It’s the Hap, Hap, Happiest Season of All: Winter in Tucson

 

Sunrise in the hood, Catalina Foothills

We went to Tucson for The 12 Days of Christmas, December 20 to Jan. 1. Well, I don’t know if those are the official 12 days, but those were our 12 days. And each day was filled with joy, Two mourning doves, three roadrunners, four calling quail, five golden cheese crisps, six people a-hiking, seven hot tubs a-steaming, eight days a-cooking, nine people dancing, ten lords a leaping (away from cactus), 11 pies a- piping, 12 tortillas, and a jaybird in a cottonwood tree. 

Casa Blanca

We stayed at a beautiful Santa Fe style pueblo VRBO rental in the Catalina Foothills, called Casa Blanca, not to be confused with Casablanca or the Casa Blanca on Pennsylvania. The house was crazy spacious, a family room so large it was hard to see the TV, large bedroom suites with separate patios, and a primary bedroom with sliding glass doors onto decks on the north to see the sunrise and the south for sunset. And a fireplace. And a heart shaped tub. And double sinks with terrazzo tile. 

Sabino Canyon

I go back and forth on moving back to Tucson. But this time I was all in. I would have made an offer on the house if it didn’t have so many stairs. And such a saturation of Western décor, baskets, feathers, Native American art, even the curtain rods were made from copper and shaped like arrows. The Catalina Foothills neighborhood is the shiz and I don’t know why I haven’t been renting there right along.

H. Darr self portrait

The Christmas Grinch was packing the flu and other ailments this year. Franky arrived fresh from a bout of COVID. Nila arrived with the flu, and Peter arrived with his back and neck thrown out from dancing at a wedding. At least he won “best dancer.” Darr’s sister Margie, who now lives in Scottsdale, had rented a house in Tucson to see us but got the flu and was bedridden. 

Finger Rock

The air, the quiet, the sky, the “cold” mornings that melt away with the sun. We walked at sunrise and sunset. We hiked at Sabino Canyon three times. We mounted the Finger Rock.  We napped daily with a deadline of being "up for sunset" at 5 p.m.

We did some last minute Xmas shopping at Old Town Artisans, a non-mall mall, stopped for a latte at the adorable Dandelion Café and ate lunch at El Minuto. I want to cry when writing this but they don’t serve the white cheese crisps anymore. They are still effing outstanding, but El Minuto used to have an exclusive on white cheese. I prayed for their return at the El Tiradito Wishing Shrine next door. 

Maley and Margo at Michas

On Christmas Eve we took a field trip to San Xavier Mission, where a packed mass was taking place, we resisted the fry bread stands because we were sure we would have our choice of Mexican food restaurants for lunch. Except everyone takes Navidad very seriously here. Karichimaka was closed. Mi Nidito was closed. Micha’s was closed. So we had to settle for Guillermo's Double L. Not bad for a B-Lister but why have sturgeon in a city filled with caviar? Also Casa Molina, which I gave an A minus last trip, has gone back to a B. Too much cheese on the cheese crisp, salsa that was too thick, and I rarely say this, but too hot.

Bark Scorpion Sabino Canyon

To everyone's dismay, the landmark tortilla store Anita's Street Market had gone out of business. We scored tortillas at St. Mary's Mexican Food . A review says "don't bother with anything that isn't made with their house tortilla, which must be made with lard from heaven." The expression "Lard from heaven" would only appear in a Tucson restaurant review. 

One of our other favorite tortillerias, Doña Esperanza, was closed so we picked up a few dozen at Tortillas Don Juan but sadly they were moldy oldies. We got a tip about Tortillas Bryan. Huh? Bryan didn’t even sound Spanish. This little hole in the wall is the whole enchilada. Mexican music is blaring, the tortilla makers are dancing. And a dozen of the “seconds” which would be first anywhere else in the world were only $2. A perfect dozen was $3.50. We went back again and again and Franky got six dozen to take back to Berkeley. 

We had lunch at the Blue Willow, a cafe that has stood the test of time for so long it should get a longevity award. To accommodate its long wait times, it has set up a gift shop with everything from desert socks to obscene refrigerator magnets. We had breakfast at the kickass Baja Cafe serving extra large portions and endless coffee refills. 

El Torero

The California Beisers came to Tucson after Christmas and we went to the flashy Light's Up Festival of Illumination at the Tucson Botanical Gardens and then to the decidedly unflashy El Torero for a divine meal and a cheese crisp that surpassed all others. 

I met my writing teacher for coffee at Exo Roast Co., a café that reeked of all the good things Tucson has to offer, slow service, mellow moods, Leonard Cohen music, a confluence of mismatched antiques, as cozy as a fireside in winter. Without winter. 

Barrio Bread is nationally famous and has won the James Beard award. He uses local grains. I hadn’t braved the line until this time. God was it worth it. I got a loaf of Walnut Wheat. We had toast for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch and it was bye bye bread loaf by the end of the afternoon. Yes, it’s that good.

Backyard with Peter and Nila and Franky

We celebrated New Year’s Eve with the Beisers at our house. Franky baked an exquisite apple pie, and we played a game that had us crying with laughter, a combination of Telephone and Pictionary.

When I told my friend how much I loved Tucson this time she said “well, nobody doesn’t love Tucson in the winter.” 

 Oh yeah. But still, I want to move.

Sunset Gates Pass