makes sense that the organization be the one that helps get the idea out to the public.

The council plans to hold one or more public town halls on incorporation. Brasher said that he expects those won’t begin until February. He said he hopes to announce the date of the ﬁrst town hall at the Monday, Jan. 16, meeting of the council.

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Get Fresh! Tubac Farmers’ Market

Commercial project stalled

Calling it a “dilemma,” the Santa Cruz County Planning and Zoning Commission delayed a decision about a 39-acre development on the west side of Tubac just south of Interstate 19’s Exit 34. Tubac resident Roy Ross has proposed building a small shopping center for retail stores and an area of 70 duplexes and triplexes. The land already has business zoning but county guidelines don’t allow for residences there.

About 20 individuals attended a public hearing held in Nogales on Dec. 8 and 10 speakers said they opposed the change Ross was requesting.

Concerns centered on the topography – the buildable area is between two hills and there are ﬂooding worries; and on the high density in an area where homes are on one acre, ﬁve acres and even larger plots. Ross asked for what the county calls a “minor change to the Santa Cruz County Comprehensive Plan,” which entailed changing the area designation from ranch to multi-family. Community Development Director Mary Dahl told those at the meeting that there are two required steps. Ross

must ﬁrst be successful in having the ranch designation changed to mixed use before he can apply for rezoning in a separate action.

Commission members Bill Branan and Ron Fish asked that Ross hold meetings with Tubac residents to come up with a compromise plan. Member Lil Hunsacker agreed to act as a neutral facilitator. The board voted to table action until the Thursday, Feb. 10, meeting. That meeting will be open to the public. Call Dahl at 520-375-7930 for information.

Aliso Springs homes move ahead

In other action at the Dec. 8 meeting, the Santa Cruz County Planning and Zoning Commission voted to approve the tentative plat for Phase 2 of The Ranch at Aliso Springs residential development. It is located west of I-19 just south of Tubac. The property owner, Tony Freeland, had been asked to develop a detailed plan for revegetation and salvaging of plants on all the land cleared by grading, and that was submitted. Phase 2 includes 39 homes on 167 acres of land.

New n! at Plaza de Anza o i t a c o L

Do you have items

EVERY THURSDAY - 10AM-2PM Featuring Fruits & Vegetables • Baked Goods • Soup • Oils • Nuts • Empanadas • Tea Coffee • Animal Treats • Cooking Demonstrations • Much more!

N Exit 34

FOR MORE INFORMATION - (520) 703-5000 Village of Tubac Vendor inquiry welcome. I-19 � Plaza de Anza

Parque de Anza at Barrio de Tubac

I-19 South to Exit 34, East to Frontage Rd. North to Plaza de Anza (South of the Village of Tubac)

you’d like to sell on

eb ay?

Collectibles, memorabilia or the like!

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Mike Bader

398-2437 cell 370-7239

Tubac Online Sales

Internet Auction Consignments email: TubacOnlineSales@att.nett

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&The & The Painter Barbering Bar bering

for Men & Women

820-9791 28-29 Tubac Plaza Hours: M/F 10a-7p & Sat 10a-5p

next to the Bandstand

Appointment preferred Walk-in welcome

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Upd a t e Session on Sopori Ranch homes

The Santa Cruz County Planning and Zoning Commission is scheduled to discuss a proposed new residential area at the Sopori Ranch west of Interstate 19 in Tubac.

The meeting will be Thursday, Jan. 26, at the county complex in Nogales. The regular meeting starts at 2 p.m. and when business is completed, the board will convene in a study session to review the project. The 326-home development is proposed to be west of Interstate 19 and north of the Palo Parado Estates residential area.

Section 1 is planned for about 260 homes on smaller lots while Section 11 is planned for about 66 homes on 4acre lots. A website at www.arizonaland.com/ html/sopori contains information.

The public is welcome to attend the commission meeting. For information, call Community Development Director Mary Dahl at 520-325-7930.

Membership open on historic zone board

Applications are being accepted for three positions on the Tubac Historic Zone Advisory Board. The board gives recommendations to the Santa Cruz County Planning and Zoning Commission about new construction, modiﬁcations or demolition within the commercial area of Tubac. Actions by the board are based on guidelines adopted by the Board of Supervisors to assure that the historic aspects of Tubac are displayed in any building construction.

In general, buildings are supposed to reﬂect Territorial or Spanish-inﬂuenced

design of the past.

The six members of the board are Chairman Bruce Pheneger, Jan Munger, “Bunny” Hanson, David Yubeta, Lee Blackwell and James “Buck” Clark. There is no salary for board members.

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The terms of Hanson, Yubeta and Clark end in February. They can apply again if they choose to. The board does not have a regular meeting day. Pheneger said it meets in response to requests by building owners for review. Its meetings are public and agendas are posted at the Tubac Post Oﬃce in advance.

For information about applying, contact Director Mary Dahl, Santa Cruz County Department of Community Development, at 520-375-7930. The deadline to submit a letter of interest is Friday, Jan. 13.

Keeping streets safer

On eight Tubac village streets, 37 encroachments on the county’s right of way were found in June 2005 when an engineering ﬁrm did a study for the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors.

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As of last month, nearly all had been removed or modiﬁed as required. A Sept. 22 public meeting was held in Tubac and then letters were given to those business owners who had encroachments.

Encroachment is the name used when a sign, utility pole, tree, landscaping such as perimeter rocks, a wall, or other objects come too close to a public roadway and could cause traﬃc danger. “I had excellent compliance,” said county Public Works Director Victor Gabilondo when contacted by the Tubac Villager. As of Dec. 30, there were still about seven locations at which property

continued on page 14...

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From the Tubac

T. L I L L I E M E R C E R &

by Mary Bingham

April 27, 1886, Geronimo and his band raided the ranch of Al Peck located in present day Peck Canyon south of Tubac. Peck’s friend Charlie Owens who was helping him to doctor cattle was killed before his eyes. Peck was spared but when he returned home he found his wife and son brutally murdered, the baby his wife was

A period of ﬁve years of peace with the Chiricahua Apache Indians came to an end in 1881 when Geronimo and Chief Juh with a band of renegades escaped from the San Carlos Reservation and began to terrorize both sides of the border. Recaptured a year later, Geronimo again ﬂed from San Carlos in 1885.

carrying cut from her womb and his wife’s niece Trinidad gone--kidnapped!

a major aﬀect on Tubac. Local ranchers were losing livestock right and left and

T U B A C

12B Tubac Rd., P.O. Box 1349 Tubac . AZ 85646

Phone: 520.398.2962 Associate Broker

Gina Jarman

website: LongRealty.com/Tubac Independentantlly Owned & Operated

Designated Broker

520.603.8752

520.841.1843

Contemporary Southwest 20 Quail Lane

Meg Flanders

his is a one of a kind home with all the extras. Built of Ecoblock construction with plenty of windows to take advantage of the fantastic views of the Tumacacori Mountains and the Santa Cruz River Valley; Top of the line appliances are just the beginning; Oversized garage, plus workshop; large covered patio areas… all designed with comfortable living in mind. THIS IS A MUST SEE! Priced to sell at $625,000. MLS # 99105 & 30178.

his is a charmingly furnished townhouse in a great location. Two bedroom, two bath central unit with lots of light because of multiple skylights; near community pool and club house, nestled in the mesquites and close to the Village of Tubac in the Barrio de Tubac area. Priced at $335,000. MLS#100125 & 32359.

Cielito Lindo Townhouse

27 Circulo Diego Rivera

Unique Opportunities on Land in the Tubac/Rio Rico Area Tubac Valley Country Club Estates It Doesn’t get better than this! Half acre to 2.64 Acres in Tubac Valley Trujillo Trail - 8.27Ac. nestled in Country Club Estates. Great values from $150,000 to $375,000. Call our office for more information.

Discover Rio Rico Views and Open Spaces. Located south of Tubac; ½ to 1 plus acre homesites. Priced from $8,500 to $35,000.

T. Lillie and Isabelle Mercer with children Pauline Emma, baby Barclay Newton, Lillie Belle and Irene Arizona, c. 1892. Photo from: They Lived in Tubac by Elizabeth R. Brownell. The following day, the same band attacked Yank Bartlett’s ranch in nearby Bear Valley south of Oro Blanco. Mortally wounded in the attack was neighbor John Shannahan who was driving his wagon past the Bartlett place on his way home. Bartlett, winged in the shoulder, put up a good ﬁght while he sent his nineyear-old son, Johnny, to Oro Blanco for help. Ten-year-old Phil Shannahan was dispatched home to warn his mother and sister to head for the hills. Within a short time, the Shannahan home was raided and totally destroyed. Geronimo’s ﬁnal raids in Arizona had

were constantly on guard. Families began to move to Tucson or south of the border, many never to return. “Work at Salero Mine was temporarily discontinued and normal business was paralyzed throughout the area.”*

Lieutenant John Bigelow, Jr. of the U. S. Cavalry visited Tubac on May 17, 1886 to provide assistance is setting up a local home guard. On June 2nd, under the leadership of Tubac businessman T. Lillie Mercer, the Tubac Scouts were formed. Captain Mercer headed up the group of ﬁfty-four men including First Lieutenant H. W. Lowe, and Second Lieutenant Ramón Sardina. Each

TUBAC IRONWORKS

the nook of the Tumacacori Mnts, 360 degree views. Peace and Quiet & wide open spaces; Utilities to lot line; Property served by community water system. Priced at $454,850. MLS# 99468 & 31555.

Featuring a new line of jackets by “Catherina” Call Gina or Meg to view these and many other ﬁne properties. Whether you’re buying or selling, allow us to assist you with all your real estate needs.

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Historical Society

THE TUBAC SCOUTS

member furnished his own horse, as it was to be an all mounted group.

Two weeks later, Capt. Mercer requisitioned supplies from Fort Lowell in Tucson, receiving ﬁfty stands of riﬂes and 1000 cartridges. “Trouble had become so menacing that the stage from [Arivaca] Junction to Nogales was to be discontinued the following week, and general travel along the highway was undertaken only by armed groups.”* Meanwhile General Nelson A. Miles with 5000 American troops, 400 Apache scouts, and the support of the Mexican army chased Geronimo through the Sierra Madre Mountains of Sonora throughout the summer. On September 4, 1886 Geronimo surrendered in Skeleton Canyon, Arizona.

The Tubac Scouts were never called to action, but the all-volunteer organization was ready to defend Tubac and the Santa Cruz Valley if needed.

For at least ten years, Mercer was the major mover and shaker in Tubac. He was the ﬁnancial and political force behind the establishment of Tubac as a townsite beginning in 1882 and succeeding on October 5, 1886. The Tubac Schoolhouse primarily funded Mercer and Sabino Otero was completed in 1885.

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As early as 1877 Mercer in partnership with a man name McGovern operated the Miner’s Hotel. He also purchased Otero’s old store, which he continued to run and dabbled in mining, purchasing the Berthe Louise in the Tyndall district of the Santa Ritas. He twice served as postmaster. This all came to an end on the night of March 4, 1887. The Mercer store and post oﬃce were blown up destroying everything in the building. His home and all the contents also burned to the ground with the family barely escaping. The who and why of this dastardly act against Mercer were never explained. Within a year, Mercer moved his family to Nogales. Financially he was ruined. He died at age ﬁfty on May 3, 1894 leaving his wife Isabelle, daughters Lillie Belle, Pauline Emma, Irene Arizona and son Barclay Newton. This English immigrant gave his all for Tubac and his adopted country. Sources:

In the Memory of a Man by Al Peck, Jr.

Ruby, Arizona: Mining, Mayhem and Murder by Bob Ring, Al Ring & Tallia Pfrimmer Cahoon.

We are the longest established Indian Jewelry Business in Tubac and have the largest selection of

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Navajo, Zuni & Hopi Sterling Silver & 14k Gold Jewelry Pueblo Pottery & Storytellers Navajo Sand Paintings & Sand Painted Lamps Hopi & Navajo Kachinas • Reservation Pawn, Apache, Tohono O’odham & Navajo Baskets • Zuni Fetishes

All Navajo Rugs Handmade in the USA Tubac: Art Experience Nov 12-13 HAPPY daily demonstrations by Navajo YEAR! Ashley silversmiths NEW Monroe & Lillie

Bringing Honesty, Integrity and Selection to You for over 23 Years Open 7 Days 9-5

27 Tubac Rd. Tubac 398-9333

*The History of Tubac, 1752-1948 by Doris Bents. They Lived in Tubac by Elizabeth R. Brownell.

HELP WANTED Sales position. La Paloma 398-9231

The Swiggett Home and had a Villa at the Resort. When they decided on a larger home, they felt the house they had seen on their hikes would be perfect. The house was not on the market at the time, but they approached the owners, talked it over and now they have their ideal home.

Ideal for them because of their love of open spaces and wildlife. The home offers wonderful views from almost every room. In the back, with nothing between the house and the mountains, they have a wildlife watering hole and feeding stations for birds. Carol’s office is situated with a view of the watering hole and from there she can watch without disturbing the javelina, birds and other visitors to the area. Carol loves to cook, so spending time in the kitchen is enhanced by the window wall that affords views across the entire valley. The Tubac Home Tour will be January 14th. This is always a very special event because of the many beautiful homes Tubac has to showcase. Among the six on the tour this year is a house

designed and built for its setting. Located high in the foothills of the Tumacacori Mountains with 360 degree views, it is the home of Jim and Carol Swiggett.

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The Swiggetts ﬁrst saw their house when hiking Cerro Pelon in the Tumacacoris. They had been coming to Tubac in the winter for 15 years

To complete their perfect home they have added a swimming pool. When deciding on a site, they took into consideration the wind and, wanting to have year around use of the pool, located it oﬀ the hill where the house is

Otero Plaza ~ G a l l e r i e s ~

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Studio cat White-nose (Boss) photograph Kristine White

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clay pots by Tubac artist Diane Lisle

clay pitcher by Earthsea Pottery

Phone: 398-2885 Fine crafts pottery – classes Custom Tiled Furniture

On The Tubac Home Tour all their lives but decided to make their permanent home in Tubac 3 ½ years ago when they bought the house. Their children already had moved on to different parts of the country, so relocating was an easy transition. However, when they need a “saltwater fix” they travel to their summer home. Located on an island off the coast of Maine, where their children also have homes, they spend time with their family and go sailing. Jim and Carol enjoy golf, hiking and travel. Carol is an artist working primarily in watercolors and acrylics and enjoys taking art workshops.

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Tubac’s Jim & Carol Swiggett situated. Stairs lead down into a walled pool area with a ﬁreplace and seating at one end. Their Santa Fe style home has a patio that circles the house and they have expanded a portion of the patio to better accommodate outdoor dining and entertaining. Carol said that coming from the East, it took her a while to get used to the home’s desert landscaping but now appreciates the beauty and the beneﬁts of xeroscape plants.

“Sky People” by Sara Lawless

The Swiggett home is ﬁlled with wonderful art. Many of the paintings are by Tubac’s ﬁne artists. Art objects from their travels and a wonderful display of family pictures also grace the décor giving the home an elegant but very comfortable, welcoming feel.

To tour this and the other ﬁve homes, contact the Tubac Center of the Arts, 9 Plaza Rd, Tubac, 520/398-2371. Proceeds beneﬁt programming at the Tubac Center of the Arts.

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Camino Otero 44 Camino Otero Tubac 398.3304 398.3304 Tubac

The Swiggetts lived on Long Island, New York

�� Fine Home Furnishings & Accessories Interior Design Services

Art, Gifts & Antiques Plaza Antigua, Tubac Road Tubac, AZ Daily 11-5

www.clees-of-tubac.com

520.398.8122

PAINTER

To m H i l l

by Joseph Birkett

Tubac resident Tom Hill has lived a diverse and successful, self-guided career and life. His determined work ethic, gifted eye, and classically educated art skills have taken him to over 50 countries to share his knowledge with students, while creating vibrant paintings of the people, landscapes and architecture of our world. His paintings have won prizes and exhibited in dozens of one-man, group and juried shows in such places as the Academy of Arts, Honolulu; the Los Angeles Artists’ Association; the Art Institute of Chicago; the National Academy in New York; Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa, the National Cowboy Hall of Fame (which is currently working to archive some of Tom’s things) and the Tucson Museum of Art. He is an elected member of the American Watercolor Academy and National Academy of Design, has authored 5 books on color and watercolor painting, and created an expansive body of fully-formed works of art, which he has carefully documented and archived in slide form, now numbering at over 1,600. Tom invited me into his beautiful Tubac home and studio, nestled against the Tumacacori Mountains. He designed the house for himself and his wife, fellow painter, Barbara Hill. The walls are lined with the Hills’ paintings and selected

pieces from other celebrated artists such as members of the prestigious, tight-knit group of artist/friends, the Tucson Seven, to which Tom belongs. Tom is a charming man, digniﬁed and purposeful in conversation, and he kindly

Thomas J. Barbre - Master Jeweler with 38 years of experience ��

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shared with me some memories of the process of his becoming an artist.

He was born in Texas and grew up in Southern California. A proliﬁc sketcher, Tom says he can remember drawing from as far back as 6 years old, when he would lay on the ﬂoor by his mother’s desk to draw on the backs of envelopes. After high school, he landed a scholarship to the Art Center Collage of Design, but it was no free ride. Tom had to work for the school, cleaning bathrooms and handling other chores before the classes started in return for his education.

He used that education and later expanded on it at the Art Institute of Chicago, but more important in his training, Tom says, were the lessons learned in the variety of

art jobs he held. From his time painting training aids in the US Navy to working in Hollywood as an artist for Universal Studios, there was a lot for a young artist to figure out. Then there was that position he had as staff artist assigned to the Sunday editor of the Chicago Tribune, when the paper sent him off on assignments around the world, including the front lines in Korea. He picked up plenty of technique during his free-lancing days as an illustrator and graphic designer in New York, too. And, of course, traveling the globe, teaching hundreds of art classes in the world’s most beautiful places will add to one’s purview.

Those experiences helped Tom become a full Academician of the National Academy.

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The span of his career is hard to fully comprehend for its vast and varied nature, but what is apparent is that Tom has crafted a unique and rich life for himself from his highly trained ability to translate complex information into a more understandable form. His success as an illustrator led to artistic independence, which he has used to continue a form of visual communication that is classical in nature, unlike the more prevalent psychological exercises of modern and contemporary art. He says, “My goal in painting is that if you look at my painting, you’ll know just how I feel about my subject-even if you don’t know me at all.”

Tom continues to share his sense of place in paint from domestic and exotic locales. He has a deep appreciation for architecture and renders it often. He drafts boats too. And seascapes. Chinese ﬁshing vessels being repaired. Mediterranean villas, Venetian canals, colorful markets of people and fruit, silent, deteriorating wagons, stout trees and Spanish Missions.... Subjects of the real world.

Today, Tom paints from his home in his studio adjacent to Barbara’s, their drawing boards aligned through the doorway. On Barbara’s upright table are colorful studies of a donkey. She is known for her animals and Tom absolutely loves her work. He

says that he and Barbara agree about art.

Reference cards organized in drawers assist us in selecting pieces from the immense number of Tom’s quality slides. Each card contains accurate thumbnail sketches of the corresponding artwork and the painting’s general information... testament to the business of management, an essential but seldom mentioned artist virtue, which Tom mastered early enough to have been his own boss since he was 25 years old. His studio is clean and organized, there are photo references on the walls and some frames on the floor, the large window next to his seat floods the room in clean, north light and Tom looks out at the desert while we talk... To get a feel for that conversation, look at his paintings. If you are a student of art looking to better draw the world around you, you would do well to pick up one of his books. Pay attention to his impeccable perspective and color harmonies, his reflected light, volume, composition, control, and his freedom. Tom Hill’s form is as fundamentally solid as it gets. A classical artist’s artist.

�� CHARLIE �� MEAKER 237-2414

cmeaker@gotucson.com www.charliemeaker.com

TUBAC OFFICE 2251 E. Frontage Rd. (just south of the post ofﬁce)

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You can pick up Tom’s latest book, “Travels With My Paintbox” at the Tubac Center of the Arts (398-2371). It presents a large collection of paintings Tom created from around the globe, with his accompanying comments and forward by Harley Brown.

Feminine Mystique

Art Gallery

January Featured Artist MICHELE KULP • Fine art jeweler Meet the artist January 14-15 - 1-4pm 4 Circulo Copa ∙ La Entrada de Tubac 398-0473 ∙ Daily 10:30 - 5:30

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New

Edna San Miguel is woman

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Joyce Sierra, 404-2254

HEALTHY BODY CLASSES Hands-On Self-Help Techniques

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Classes held at Yardwoman’s Joyce Sierra, 404-2254

owners had not yet removed their encroachments on the county’s right of way. Three of those are large encroachments and four are small. Gabilondo mailed certiﬁed letters in December to each owner to remind them of their obligation. An extended deadline of Jan. 20 was imposed, he said.

Streets aﬀected include Tubac Road, Burruel Street, Calle Iglesia, Bridge Road, Calle Solares, Plaza Road, Camino Otero and Calle Baca. Call Gabilondo at 520-375-7830 for information.

Collecting taxes to be easier

Authentic Mexican Art Glassware Great selection of sterling silver

Copper Sinks Retablos & Santos

Pewter & Talavera

(520) 398-3933

Day of the Dead Catrinas

14 Tubac Road

Custom Made Furniture

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Calle Baca Ste B Cafe de Arte Courtyard

Tues - Sun 10am - 5pm

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520-390-8998

Faces

by Maggie Milinovitch

�� LIMITED EDITION CARVINGS & COLLECTIBLES BEADS & FINDINGS (specializing in natural stone beads) HAND MADE JEWELRY HAND MADE HORSE HAIR & ETCHED POTTERY ROCKHOUND & JEWELERS CABACHONES

To improve property tax collections, County Treasurer Caesar Ramirez received approval to buy a new computer software package for $40,000 at the Board of Supervisors Dec. 7 meeting. Ramirez was appreciative. “We are so backlogged and antiquated,” he said. County Manager Greg Lucero agreed: “It’s something urgently needed.”

The computer software, titled “Active Data Tax (ADT),” comes from Navajo County, which developed a system consistent with state regulations. Six of Arizona’s 15 counties are using the tax system.

It will take until July 1, 2006, to have it in use. Ramirez said all data has to be transferred and then there will be a testing period.

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(For comments or questions, contact “County Update” editor Kathleen Vandervoet at kathleenvan@msn.com)

April & Ivan Innkeepers

of many talents and interests and a welcome addition to Tubac’s art community. Recently she moved to Tubac and has opened a gallery/studio in the El Presidito complex on Calle Iglesia where she will produce and show her art and give private art lessons to children.

Edna is a sixth generation Arizonan. Her half Mexican and half Jewish grandmother arrived in Tucson in 1864. Edna’s mother is from the Canary Islands. This mix of cultures and heritage is often expressed in Edna’s art. A graduate of the University of Arizona with a Fine Arts degree, she is also certified in Art Education. A mother of four, she has two children at the U of A and two still at home. She has recently worked with children at the Montessori school in Tubac where she was a reading specialist using the arts to teach. Edna was involved in the restoration work at San Xavier Mission. She is the illustrator of a children’s book published by the Desert Museum called, “My Nana’s Remedies,” the first children’s book with a medicinal plant glossary. Edna plans another children’s book about the mission restoration. Among her talents: she offers clients faux wall finishing, color matching the personality of the client, also she paints wall murals. She also hand paints furniture, made by her father, a retired Tucson school administrator. She enjoys sculpting in clay.

Edna wishes to thank the community for the warm welcome she has received. She can be contacted at 3983060 or visit her studio, Miss Edna’s.

Arizona Artistry is a new

gallery that has opened in Plaza Antigua on Tubac Road. The gallery

5 Distinctive, Lovely Rooms

398-3178

(including Turquoise)

GEM STONES, MINERALS, LAPIDARY ROUGH SUPPLIES AND BOOKS

N. Tubac Road, #3 Mercado de Baca

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PLUS A LARGE SELECTION OF OTHER UNIQUE GIFTS AND COLLECTIBLES

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New

Edna San Miguel

Places

is staﬀed by the artists represented. Local artists include: Bob Parker, Judith Parker, Moira Kingston, Maggie Presser, Fredi Alt, Norma Wilkerson, Mark Wilkerson, Jacqui smith, Crystal Brinkley, Margaret Stalmann and Treestump Woodcrafts. There is a wide variety of art forms: bead art, paintings, jewelry, tin art, photography, ﬁber weaving, and sculptures.

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Cynthia Downs is an artist

represented by the Rosso & Russ Gallery. A metalsmith creating wonderful jewelry by weaving ﬁne silver and gold wire, her work has been featured in a number of publications. She has been accepted into many juried exhibitions and has received Best of Show in Jewelry at the Beverly Hills Aﬀaire in the Gardens, the Sedona and the Durango Festival of the Arts.

Arizona Artistry

Cynthia had been working in the corporate world in Boston but found the greatest rewards for her came from creating her art. She credits the continuing education programs that she attended in Massachusetts for inspiring her creativity. Her passion for metalsmithing led to her decision to pursue her art full time.

For Cynthia the process of weaving and shaping gold and silver is a peaceful, meditative process. The result is jewelry that has a ﬂow and texture, an unusual blend of ﬁber techniques done in precious metals. Some pieces are free form while others have a complex pattern and rhythm. Often precious stones are integrated into a piece.

Cynthia Downs

The Rosso & Russ Gallery is located at #8 Burruel Street and also features of work of jewelry/sculpture Jim Potts and the paintings of Michael Jayme.

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2007 E. Frontage Road Tumacacori, AZ 2 miles south of Tubac

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by Maggie Milinovitch Proﬁts are then reinvested in community projects such as health clinics, child care, education and literacy training. Safe and healthy working conditions are possible; sustainable use of resources is important to their longterm success and, with Fair Trade producers, have decision making power over their local resources.

Fair trading is a process of accessing foreign markets without taking economic advantage of the people who produce the goods. Exploitative middlemen are bypassed and in that way costs are kept comparable and return a greater percentage of the retail price to the producers. Often

in large-scale product manufacture sweatshop conditions are prevalent and unprotected workers earn below minimum wage and most of the profits flow to foreign investors who have little interest in ensuring the long term health of the communities. In Fair Trade, relationships are established with small businesses, worker-owned and democratically run cooperatives that benefit the workers and their communities. By banding together, workers are able to access credit, reduce raw material costs and establish higher and more just prices for their products.

2 Calle Iglesia tusaints@aol.com Olde Tubac 398-8574 www.carolstjohn.com

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Working in the environment and ethic of fair trade, she does not work with manufacturers but works directly with the village women that produce the clothing for her. This clothing is produced in small hill communities in the Golden Triangle area of Thailand. Cat’s designs are not imposed upon the workers but rather are adaptations of their own traditional designs. She feels it is important not to alter their culture but to work within it to everyone’s advantage.

Each of us now has the opportunity to check that our purchases are fair traded products. We can be supportive of living wages with our decisions and avoid purchases, which may seem like a bargain, but have hidden human and environmental costs. Fair Trade items range from clothing to coﬀee beans and are labeled as such. You can see Catherina Bernstein’s line of clothing at Tubac Ironworks, 217 Plaza Road. 398-2163

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Tubac Ironworks is handling a new line of women’s clothing that represents the ideal in foreign-made clothing. Silk jackets, colorful hemp and cotton clothing with tribal designs and other items designed by Catherina “Cat” Bernstein are created using natural ﬁbers because of their comfort and they allow the body to breathe but also because they are environmentally and socially sustainable.

Antique & Unique Accents for the Home

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With Fine Furniture by

Tr e e s t u m p Wo o d c r a f t s

American Contemporary Crafts

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Join us January 28th for our 3rd Anniversary! Music & Refreshments

ane’s

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5 Hour Beef Stew

1 1/2 hour orientation with personal trainer included with membership fee.

Certified personal trainers Cardiovascular equipment Strength machines / Free weights

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Aerobics, Pilates, Yoga, Qigong

fresh salads · chef’s special soups sizzling & chilled sandwiches gourmet pizza · nightly fresh seafood pasta beef, pork & poultry

Food that complements your life!

Prime Rib every Fri & Sat evening Extensive selection - beer, wine & spirits

Mercado de Baca 19 Tubac Road, Tubac, AZ

520.398.8075 reservations suggested

Hours: coffee 9-11 · lunch 11-4 dinner wed - sat from 5 pm

21/2 lbs. stewing beef 5 potatoes, diced 1 large onion, sliced 6 carrots, cut up 1 c. chopped celery 2 t. b. sugar 3 t. tapioca 1, 8 oz. can of tomato sauce Place cut up meat on bottom of baking dish. Sprinkle with tapioca. Put potatoes on top, then onion, carrots and celery, sprinkle brown sugar over all. Pour tomato sauce all over, bake in a 250 oven for 5 hours, covered.

Tumacacori NHP’s Exhibit Specialist’s house completely destroyed by ﬁre.

The historic adobe home across from Tumacacori National Historical Park burned and was declared a complete loss. No one was injured. The home owner, Dave Yubeta, works for Tumacacori NHP and his wife, Kim is a well known jeweler. The bead inventory and paintings by mother-in-law, Susie Hesselbarth were destroyed as well as all the family possessions. Friends of the Yubetas have responded with donations of furniture, clothing and other immediate needs. They will be living in park housing while they start to rebuild. The Yubetas

have insurance but it will not cover their total losses. If you would like to help, donations of money are needed to get them back on their feet and get Kim’s inventory rebuilt. Please send checks made out to Yubeta Family Fund to Wells Fargo Bank, Rio Rico Plaza, 1060 Yavapai Drive #4A, Rio Rico, AZ 85648. Make sure you indicate that it is a donation and list the account number 5508198198. Messages can be sent to David c/o Tumacacori NHP, Box 67, Tumacacori, AZ 85640

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St. Andrew’s

Board Certiﬁed in Family Practice

Episcopal Church of Nogales Sunday services at 8am and 10am A Social Hour is held after the 10am service with a light lunch served.

St. Andrew’s supports a Preschool and the famous Children’s Clinic once per month where hundreds of Mexican children are treated by leading doctors and nurses.

520-281-1523

Come visit us, you are always welcome! 969 W. Country Club Drive, Nogales, AZ 85621

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Children & Adult Care Well Woman Exams Weight Loss Programs Sports Physicals

Accept ASBAIT AHCCCS Blue Cross/ Blue Shield Health Net Medicare Tricare & most major insurances

• New Patients Always Welcome • Same Day/Next Day Appointments Usually Available • Financial Assistance Available

2239 East Frontage Road . POB 1480 . Tubac, AZ 85646 Tel: (520) 398-9604 Fax: (520) 398-9689

The Tubac Singers, along with the 5-concert Evening Series that runs from November to April, are the permanent parts of the performing arts programming at the Tubac Center of the Arts. Call 398-2371 for more details.

C . P . R . c l a s s e s The Tubac Fire District is happy to announce it will be providing monthly C.P.R. classes. The class will be, “Heartsaver C.P.R. with A.E.D.” It will be held on the third Saturday of the month (subject to change) from 9:00 a.m. to approximately 2:00 p.m. The class will be at St.2, located at 1360 W. Frontage Rd. (by Rio Rico High School). The cost is $35.00 and must be paid one week in advance. For information or to register please contact Rick Kemp @ 761-1065.

Dining, Catering & Gourmet Deli Bistro Gourmet Dining, located on beautiful Amado Territory Ranch.

Kristofer’s is open for breakfast, lunch & dinner. The gourmet delights are entirely hand-made on premises. ��

Kristofer’s��

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�� Call about our culinary classes

Dec. 2005

January 9-13: Wanda Tucker, Oil, studio Beginner oil painting. No experience necessary take 3 or all 5-days. $385 January 14-15: David Simons, Oil, plein air All levels. Acquire the painters’ “eye” with David’s 12-point method. $200 January 16-20: Michael Johnson, Pastel, plein air Use intuitive expressive color while exploring methods of abstracting the landscape. $485 January 28-29: Mary Ann Rolfe, Digital Stretch Stretch your imagination using digital images to create new forms of art in alternative mediums. $200 February 6-10 Don Getz, AWS, KA, Watercolor Attack that clean piece of white paper with an attitude. Learn Don’s techniques of painting on gesso surface. $600 February 13-17 Armand Cabrera Oil/Acrylic Learn the fundamentals of Alla Prima Painting with a limited palette. Concept, drawing, form, composition, color & harmony create a successful painting. $585 All levels. February 20-24 Jacq Baldini, plein air All mediums All levels. Emphasis on color temperature and grisaille to simplify outdoor painting. $585 March 6-10 Dale Laitinen Watercolor, plein air Make bold paintings by simplifying through composition, color & value. Learn to layer color to achieve luminosity, create strong darks & lights to maximize the strength of watercolor. $500 March 13-17 Lian Zhen Watercolor, studio 2-days of chinese techniques and 3-days of Lian’s “color pouring & blending” techniques to create dynamic watercolor paintings. $600 March 20-24 Richard Iams All mediums Problem solving for painters. Let Richard take you to the next level. Concentrate on therory and technique to remove roadblocks that are slowing you as a painter. $500. March 27-31 Lois Griffel Oil/Pastel plein air Paint in Tubac with the author of “Painting the Impressionist Landscape” Learn to see & paint the color of light. Rich beautiful unmuddied color. $500 April 3-7 Kristy Kutch Colored Pencil, studio Join author Kristy Kutch in a venture with colored pencil painting on a wide variety of surfaces using both traditional and watercolor pencils. $600 April 10-14 Ron Ranson Watercolor Having just arrived from England, author, artist, teacher, Ron Ranson joins our roster. Handling brushes, design, techniques with many demo’s and one-on-one instruction. $675 April 17-21 Mary Ann Rolfe returns with Digital Stretch $500

3”x13” B&W

Express yourself with Art! workshops at Los Reyes Gallery

Tubac Villager

The chorus, founded by the late Miriam Sobel of Tubac, has been singing together for 23 years. Now directed by Marty Schuyler and accompanied by Lois Sprague, the January concert will continue a tradition of mixing folk songs, Broadway hits, songs from the 30’s along with some perennial favorites like “What Shall We Do

with a Drunken Sailor?” This same mix can be found on the group’s CD, “Por Los Ninos” which will be available for $12 at the concert. All proceeds from the sale of the CD go to the St. Andrew’s Children’s Clinic that assists indigent children with severe physical handicaps.

Fairway Estates at Tubac

The Tubac Singers, a 40member volunteer chorus, will present its annual winter concert on Sunday, January 29, at 3:00 at the Tubac Center of the Arts. Tickets may be purchased at the door for $3.00.

Rio Rico Properties

The Tubac Singers

Avatar Homes invites you to visit our newest village, Fairway Estates at Tubac. This limited collection of Mission-style golf course homes perfectly complements the historic setting of Tubac Golf Resort, and includes luxurious custom features inside and out. Rich natural wood accents, designer appliance packages, and skillfully crafted travertine abound throughout your new Fairway Estate, with convenient

additional workshops: www.losreyes.com

access to some of the best golfing in

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the Southwest. Call Fairway Estates for more information today.

Los Reyes Gallery ARTISTS' WORKSHOPS ART SUPPLY STORE 14 Calle Igelsia • “Old Town” Tubac 520-398-9222 www.losreyes.com gallery@losreyes.com

Everyday low prices in our Art Supply Store

25% - 40% off list Earn a $25 gift certificate* to the Art Supply Store when you refer a companion to any one of our 5-day workshops. *See our website for complete details www.losreyes.com

Avatar Homes The Villages of Rio Rico

Avatar Realty of Arizona Inc.

I-19 to Exit 17, turn west/follow signs

(520) 281-8200 (800) 342-4362 PRICES SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. AVATAR HOMES OF ARIZONA AND THE VILLAGES OF RIO RICO ARE OWNED AND DEVELOPED BY RIO RICO PROPERTIES, INC. CONTRACTOR NO. ROC103355-B.

w w w. t h e v i l l a g e s o f r i o r i c o. c o m

At the market I look for beauty and color, hues of the earth. I want full rich colors and textures with warm aromas that promise then deliver bona fide flavors and nutrients. Variety pleases me: sound winter squash in every shape with intensely orange flesh, firm vine ripened tomatoes with interesting colorations, spicy chiles in a range of ‘heat’ values, fresh aromatic herbs, crisp greens, spuds in several colors with some dirt still on them, deep red beets, carrots with their green tops, orchard fruits with old fashioned flavor, local honey, goat cheeses, free-range chicken and grass fed red meats, whole grain artisan bread, fresh brown eggs, regional specialties and wild harvested foods that speak of cultures still alive and thriving. Meeting the folks who bring us this beauty and matching faces of the producers with the products of their labor is part of the joy of the

market. I believe that eating local and in-season food is better for us.

Big box and fast food franchise shopping is plain boring. The shine of wax, colored lights, or hint of artiﬁcial anything will dissuade me from buying. I am suspicious of produce that appears too perfect or unblemished, that ‘holds’ too long on the shelf or comes from unknown sources. Often, the biggest and the brightest are without discernable ﬂavor and probably lack nutrients as well. And don’t even get me started about McJunk meals. Too many disappointments have made me very picky about my food selections.

The best way to ﬁnd what I’m after is to go to the source; straight to the grower, or to grow it myself – organically of course. That way I know what I’m getting while supporting local

agriculturists and keeping my money circulating in the local economy. It’s even better when I can arrange a trade: my stuﬀ for their stuﬀ.

There is, in fact, a world wide movement of this sort called Slow Food that has been gaining momentum since it’s founding in 1986.The stated aim of this organized eﬀort is to “protect the pleasures of the table from the homogenization of modern fast food and life.” It promotes gastronomic culture, taste education, conserves biodiversity in agriculture, protects traditional foods at risk of extinction, and they claim 80,000 members in 100 countries. (see slowfood.com) Slow Foodists are co-producers with small scale agriculturists which makes them active rather than passive participants in their food story. They don’t just sit at the table accepting whatever the food industry sets in front of them, they raise the standards and create a better system with higher quality results. They will have us all “eat locally, think globally”. Closer to home, Dr. Gary Nabhan and collaborators have long been at work to conserve as many traditional heirloom seeds, crops and farming

methods of the southwest as they can find among the gardens and fields of Mexico, Arizona, and New Mexico. They have done this through collecting, growing, and promoting native food crops and educating people to the uses and tastes of these foods. Their initial efforts soon grew into an organization called Native Seed SEARCH which is based in Tucson. (see nativeseeds. org) Dr. Nabhan is also director of the Center for Sustainable Environments at NAU. CSE brings together the talents and expertise of community members to seek creative solutions to environmental problems.

One of his recent projects in promoting the heritage value of traditional foods of the southwest borderlands was the publication of “Linking Arizona’s Sense of Place to a Sense of Taste”, coauthored with Patty West. This book—a call to action—describes the traditional foods and recommends how they can be better marketed to the beneﬁt of local farmers and the people whose traditions developed these regional delicacies. “Anyone who eats in Arizona, or who has reason to think about eating here, should read this book”. Visit their website at www.environment.nau.edu.

Open: 11am Close: ? Presenting a menu of Sonoran & Southwestern Cuisine

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Dine in the relaxing atmosphere of our dining rooms Or in the open air on our lovely patio.

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Full Bar

398-0300 reservations suggested

14 Camino Otero . TUBAC

A growing model for more equitable conditions for agricultural workers and craftspeople is called Fair Trade.

Now, expand this model to include all your food and perhaps your clothing, too. Sustainable agricultural practices and a living wage in growing tea, sugar, cocoa, chocolate, meat, milk, grains, vegetables, fruit….

Italian Gelato Ice Cream Homemade Fudge & candy

We really can improve the earth and our health one meal at a time and enjoy every bite.

Fresh Baked Cookies Smoothies & Iced Coffee & Surprise Desserts

http://www.environment.nau.edu http://www.nativeseeds.org

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Show off your artwork with the proper lighting!! We have the latest in picture lights • with or without dimmers • with or without cords! Various ﬁnishes & sizes!

Sucrose-free desserts available L o c alocation t e d o v e-rover t h e the b r i bridge d g e i nin E El l MMercado ercado New Extended hours Weds - Sat 398-3354

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Another consideration in this quest for quality food in a sustainable world is that those who produce products make a living wage. The lament of small farmers worldwide is that market prices are lower than the cost to grow their crops.

Farmers/producers together with consumers insure fair wages, decent working conditions, and sustainable practices in producing products for market. Let’s look at coffee as a prime example in fair trade. Coffee is one of the world’s top selling agricultural products. The market price has been lower than the cost to grow it, which proved disastrous for the pickers and small farmers. Democratically run cooperatives were developed where workers earn a fair wage and the coffee is sold more directly to the consumer. Fair trade farms are guaranteed about $1.50 per pound for green coffee beans, (more for organic, the fastest growing segment of the market) where other producers get $.65 from middlemen. This provides the means for farmers to make enough money to support themselves while using the premiums to improve their standard of living.

Hesselbarth Ln.

Eating locally grown organic food is best for a number of reasons. Superior ﬂavor and nutrition are the most obvious advantages to eating organically grown food. Flavorful ingredients do not require the addition of excessive sugars and salt, are more interesting and they satisfy our appetite more fully. Organically farmed soil is healthier and more fertile than chemically ‘enriched’ soil and there is no problem with toxic chemical runoﬀ from organic farms. Due to the sustainable methods employed in the operation of organic farms, they tend to be more human and animal friendly. They also tend to be more ‘intensive’ and so allow the smaller landholders/growers a share of the market. Native crops are adapted to local growing conditions and are easier to grow than many introduced crops. These same small farms that grow and sell their crops in the ‘specialty’ markets are saving many of our nearly extinct heirloom varieties of fruits, vegetables, grains, and livestock.

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It all started with Ron Sisco’s hobby of wood turning and then someone suggested making a bread knife. The rest is, as they say, history. 15 years ago Ron and Christine sold their very popular bread knives at ﬂea markets then juried festivals, including the Tubac Festival of the Arts. Their wood products are now sold in ﬁne galleries across the country and have been featured in a number of magazines such as Better Homes & Gardens and Circle. Their work was selected by the Clinton White House where they attended a reception for selected artists.

Ron and Christine moved to the Tubac area in 1987 buying an historic property on Santa Gertrudis Lane in Tumacacori. Ron, an aerospace engineer working for Boeing, continued commuting to California for ﬁve years until he retired. But he returned each weekend and they built Treestump Woodcrafts into a going concern. Over the years they have added many new items to their line, which now includes wooden utensils of many types, wooden bowls, cutting boards and furniture. At one time the whole family was involved in the enterprise, Ron and Christine’s son Ron, who is still in the family business and their daughter Jenna who now runs a restaurant in Patagonia called Gathering Grounds. But when the business was growing, all four of them would head to diﬀerent parts of the country exhibiting their wares at craft shows.

Christine is involved in all phases of the design and making of the utensils and furniture. Ron and she have mastered woodworking techniques unique to their products as well as developing the method for inlaying the stone in the natural checks and cracks of the wood that not only makes the stone harder than Everything you need to know about living in the it was before, but Sonoran Desert and enjoying its wild inhabitants. also will not dislodge through use. They Pesky woodpeckers? Packrats driving you to madness? work with American Curious about the rhythms of the desert? hardwoods (mesquite, We have the answers! FAQs, useful links, and book resources. black walnut, cherry, and bird’s eye maple) are readily distinguished by the inlay of turquoise stone.

Desert

Newcomer.com

Also features the online diary: Sonoran Desert Almanac . . . a day in a desert life.

Three years ago the Siscos opened the Z-Forrest Gallery on Plaza Road in Tubac. (The name comes from their grandchildren Zowie and Forrest.). The gallery shows the works of many of the craftsmen and artists that the family met while traveling around the country attending craft shows.

You can view the Cisco’s crafts at ZForrest Gallery (398-9009) in Tubac at 2 Plaza Road & the Tubac Golf Resort.

OUR CUSTOM

TUBAC

LICENSE PLATES HAVE ARRIVED! MADE EXCLUSIVELY FOR

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Plato believed that art could not truly imitate and therefore could not provide intellectual or practical knowledge. Do you agree?

In the event that you ﬁnd your

only two hands to make an heroic rescue. Which would you save? The drunk, or the painting? You may think the answer to this question is obvious, but play it out among some friends.

family and friends focusing on all things boring or redundant, look to art for conversational opportunities. There’s a motherload of diﬀerent viewpoints and no one has to be right or wrong they just need an opinion. That’s the fun of it.

Try discussing the Mona Lisa for example. This homely girl with little aﬀect is considered invaluable. But what does THAT mean? Does it mean there are not enough dollars to pay for her? No price tag too high? Does it mean she cannot be evaluated? Is she more than private property? I heard a question proposed in an aesthetics class a number of years ago.

The Louvre is burning, and a drunken sot lies in a stupor at the foot of the Mona Lisa. You have

How about ugliness and art? Is painting the ugly and discomforting, worthy?

Who gets to call art ugly? Is it the artist or the viewer? When Van Gogh painted a pool hall, he said he tried to make it ugly to describe the terrible passions of humanity. Must we agree that it is ugly? If we agree it is ugly does that make it less valuable than other paintings he has done? Is beauty truly in the eyes of the beholder? Can you live with a sad picture or an ugly one? Would you want to own Edvard Munch’s, The Scream?

Aristotle believed much could be learned by imitating and viewing an artist’s imitation of reality. How do you respond to art that is realistic? Is the most realistic art you have seen, the best? Was Picasso’s work better at sixteen than at sixty?

To understand a painting do we look inside ourselves or to the artist? Some study biographies, analyze the symbols, consider the title, and work hard to know the artist’s intentions. Others are happy to take it at face value and allow the work to exist on its own, taking from it or adding to it a purely emotional response.

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Give the gift of the Southwest

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How about this one?

Well known since

What other examples of ugliness can you recall in the art world?

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Gourmet Spices • Cookbooks • Gift Ideas Visit our Ranch Museum 3 Miles South of Tubac.

(Just south of Tumacacori National Monument.) Hours: Monday thru Saturday 8am to 5 pm

New Location

17 Calle Baca, Suite One

There’s no subject like art for the dinner table. It beats gossip and grief over things beyond our grasp. Indulge yourselves in critical thinking instead of Bonbons and be healthier and happier for it. Happy New Year everyone.

Tubac, AZ 85646 520-398-3000

�� Oil Portraits Lyrical Landscapes In over 400 private, corporate & public collections

Homemade bread, pastries and pies! Sandwiches prepared with Boar ’s He ad brand me ats & cheeses, ser ved on fresh baked bre ads.

A variety of spring mix salads.

“F. Dexter Cheney”

Also, visit the TUBAC ART EXCHANGE We Buy, Sell, Trade, Consign, and Appraise

Fine Old Art (520) 398-9156 or 398-2312 2243 E. Frontage Road Tubac, AZ 85646-4281 www.walterwilsonstudio.com walterwilsonart@aol.com

Fresh brewed coffee along with a full ser vice Espresso Bar.

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www.TubacDeli.com

STUDIO de TUBAC

Paintings � Sculpture � Etchings � Prints TUBAC GOLF RESORT 520.398.8250

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