Tucson Gem and Mineral Show 2018

Since 1955 Tucson has hosted the annual Gem and Mineral Show, which has grown over the years from being held in an elementary school, to a Quonset hut at The Tucson Fair Grounds, to the Tucson Community center, and now held across multiple locations across the city. For a couple of weeks gem dealers and a variety of artisans from all over the country and the world come to sell their goods, while shoppers come from near and far to hunt for jewelry and jewelry making supplies, browse for treasures and bargain for the best prices. This event is one of the single highest revenue producing events for the Tucson economy, with the estimated economic impact in 2018 around $120 million.

We have attended the show each of the three winters we’ve stayed in Tucson, and while we’re definitely not there for the big ticket items, we almost always find something interesting to take home. We really enjoy walking the miles of aisles, taking in all the sights and sounds, appreciating the incredible talent on display, and conversing with the artists. And, after multiple visits, we’ve started to recognize some of the regulars, and look forward to return visits. Here are some pictures of the highlights this year. 

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

When Dan and I set out to travel the United States, one of my fondest desires was that our kids would try to meet us along the way, to visit with us, and to see new places they otherwise might not have considered. But, between the demands of the job, kids in school, limited vacation time, and limited funds, this hasn’t always proven an easy thing for them to do. Last March, however, we were quite happy to have my daughter (Jill) and granddaughter (Cece) make it out to Tucson for a short visit, and we tried our best to squeeze in some of the highlights of the area.

The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is a great place to visit for anyone who wants to learn more about the Sonora desert environment. It has been ranked as one of the Top 10 Museums in the country, and the #1 Tucson attraction. It is unique in that 85% of the experience is outdoors. The 98 acres expanse includes a botanical garden, art gallery, aquarium, natural history museum, and is home to more than 230 animal species. Two miles of walking paths wind through various desert habitats where over 1200 types of plants grow.

From their website, this is “…not a ‘museum’ in the usual sense, it is an unparalleled composite of plant, animal, and geologic collections with the goal of making the Sonoran Desert accessible, understandable, and valued.”

We couldn’t have picked a nicer day, or time of year for our visit, with the wildflowers in bloom (along with the birds who seem to love them, too), outstanding vistas in full view, and comfortable weather for walking around.

It  really was a pleasure to be able to share some of our home away from home with those we love!

"The Official Center of The World" (Felicity, California)

If you are looking for an offbeat tourist attraction, and are willing to suspend your skepticism for an afternoon, you might consider visiting the town of Felicity. Dubbed as “The Official Center of The World”, Felicity’s is located in the southeast corner of California, a few miles from Mexico, and a few miles from Yuma, Arizona. If you’ve driven on Highway 8 and crossed the California-Arizona state line, you’ve no doubt driven right by Felicity, not even realizing it was there. With a population less than 10, Felicity was founded on May 11, 1986 by Jacques-Andre Istel, and named for his wife. Although not universally recognized as the center of the world, there is enough of a story here that makes this a fun place to stop.

How does one place over another get to be recognized as the Official Center of The World? It is complicated to grasp, but as simple as the story in Istel’s fairytale “COE the Good Dragon at the Center of the World”.  This story actually led to the 1985 law setting the Official Center of the World at a precise point inside the pyramid at Felicity. I would suggest some internet sleuthing if you really want to dig into the details of all this. Suffice to say, according to one website, “there is no scientific or political reason for the designation, but only the effort of Jacques-Andre Istel and his wife Felicia Lee, who founded the town in 1986”.

During a 2-day road trip to Yuma in January 2018, we took an afternoon to visit Felicity, and paid $3 each for our self-guided tour, plus an extra $2 to get certification for having stepped foot on the Center of the World. Felicity, the town, is sparse and barren, like the desert surroundings would suggest, but Felicity the proprietress was anything but. Still giving the Center of the World tour and signing certificates, she was lively and entertaining, never missing a beat, and answering all our questions.

Over a span of 25+ years, the town grew from the official “center” to include a  church which sits on a man-made hillside, a 25-foot staircase that was formerly part of the Eiffel tower, a 15-foot bronze sundial which uses Michelangelo’s Arm of God as the pointer, and a vast Museum of History in Granite, whose purpose is to “engrave in granite highlights of the collective memory of humanity”. This history is still a work in progress, and could conceivably go on forever.

When we began traveling full time 11 years ago, I assumed I would see a lot of the country, but I never actually thought I’d find myself in “The Official Center of The World”!