Sycamore Canyon

Last weekend Kim, MJ, and I went hiking in Sycamore Canyon again. We ventured farther than we ever had before. There were deep pools of clear water, orange leaves overhead, and fabulously sculptured cliffs.


During our hike we came across two guys sitting by a shady pool. They seemed friendly, so we said hello. Soon we were deep in conversation.


One of them works for the Sky Island Alliance, a nonprofit group dedicated to protecting our beautiful desert mountain ranges. The other is a lobbyist in Washington DC, working to help preserve wilderness areas.


We talked all afternoon, about politics, the environment, life, academia, bugs...
Eventually it got dark and it was time to go.


It was a real treat to feel such a connection to people we met randomly on the trail. Andrew and I may go hiking with one pf the people we met and some other SIA people tomorrow.

All Souls

Tonight was the All Souls Procession, one of the most creative, unique, and beautiful events in Tucson.

This is me.




This is Andrew.




This is the burning of the urn.









This picture is for you Jess, from last week. Now he's a puddle of pumpkin goop on the porch... pumpkin goop full of awesome little Histerid beetles, that is.

Now I'm tired! Sorry for abandoning this blog for a while. The dissertation proposal is sucking my brains out.