How much for the tapestry?

Shop owners discuss in Spanish what they'll charge a couple of Scandinavians who lost their way, finally coming up with $350 for a beautiful tapestry that was too long anyway and would introduce a new color into our scheme. We passed.

Adventure on Grant
Saturday morning we headed downtown to shop for a big pot to put in the big slot in the wall system next to the TV. We had seen an ad in the Tucson Newcomers Guide for a dusty enterprise called Pottery Blow-out on Grant Street near Alvarado. The ad said they had 10,000 pots in stock at all times and since we needed just one, we figured the odds were good.

They had lots of pots alright, mostly from Vietnam and China and the Philippines, but they were all too short or too tall or too fat. We saw some interesting pot feet, and a neat potted water feature, frogs, turtles, and chimineas galore (two were lit and made a smokey haze over everything), but not the right pot.
Disappointed, we got back into the Rendezvous and retraced our route back up Grant. We impulsively topped at Mi Casa (I think that means "Our House" -- see how our Spanish is improving?) and there was this nice couple (above) who have been in business there for 10 years. Rooms full of Mexican tables, chairs, place settings, statuary, pots, headboards, urns, hinges, all piggly wiggly and colorful. Senor is a welder so he makes a lot of their wrought iron stuff out back and would make me a nice door for my wine cellar, but most of the stuff is imported from various provinces in Mexico -- he told me which ones, I nodded my head knowledgeably, but I don't think I can report it here with any accuracy, which is the standard for this blog. Anyway, we found this great wonderful thing to put on the wall, which will remain top secret until we reveal the new kitchen/family room we've been working on when we aren't shopping.

They also had a ton of tile samples (below) which we looked over as well as some textiles. As Kathleen likes to say as she leaves a store "we'll be back."
Taking a right onto Oracle, we stopped at a huge outdoor Mexican pottery yard that looked like it had 20,000 pots, so we figured this must be the one. (At left) We were right, we found one just the right height, width and color to go in the Rolfsrud house in Tucson.

The pot weighed more than I wanted to carry, so the boss summoned a kid who looked to be 10 years old who slung the big old pot over his shoulder and put it in the back of the Rendezvous.

There was so much more there to look at, wonder about, but we were hungry, we had two big purchases all loaded, so we got in the car and drove over to Marie Callendar's for the pot roast special with salad bar, but, no doubt, "we'll be back."

Saturday morning

 

Solutions from Sunol

Oh what to put in the gaping wall system porticos on either side of the tv? Beautifully bathed in high intensity light, these display niches beg for an artistic rendering of stone, clay, pottery or. . . slip.

Solveig and Agnes to the rescue! Or is it Solveig Agnes to the rescue? In 1961, our dear aunt Agnes Veeder poured slip into a mold and crafted the vase displayed above. She passed away some years ago, but not before generously giving some heirs examples of her work.

Sister Solveig has closely guarded her treasure until now, but when the opportunity to display the vase with other Rolfsrud relics presented itself, she put aside selfish instincts. Carefully clothing it in bubble wrap, Solveig entrusted the heirloom to the U.S. Postal service and Wednesday it arrived.

Thank you so much, Sosie. Come visit it whenever you like.

Valences 'R Us

Should I get a housecleaner?

Steve and Virg,
As you know, I have been monitoring Craigslist.com for deals on used furniture. There are a couple of items on there now that are possibilities. But while I was looking, it occurred to me that the house also needs a good cleaning before you come back here in a couple of weeks. I spotted an ad for a house cleaner who sounds like she could make this house sparkle. Would you be willing to split the cost for a top to bottom scrub? Her ad follows. Let me know.
Stan
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Hello everyone! I'm looking for guys who want a really clean house. I'm a 25 year old female who works very hard and I guarantee you the cleanest house you've ever had. My problem is I don't like wearing clothes and there are 0 jobs where I can be naked. So that leaves me with cleaning houses. I do however need to find those guys who won't mind my nakedness around the house.

Just know that I am providing house cleaning only!, with a dash of visual entertainment. Nothing more!! Except a professional housekeeper/client relationship with a very naked me:) My fee is $200 per hour. (1 hr. minimum.)

Send me an email to set-up an appointment.
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We went to a party for Unit 16

Got a bunch of photos tonight at the open bar and patio dinner at the clubhouse for "Unit 16". Here's a shot of Tom and his wife. Sorry, can't remember her name, but there were at least three Carols and two Carolyns so odds are.... Tom seemed like a good guy. Think he was in education.

Got a bunch more photos of people. I will get Leno and Carolyn to ID them and put them up.

They were kind enough to escort us to the event. We enjoyed a nice dinner with our fellow residents and tried to remember all their names.

There are about 160 people in unit 16. There were about 70 at the party tonight, although it was hard to tell. Some really nice people. Kathleen talked to at least three Democrats. Honest, not everyone is a Republican.

Dinner conversation was wide ranging. What we brought home was that a coyote can jump a six foot fence without a problem. Sheesh. We won't mention that to Hoover. The party started at 5 p.m. It was over by 7:45, and we were among the last to leave. If there was a "late night" party afterwards for rock and rollers, we weren't told about it. It is 8:30 p.m. now and all's quiet in Saddlebrooke.

Tucson nights are chillly, bundle up

It gets cold at night in the desert. If you aren't prepared, you'll be colder indoors than you ever get in Minnesota. It is common to have "frost delays" on the golf courses the morning after it was 70 and sunny. A veteran like Beau, (above) who has been guarding "Fabrics That Go" since he was a puppy, stays cuddled in a warm wrap well into the day. A recent haircut has rendered him virtually defenseless against the morning chill.

And the winner is. . .

This is going to have to be a verbal description, not a visual. Suffice to say that the pattern we picked draws exactly from Copper Mountain and the traditional southwest hues. I just can't get a photo to line up, and if it did, your monitor wouldn't match anyway.

So, here's a taste of what we found. We love it. Has pop, tradition, gets us into teal and rust, terra cotta, cobalt blue. We've got 50 feet of it once we get it split.

Hearing unanimous consent, the motion is passed. Watch this space for more details as they become available. It's cocktail hour in Southwest Arizona.

Danger at Ft. Lowell and Campbell

There's a high risk employee at "Fabrics That Go" on Campbell Street in Tucson.

His name is Herman, he doesn't need a last name. He's 84, and has been a rag merchant for 62 years. He left New Jersey when he was 55 to retire in Arizona. He hasn't retired yet.

"I sold the store to my son and now I have to work here so he can pay off the debt," he laughs, looking over his eyeglasses. "I'll be here when I die. They won't bury me, they'll weave me. My wife will point to my grave and say 'That's Herman, by the yard.'"

Herman is told he could be a standup comic. "I do better lying down," he deadpans. Indeed. Herman favors the ladies and when it comes time to asking for a discount, he's got all kinds of ideas, some that must give his son a sense of panic from time to time. You can tell he's been warned, but he clearly likes risky business.

He told us that a designer came in to get several yards of a certain fabric. "That's great," the octonagerian said, "I'll give you 10 percent off."

"Herman," she responded, "What do I have to do to get 50?"

"Stay overnight," he countered.

"I'm great with women in walkers -- they can't get away," he twinkles.

He says he tries to be careful and knows his humor can be offensive if not tiresome. "I said something once to a lady. She was too churchy. She left and never came back." Imagine that.

His store is fabulous. Millions in inventory. Rich textures, weights, colors, designs. Warrens of rooms with bolts racked floor to ceiling. Impossible to see it all in one trip. The other employees seem to tolerate if not enjoy Herman. Oliver obediently hunts down bolts and measures them.

We finally made our selection, a geometric Aztec print, perfect for our purpose. Last night when we showed up at closing, Herman had told us that if we would come back today, he would give us a discount. Today, we approached the checkout with some trepidation.

"You're giving us a discount, right, Herman?" Kathleen said. He didn't even look up. "Yes, I suppose you'll want to see my wife in your back room for 15 minutes," I joked.

"Oh, it wouldn't take THAT long," he shot back with his oafish grin.