Patricia Paul Properties

                                                     


Here are a few suggestions if you're looking for something fun to do this 4th of July, 2010...

FIREWORKS! 

Tucson's main site for fireworks is atop "A" Mountain, on the west side of town.  You can see them well from most anywhere on the west side of town.  Or, you may park in the TCC parking lot B (off Granada  near Cushing St.)  Between 7 to 9 there will be food vendors around.  The Southern Arizona Mustang Club is planning on showing some of their club vehicles at the same time.

The Tucson Toros baseball game and fireworks starts at 7 pm.  Tickets are from $6 to $10.  There are also fireworks shows planned at the Hilton El Conquistador, City of Marana, and other locations around town.  

For a rockin' 4th of July, consider heading to the Pima Country Fairgrounds for a free concert called  "Red, White, and Boom!", featuring Jackie L., Savor, and The Jons.  After the concert, stay for the fireworks!  Gates open at 4:00.  Music starts at 4:45.  Fireworks start at 9:00.

A BIT MORE UNUSUAL!   

Beat on the drum!  Bring a chair and a drum or other percussion instrument and join the crowd that meets at Himmel Park (1st Street & Tucson Blvd) on Sundays from 3-6 pm for the  "Community Drum Circle".

Head up Mt. Lemmon to a free concert series called "Music on the Mountain".  On Sunday, July 4 Kevin Pakulis Band will be playing.

Attend a very special concert Sunday at 3:00 at Saguaro High School Auditorium (545 N. Camino Seco, Tucson, AZ 85732) entitled "Let Freedom Ring".  Over 100 voices will put on an exciting show of patriotic music.  Event is free, but donations will be accepted.

So, get out there and do something fun!  There's lots to choose from!

                                             

                                      Happy Birthday, Max!
 


Patricia Paul, GRI ** www.PatriciaPaulProperties.com ** (520) 548-2078

          
 
Congratulations are in order for my nephew, John McGrath, junior at Brandeis University.   John was the winning pitcher in a game against UMass-Darmouth this week, 11-6.  John played well in spite of the unfavorable weather conditions.   The game was eventually called early due to a torrential downpour,  and John was credited with the win.
 
Congratulations, John!

                              


As I was driving around Corpus Christi a couple weeks ago, I came across these adorable brightly painted cottages.  They are vacation rentals, and they are so cute they just make you smile!  It would be great to stay in one of these cottages.  Imagine if you could get a group of family or friends to stay in some of the others... what fun!

Patricia Paul, GRI ** www.PatriciaPaulProperties.com ** (520) 548-2078

This week I find myself at the Padre Island National Seashore in Texas.  Near Corpus Christi, this coastal wilderness is located on the Gulf of Mexico.  The national seashore is approximately 70 miles long and consists of beautiful beaches, sand dunes, grasslands, and tidal pools.  Some of the popular activites here are fishing, boating, hiking, beachcombing, and birdwatching.  There are many areas where you can drive your car on the beach.  You could go down the coast to a practically deserted area and find solitude and nothing but the sounds of surf, wind, and birds.  You can camp right out on the beach if that's what you want.  I'm glad I got to visit this area and see what it is all about.  Hope you get to experience it some day, too!

Patricia Paul, GRI ** www.PatriciaPaulProperties.com ** (520) 548-2078

            Gas torch and tools.                                               The work area.

Here's part of my studio space for lampwork beadmaking.   I'm still determining how I want to arrange things.  It's a labor of love. 

Below are the pretty many-colored glass rods that are used to create the custom beads and samples of the end product.

     =       

     The glass rods I start with.                                 A sampling of the end product.

Patricia Paul, GRI *** www.PatriciaPaulProperties.com *** (520) 548-2078

As I'm typing this blog entry I am watching the opening ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia.  First there was the parade of athletes; that's always fun to watch.   That was followed by an extravaganza of visual displays, dancers, and fiddlers.  Then a presentation representing Canada's prairies, with a youth seemingly flying in the clouds.  It's a cool special effect!   Skiers and snowboarders are doing aerial tricks against a mountainous backdrop.  They are followed by a large quantity of skaters whose costumes house red and white lights.  Currently a beatnik-looking poet is reciting a poem about Canada and the environs.  That must be an Olympic first.  Now an eclectic mix of Canadian celebrities, an opera singer, and Royal Canadian Mounties.  And finally, "The Great One", Wayne Gretsky, and other Canadian super athletes light the Olympic torch to start the games.

Sadly these 2010 games are already marred by the fatal injury of an Olympic luge athlete, Nodar Kumaritashvili from the country of Georgia,  just hours before the games began.   He lost control of his sled while training, struck a steel pole, and died later at a hospital.

These Olympic games foster friendship, athletic excellence, and goodwill among athletes from countries all around the world.  I wish them all safe competitions and good luck.  Don't forget to watch your favorite events during the next 16 days!

Patricia Paul, GRI *** www.PatriciaPaulProperties.com  ***  (520) 548-2078

Well, today was a special day.  As some of you know, lampwork beadmaking is my latest hobby and passion.  For the last few weeks I have been putting together my own glass beadmaking studio at home. 

Today it all came together and I was able to turn on my torch and create my first bead in my home studio.  The torch uses a mix of propane and oxygen.  It was all very exciting!   Once you create a bead then is has to be fired in a kiln to anneal it.  I'll include some photos later, when the beads come out of the kiln.

And now.....  I've got some creating to do!

Patricia Paul, GRI *** www.PatriciaPaulProperties.com *** (520) 548-2078

 Stop by on Sunday January 31 from 1:00 - 4:00 for my Open House located at 10315 E. Cowhead Saddle Lane, near Broadway and Houghton.  This beautiful home in Barrio Rincon was built in 2004 and features 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.

Directions:  From Broadway, take Houghton Road south to Cowhead Saddle Lane.  Go east to #10315.

Patricia Paul, GRI *** www.PatriciaPaulProperties.com *** (520) 548-2078

As I sit here writing this blog entry I am in New York City; Manhattan to be exact. I am supposed to be on a plane, flying back to Tucson at this moment, but my flight out of La Guardia airport has been cancelled due to bad weather on the east coast.  I came to New York to visit with my sister, Susan, and to attend the Metropolitan Opera.  

 New York is truly a great city to visit (though I prefer to live in Tucson).  Here are some observations I've made in the past few days: 

• New Yorkers have a love affair with their car horns.  Honking starts regularly around 7 am on weekdays and continues most of the morning. Luckily they ease up a bit on the weekends.
• The garbage collectors come three days a week and it is a manual process. No big green bins emptied by a robotic arm here.  They have the real thing;  the workers toss mounds of black trash bags one by one into their trucks.  They come down my sister's street at 7:45 a.m., and the noise echoes up and bounces off the high-rises.
• There are more taxis in Manhattan than there are coyotes in Tucson!
• New Yorkers are sophisticated, savvy, and nonchalant.  Should there be a celebrity sighting, they will not acknowledge it in any way.
• Riding the subways is an adventure.  They are actually quite fast and efficient.  I did see my first subway rat on this trip...eeks!
• Shopping is definitely more challenging in the Big Apple.  Grocery stores are much like the tiny corner stores I remember from my youth.  No expansive box stores here (rent is too prohibitive, plus the city dwellers would never approve of them).  There is a Home Depot in Manhattan, but it is smaller than ours, and has to be spread out over several different levels due to the small footprint of the store.
• I have done more walking and stair climbing in a week than I normally do in a couple months back at home.
• Cultural opportunities abound!  (See future post for some details.)