First stop of the morning was to the Pima County Extension office.The University of Arizona is located in Tucson and the Extension Office is directly across the highway. In Omaha, the Master Gardener program encompasses 14 different demonstration gardens spread around Douglas and Sarpy counties. Here in Tucson, all of the Demonstration Gardens are here at the Extension office and they are open to the public, even though today is the President’s Day holiday. The greenhouses and the Propagation Nursery were closed but all the other gardens were open and available to walk through. One of the most interesting was the Xeriscape demonstration garden for low water level plantings. They utilize a drip system at each of the major plants.
Tucson averages 12” of precipitation a year, as we are in the middle of the Sonoran Desert. Here they had a demonstration of a “water harvesting” system where they collect all rainwater from the metal roof of one of the outbuildings, perhaps 1200 square feet, and via guttering, direct the water to a storage tank that in turn uses timers and gravity to feed the drip irrigation system.
Tucson averages 12” of precipitation a year, as we are in the middle of the Sonoran Desert. Here they had a demonstration of a “water harvesting” system where they collect all rainwater from the metal roof of one of the outbuildings, perhaps 1200 square feet, and via guttering, direct the water to a storage tank that in turn uses timers and gravity to feed the drip irrigation system.
Next up was a trip to another nursery, Green Things. This one was reminiscent of Mulhall’s in Omaha, acres and acres of plants on display, greenhouses as far as the eye can see, and a huge indoor tropical plant set up. This entire facility was originally a ranch, so the area is huge and flat. The other intriguing thing was that, as a working ranch there was a large main home, which is now a showroom and gallery of some very high end art, both Mexican and Native American. There are numerous bunk houses spread around the main home that are now indoor showrooms for pots, wood furniture and sundry other goods for sale. A huge enterprise.
Final stop of the afternoon was the Copenhagen Furniture store. Copenhagen specializes in Scandinavian and modern furniture design. There are stores in Phoenix, Tucson, San Antonio and Austin. We have visited the one in Phoenix almost every visit previously. Tom and Kevin had ordered a new set of dining chairs for their dining table and the ostensible purpose of this stop was to check on delivery status. Like everything else in the country, supply issues have delayed the arrival of the chairs. We were assured that they can expect them prior to the end of March, which was exciting news.
We then journeyed back to Casa Nielsen/Rose for a rest prior to changing for our dinner reservation at the Vivace Restaurant. This is a large, upscale Italian restaurant that is in the foothills overlooking the entire valley of the Tucson metro area. After dark the site of the lights of the city is quite something. The food was absolutely delicious. The Italian bread, fresh and hot from the oven, was accompanied by a very loose pesto sauce rather than butter - scrumptious. Salads were excellent, one a shared Caesar and the other a oil & vinegar over fresh greens. With the crunchiest potato sticks ever encountered. Deb ordered the soup of the day which was the highlight of the appetizers, a cream of asparagus soup with an indescribable flavor. Main courses included a linguine topped by a perfectly grilled piece of salmon, a seafood “soup” with scallops, shrimp and cod, floating in a red sauce over fettuccine, a pork parmigano accompanied by pasta tossed with vegetables, and finally a large piece of grilled salmon over risotto. Glasses of wine were consumed, and the evening was capped off by a pair of complimentary “birthday” brûlée’s, complete with a candle. Midway through the meal, we looked out on the patio of our dining area to witness a young couple just as he proposed to his date/girlfriend. She evidently said “yes” as tears flowed and hugs ands kisses ensued. They returned to the dining room to applause and rejoined what appeared to be her parents, they also now in tears. Very romantic!
We journeyed back to our abode for a nightcap and again into bed at the sensible hour of 10:00 PM. A wonderful birthday for both the celebrants and their attending partners.
